A new solar-powered EV charger that converts DC power from solar panels directly to DC power for electric vehicles (EVs) has the potential to revolutionize EV charging.
A Faster Home EV Charger Coming Soon
We recently discovered Enteligent, a California-based solar EV charging tech company. The startup is debuting the first DC-to-DC rooftop solar-powered hybrid bi-directional EV charger.
Currently in the development stage, the charger is expected to be commercially available later this year. When it does, it will significantly impact the EV charging market.
How it Works
Taking DC power from solar panels and charging directly to the EV saves the step of converting the DC from the solar panels to AC, then back to DC before going into the EV battery. Entelignet claims that this direct DC line from the solar panels to the EV saves 13% of the electricity typically wasted in the conversion process.
During the day, an EV can charge from the solar panels. If a faster charge is needed, the Enteligent charger can pull extra power from the grid and available batteries, giving up to 25kW of charging power. Most home AC chargers only have about 7.2kW of charging power. Therefore the company claims their charger is up to 3x faster than a regular AC charger.
Click the play button to watch Enteligent’s informational video.
Benefits of Enteligent's DC-to-DC Solar-Powered EV Charger
The DC-to-DC solar-powered EV charger offers several benefits over conventional AC chargers, including:
Faster charging speeds: The charger can deliver up to 25 kW of power, three times faster than conventional AC Level 2 chargers. This means EVs can be charged more quickly, which is especially important for long-range EVs.
Greater efficiency: The charger is much more efficient than AC chargers, which can charge EVs with less energy. This is important for reducing the environmental impact of EV charging.
Reliability: The charger is bi-directional, so it can use an EV battery as household backup power during a grid outage. It also enables EV users to shift from nighttime to daytime charging using clean solar energy.
