Electric vehicle owners can often take advantage of new renewable energy technologies, which enhance the environmental and economic benefits of using electric power for transportation. For most electric vehicle owners, the most readily-accessible renewable energy alternative is solar power. By installing a solar power system at the location where electric vehicles are maintained, vehicle owners can use electricity produced on site to recharge the batteries in their vehicle(s). This not only assures that the energy used for vehicle recharging is generated without producing any carbon or other emissions, but can also be more economical than recharging with grid electric energy purchased from a local utility.

To illustrate the potential economic benefits of using solar energy, an electric truck operator who drives 100 miles per day and who pays the local utility 10 cents per kilowatt-hour will save $30/day for each vehicle recharged with solar energy produced on site. Depending on how many days a week each vehicle is used, this benefit can approach $10,000 per year for each vehicle. Ownership of a solar power system can also safeguard against future increases in utility rates, providing even greater savings in the long term.

Buyers of solar energy systems can also use the energy produced to meet their other electrical needs, eliminating their dependence on power from the grid altogether. Purchases of solar systems often qualify for tax credits and other government incentives, which can reduce the effective cost of the system by 50% or more. TransPower can assist customers in evaluating and acquiring solar energy systems, and in some cases can arrange financing for a combined purchase of an electric vehicle and a solar system. In many cases, a customer can acquire an electric vehicle and solar system with a small down payment, and then pay less per month to pay off the purchase than it would cost to buy a conventional vehicle, purchase fuel, and pay normal utility bills.

To learn more about solar systems, or to obtain additional information on a combined purchase of an electric vehicle and solar system, please complete and submit this form.