Clever off-grid EV charger

Paired Power has come up with an off-grid EV charger powered by solar panels, which can be erected in just 4 hours.

Getting EV chargers attached to the grid can be difficult. Often the grid operator will need to build a new substation, with new cabling to connect the charge station to the grid. This makes building out new chargers both time-consuming (as agreement between the charger service and the electricity utility is reached, and then the new infrastructure is installed) and expensive. 

But to add new solar panels to your roof is also tricky. The utility will want to prevent solar power at midday coming from all the houses in the street burning out the "poles and wires" that make up a suburban grid. And utility-scale solar farms face similar limitations, with output possibly having to be curtailed to prevent too much electricity entering the grid.

Paired Power's solar EV charging system is designed to avoid both limitations.

 

PairTree, the world’s first pop-up solar canopy, offers freedom from costly construction and infrastructure upgrades required by traditional solar canopy installation.

Single-day installation gets you up and running quickly with 100% renewable energy.

PairTree can be equipped with EV chargers and an integrated battery storage system.

PairTree’s modular design is available in 5 kW units that capture more energy with bifacial solar panels. 

PairTree is designed to optimize charge rates to deliver 75 miles of average daily range to an EV, well above the U.S. national daily commuter average of 30 miles. 

For greater resiliency and reliability, PairTree also supports up to a 42.4 kWh battery storage system, extending the potential daily range delivered up to 230 miles.

Advantages:

• Fast deployment and installation
• Lowest cost, no utility bill
• Emergency resilient power during grid outages
• 24/7 EV charging
• Eligible for incentives [40% under the IRA]
• Optional grid connection

Depending on how big a battery you choose to install, the product provides between ~125 and ~380 km of range, and can operate between -7 and +49 C.  Cost ranges between US$28,000 and $78,000 depending on battery size and the number of chargers (2 max).

There's a time-lapse video on the firm's website which shows the combined solar canopy and charger being installed in 4 hours.