Solutions
EV/PHEV
How it works
An electric vehicle runs on a battery you charge at home. A plug-in hybrid carries a smaller battery and a petrol engine, so short trips run on power from the house and long trips fall back to fuel.
Either way, the car becomes the largest single load in the home. Charged overnight on an off-peak rate, or straight off the roof during the day, it runs on home power rather than petrol.
Some newer vehicles can also send power back into the house, which is called vehicle to home. Where the car and the charger both support it, the car can carry the house through the evening peak.
Where it sits in the order
The vehicle is step nine of ten. It comes late in the list not because it matters less, but because the home needs to be ready first. The charger (step four), the solar size (step two) and the switchboard (step eight) are all decisions that depend on the car you are about to have.
Your plan records the car decision early so those steps are sized for it, even if the car itself arrives last.
What it is worth
From $1,000 a year, or $2,000 on an off-peak charge
Source: energy.gov.au, electric vehicle facts
Assumes an average car driven 13,400 km a year.
That figure is for the car against petrol. It does not include the charger, the solar or the tariff, each of which changes the result for your home. Your plan sets those out together.
What an installer must hold
The car itself is not an installer job. The home side is, and that part is electrical work.
The charger and any switchboard work must be done by someone holding a Queensland electrical contractor licence, and they provide that licence number before they can take a job through SaveTonnes.
We do not install, and we are not owned by anyone who does.
What to expect from a quote
For the car itself, you deal with the dealer or seller. For the home side, one enquiry brings up to three quotes from local installers, and each quote should show:
The charger, its power rating and whether it is single or three phase.
Whether your switchboard and supply can carry it, and the cost of any upgrade.
Whether the charger can be scheduled for off-peak hours or to follow solar.
If you want vehicle to home, whether the charger and inverter support it with your car.
The warranty on the hardware and on the installation.
If a quote is missing any of these, ask for it before you choose.
Get your plan
Tell us whether a car is in your plans and we will set the charger, the solar and the switchboard around it, in the right order.
See also
EV charger, the step that makes the saving reachable. Solar PV, which sets how much daytime charging you can do. Battery storage + emergency backup, for the evening hours.