If you don’t already own an electric vehicle, chances are, you will someday soon.  EVs are expected to reach more than half of new U.S. car sales by 2030, up from just 6% today.  With all those new car batteries needing regular charging, EVs may reach nearly 15% of U.S. electricity demand by 2035, up from just 0.6% today.

From where is all of that EV battery-charging power going to come?  Sixty percent of the U.S. grid still runs on fossil fuels.  And while wind and solar make up almost all planned U.S. capacity additions, this will require a $20-$30 billion yearly investment in new transmission lines to bring this renewable generation to market.  At present, hundreds of transmission projects remain mired in permitting reviews over how much new capacity is needed, what it will cost, where it will go, and who will pick up the tab for building out all those lines.

And then there is the matter of public EV charging stations.  With EV adoption expected to double annually, EV charging infrastructure is lagging far behind.

In short, while EVs are stepping up demand for electricity in a big way, the grid is having a hard time keeping up with supply – both for renewable resources that need new grid connections and public charging infrastructure that remains unreliable and in short supply.  That means distributed solar power generation will be called upon to fill this gap.

Introducing the SolaflectEV Solar EV Charger

Here are 5 reasons why SolaflectEV Solar EV Chargers are a great addition to the portfolio of workplace EV charging solutions:

1. 100% clean solar energy – EV charging is produced directly from the sun in a full off-grid solution with no “dirty fuel” —  natural gas is still the fuel that drives peaks in utility demand.  
2. Provides EV range for the commute and more – Up to 10,000 miles of annual charge per EV – and 40,000 miles per Solar EV Charger — eliminates “range anxiety” for EV-driving employees.
3. Turn-key, non-disruptive deployment – One-day installation and activation that requires no digging, construction, utility interconnection, or electricians, not to mention not to mention costly utility demand charges for most commercial customers.
4. Highly flexible and no change to parking capacity – Solar EV Chargers can be moved and added as needed, and don’t interfere with parking spaces or traffic flow.
5. An employee benefit that pays for itself – EV charging improves employee satisfaction and retention.  And they are affordable to lease or purchase, with zero ongoing/rising costs from utilities or charging station providers.

And here are 5 more considerations:

1. Most climate-resilient – Placed in a workplace parking lot, our Solaflect Trackers are designed to withstand high winds, shed snow quickly after winter storms, and have plenty of ground clearance to avoid snow plowing and potential flash floods.  With more severe weather causing more frequent power outages, an off-grid Solaflect EV Solar EV Charger is up and running even when the grid is down. 
2. Most scalable – As more EVs enter employee parking lot – EV adoption is expected to double each year – Solaflect Tracker systems can be added incrementally, scaling up with that demand.  There’s no need to guess how much extra money to invest in “EV ready” infrastructure years ahead of time – a practice that grid-connected charging often requires.
3. Most future proof – No matter what the future holds, distributed solar power generation offers the most secure form of electricity going forward.  Spikes in local utility rates, regional battles over power lines, and overseas wars funded largely on fossil fuels don’t have to factor into your energy concerns.  No one can take away your access to free sunshine – or try to charge you more for it over time!
4. Great bang for the buck – Putting this altogether, solar EV charging offers real pocketbook savings while meaningfully slashing the rate of workplace greenhouse gas emissions.  With each gallon of gasoline burned releasing about 20 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, this works out to more than 5-1/2 TONS of greenhouse gas emissions for a commuter getting 25 mpg and driving 14,000 miles a year.  While EV charging on the grid cuts these gasoline-fueled emissions by more than half, solar EV charging off the grid takes them all the way down to zero.  At a time when rapid global warming makes achieving net-zero emission goals more urgent than ever, solar EV charging offers the biggest and fastest way for most of us to cut our carbon footprint and make a real difference in sustaining the planet for future generations.
5. Fastest growing resource – Solar is now the power of choice for new electricity generation.  Seventy percent of planned capacity additions in the U.S. are solar-powered (followed by wind at 22%).  With the grid slated to go virtually carbon-free by 2035, meeting this clean-energy goal may require adding 60 gigawatts of new solar capacity each year between 2025 and 2030 – a fourfold increase from the 15 GW installed in 2020.  This is a huge leap, especially considering current transmission bottlenecks.  

SolaflectEV is now your Workplace EV Charging Partner!

For 15 years Solaflect Energy has been your home energy management partner.  Now, through SolaflectEV, we’re extending our reach into places where people work.  Businesses, medical institutions, schools, etc. increasingly need to help their employees with EV charging.  If you have contacts who want to solve this challenge today with solar EV charging, we’d love to talk to them!  

We’re also raising the first in a series of investment funds that will purchase SolaflectEV Solar Chargers, allowing us to offer attractive leases to employers.  We welcome introductions to accredited investors interested in attractive returns from a truly clean environmental, social, and governance (ESG) offering. 

Finally, we’re launching a new SolaflectEV website in short order – so stay tuned!  We look forward to keeping you updated.  For more information email us or call (802) 649-3700.  Working together, the power is in our hands to make a difference in the fight against climate change.