Image: Keba.
Solarwatt is launching a smart solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging offering in the UK in partnership with Austrian e-mobility solutions manufacturer Keba.
This marks the first time Solarwatt has launched an EV offering in the UK, adding charging to its existing roster of solar and storage offerings. The offering will be available for home charging, as well as to businesses.
As part of the partnership, with the two companies already working together internationally, Solarwatt’s 3.0 EnergyManager provides a control platform for Keba’s KeContact p30 electric vehicle charging station.
Solarwatt pointed to the ecomonic benefits of solar-powered domestic and commercial EV charging, where the cost is “signifcantly” lower than public charge points, grid power or fossil fuels, as well as the environmental benefits.
The offering is the latest step in Solarwatt’s drive to provide complete systems that integrate multiple energy functions, with the solar and storage manufacturer launching its MyReserve battery storage system in the UK and Ireland in April.
Detlef Neuhaus, CEO of Solarwatt, said the energy, transport and thermal transitions must be thought about “as one” if the “fight against climate change” is to be successful.
“Our solar system integrates all household applications that previously consumed a lot of fossil energy – heating, cooling, hot water, and mobility besides electric power generation itself,” he said.
Keba’s products are available in the UK through Romatech, its strategic partner and distributor for the UK market. Director of Romtech, Emma Hunter, said Solarwatt's EnergyManger control system “makes it a great match for Keba” and is “ideal for UK homes”.
Solar-powered EV chargers are a growing offering. In May, Rolec unveiled a solar powered home charger range that allows charging from a combination of solar and the grid, or solar alone. Moixa has also launched what it described as a “revolutionary” solar-plus-storage-plus EV charging solution in the UK earlier this year.