Solar inverter and EV charger trial saves thousands driving on sunshine

Gath James of Go4Solar and Electircal. Supplied.
Gath James of Go4Solar and Electircal. Supplied.

The Driven

A six-month trial using a new two-in-one solar inverter and electric car charger has shown the massive savings to be had from driving on the free energy resource right above our heads – the sun.

Small business owners Garth James had the unique opportunity of trialling the new inverter from SolarEdge, which was first introduced to the Australian market in late 2019, as reported by The Driven.

The vast majority of electric vehicle owners charge their cars at home, much like a mobile phone. While this is often done at night, the new inverter allows EV owners to take advantage of daytime charging.

According to James, who switched from a Mitsubishi Pajero to a Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid, the savings have been substantial.

“I’ve gone from spending $600 a month on fuel to basically driving just on sunshine,” James said in an emailed note.

James says is he now spending a measly $20 a month on electricity instead, and that over a 6 month period driving 10,000km between and home and business, the projected annual savings are around $7,000.

The savings will help offset the cost of buying the PHEV, which he says he chose because it is more affordable than the higher upfront cost of an all-electric vehicle.

To read the full version of this story – and view the photo gallery – on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven, click here…


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Bridie Schmidt is lead reporter for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She specialises in writing about new technology, and has a keen interest in the role that zero emissions transport has to play in sustainability.

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