Future perfect: How electric cars can save us money and power our homes
In the near future your car could be operating as a huge domestic battery with or without the wonders of PV solar. Picture: iStock
Here are six wonderful reasons to power up to electric vehicle (EV) ownership (when you’re ready).
According to the CSO, 38% of household greenhouse gas emissions are due to the use of household cars — internal combustion engine varieties, that is (ICE).
According to the industry including the much-read blog at Wallbox, a major supplier of EV domestic home chargers, the next big thing with electric vehicles with be V2H (vehicle to home) and V2G (vehicle to grid). Bidirectional charging is an extension of EV charging technology already being explored in pilot programs in the Netherlands to help balance the national grid load and to reduce both EV running costs and domestic power bills for householders.
In short, the stored energy in your car’s battery could flow in two, smart new ways.
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A bidirectional EV charger is used to supply power from the battery to the grid or even back to the house via a DC-to-AC converter system.
If you think about a larger battery of 60kWh, this is enough to power an Irish house for four days, and it would allow users to supply and sell power back to the grid when it is most needed and most profitable.
Our homes and the needs of the grid can be equally copacetic. “For instance, by charging up your EV at night when there is less electrical demand and then using that electricity to power your home during the daytime, you could actually contribute to reducing consumption during peak periods when there are more electrical demand and more pressure on the grid” (Wallbox.com).
Currently, cars including the Skoda Enyaq, the VW ID4, Nissan Leaf and the Audi Q4 are V2G/V2H capable (with the right charger with embedded technology). Kia’s V2G system is due to come online from next year.
PV-solar installation is having an illuminating bounce on the back of the energy price crisis in Ireland.
Despite its high capital outlay, using the SEAI grant award (and potentially eschewing the need for a battery in the face of Micro-generation Support Scheme payments) the renewable rewards, over time can be stunning. Together with a reduction in power bills, especially over the brighter days from May to October, there are two sustainable technologies that can tap directly into PV solar — heat pumps and EV cars (both hybrid PHEV and BEV).
Whether you’re retired, or have your car parked up at home at the weekends, excess solar can pour directly into your car using a solar-enabled system such as the Zappi.
Expectations should be managed in the darker months, but as they say — every little helps. In the future, with V2G and V2H through the car battery and a suitable charger, your excess solar power could be stored and redirected back to the grid or the house.
The car becomes an energy-storage device, or an extension of your domestic solar storage. This is a hack PV-solar users are familiar with — using their domestic battery in winter, taking in grid power on night tariffs, to then deploy and save on daytime power prices.
Obtaining financial help from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has never been easier.
In terms of SEAI grant aid, you don’t have to have an EV as your private or company car, or even be planning to get one, to take advantage of around 50% grant aid.
The grant applies to the property, so you could move ceaselessly and still qualify for a €600 towards the supply and installation of an EV charger. If you’re buying a petrol hybrid (PHEV), it’s still well worth installing a charger at home, and if you’re commute is short and your employer offers charging, you may rarely have to visit the forecourt at all (unless you take a longer spin for a naughty break on the Wild Atlantic Way).
Even if you currently drive an ICE or PHEV, having a quality charger with a quality install to your home is an attractive, sustainable extra to flag on sale.
Buyers are responding: Planetary problems aside, the reasons to drive EV are obvious — a 74% reduction in fuel costs (SEAI) compared to buying into yet another new diesel car, and the lowest rate of motor tax available, just €120.
The Climate Action Plan 2021 to have 945,000 electric vehicles in the Irish fleet by 2030 might seem very ambitious, but new figures are showing that electric cars both PHEVs and full electric BEVs are making their mark, with 84,000 EV cars now on Irish roads. 15,678 new electric cars were registered in 2022 comparison to 8,646 on the same period 2021 (+81.3%) and 3,444 in 2019 (+355.2%) (simi.ie).
When buying a new car, the up-front price difference between ICE and a zero-emission EV though indisputable can be less than expected. With an increase in new car sales comes more used BEVs and PHEVs on stream to the second-hand market.
Outside the top-flight models of Audii, Polestars and VWs, well-priced, mid-range vehicles with increasingly good range abound.
Though many true-blue EV drivers sometimes argue against it, a petrol-fed PHEV with a small EV battery, is a valid entry to the world of EV living and may we segue on to a full EV choice in the future.
Power deals for extra savings: EV life will make you much more engaged with your bill, as dropping up double digits of kWhs into the car creates a new focus for weighing up the best deal for your domestic and vehicular load. The correct range of the car, charged at home on a good tariff, can make the difference between paying 13c per kWh or paying 50c per kWh on the public network.
Brendan Halpin, founder and CEO of Cork switching portal WeSwitchU. explains, “If you have a home charge point installed, depending on your meter configuration, you should sign up for a smart or day-and-night tariff to charge your car at exceptionally cheap night rates. When selecting a tariff, EV drivers should consider their EV type, battery size, mileage and even their solar PV panels as all these factors affect energy usage. Using a switching service is a simple way to find the best tariff. WeSwitchU is the only platform on the market with EV usage and smart tariffs integrations" (weswitchu.ie).
6EV cars are energising companions. With the weight of the battery anchoring the car to the road, smooth, powerful acceleration from instant torque, and the wonders of regenerative braking, the driving experience of an EV is an unexpected rush for most jaded middle-aged drivers.
Coming with a push-button start, and no conventional gears, their apparent simplicity is refreshing. Before you even get in, the car is working for you, with pre-heating and app-based charging schedules.
The calming quiet with the additional knowledge that nothing hideous is streaming from a tailpipe, all makes for a new appreciation of driving and owning a car. Range anxiety with a fully electric BEV, is something you should work through before you buy the car.
Ensure the battery size will suit your situation in the face of our emerging public charging infrastructure. You need to do a little daily planning ahead, it’s just part of the new lifestyle of being an EV owner.
Join the Irish EV Association on Facebook — a great place to get informed on the everyday pros and cons with veteran EV owners, debunk myths and to explore the finer detail of your potential EV buy.
- For more details on the process of buying and installing a domestic EV charger go to our guide here in Home & Gardens, "How to have an electric vehicle charging point installed at home" irishexaminer.com/property/homeandgardens/arid-41142802.html
Despite a rise in the price of new full electric BEVs in Ireland, second-hand prices are reasonably competitive if you vouch for a mid-range brand and a modest battery under 55kW. A 2021 Renault Zoe in mint condition starts from €17,000 with 15,000km on the clock and battery warranties (carzone.ie).
The most popular EV cars according to CarZone (Ireland) are the Fiat 500e and the Nissan Leaf, with the Leaf well represented in second-hand buys, from €20,500 for 2021 models with less than 20,000km. The battery of any used EV car should be tested for any fall in charge capacity.
From July, the purchase premium for new EVs will drop from €5,000 to €3,500. Log onto Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland at SEAI to find a list of eligible details and all T&Cs.
Approved EVs with a full price of more than €60,000 and less than €14,000 will still not receive a grant.
A home charger is essential to make high savings with any EV car. The apartment charger grant assists residents and owners of apartments and other multi-unit developments who want to install a home charger for their Electric Vehicle (EV) and which are not covered by the pre-existing grants (seai.ie).
Keep in mind your EV will be mechanically much simpler than an ICE and will therefore require less maintenance.
During service, it will be checked on a narrower set of parameters, and it should in theory be cheaper to look after under the hood.
Serious bodywork can be complicated by the technologies embedded in the car (true for many new cars).
Avoid depreciation and the high initial outlay with a lease agreement. The only stress point here is taking excellent care of your car as the agreed payment plan will not alter if you get into a prang and lower the car’s market value.
Ensure you understand fixed-term contracts and penalties.
SUSTAINABILITY & CLIMATE
Check out our Sustainability and Climate Change Hub where you will find the latest news, features, opinions and analysis on this topic from across the various Irish Examiner topic desks and their team of specialist writers and columnists.
