The price of petrol has soared well above R20 in the past two years, with inland petrol reaching a nearly two-year high of R25.15 per litre last month – and set to rise yet again in August.

These skyrocketing fuel prices have sparked rising interest in Electric vehicles (EVs) and home solar systems to charge them. This is according to Rein SnoeckHenkemans, CEO of Alumo Energy, a leading provider of home and business solar solutions in South Africa.

Sales of fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have surged, reaching 468 vehicles in the first quarter of 2024 alone – an increase of 82.1% from the first quarter of 2023. Furthermore,total sales of EVs and PHEVs effectively doubled in 2023, rising 102.2% year-on-year, from 624 vehicles in 2022 to 1,262 vehicles in 2023, indicating a rapid rise in popularity.

Beyond gradually moving away from fuel-hungry, environmentally unfriendlyinternal combustion engines, persistent loadshedding and high electricity costsarealso driving homeowners toward solar.Notably, Eskom electricity tariffs have increased by around 405% since 2010, while total load-shedding hoursincreased eightfold between 2020 and 2023, supporting homeowners’ shift to solar.

“It’s becoming increasingly attractive for households to invest in a hybrid solar-grid system. These systems can save significant sums on your monthly electricity billand the growing cost of running generators, while making you less reliant on the grid.Additionally, we’re seeing a marked uptick in interest in households making the move to an electric vehicle that can be powered by a solar system,” saysSnoeckHenkemans.

EVs and solar – the full package

Modern solar systems, including the panels, batteries, and inverters, are capable of fully chargingan EV in under eight hours– similar to charging it directly from your home’s power through a wall connector.Considering that the typical car owner would only use a fraction of the vehicle’s total charge during their daily commute, the charging time might only be around three hours at most per day to consistently keep it at full capacity.

“Depending on the size of the home’s existing solar system, additional batteries and panels may have to be installed to offset the additional load requirements and ensure both your car and home are adequately powered.To check if your system is up to standard, it’s best to get an experienced technician from a trusted solar installer out to your home,"states SnoeckHenkemans.

One of the premium systems which Alumo recommends to its clients is from AlphaESS, whose systems have a special EV charging port, the SMILE-G3-EVCT11 – an addition to the home solar system that can charge an EV at up to 200% of the home’s photovoltaic(PV) solar array. This means that no additional PV panels need to be installed to accommodate EV charging.

“It’s also important to remember that charging an EV from the grid can be costly, but harnessing the power of the sun is free once you have the necessary infrastructure in place. The savings on fuel alone couldoffset the initial cost of the solar system within the space of just a few years,” he adds.

Likewise, the maintenance costs of solar panels and EVs are typically lower than their traditional counterparts. Solar panels require minimal upkeep and EVs have fewer moving parts than internal combustion engine vehicles, resulting in fewer repairs.

“Investing in solar and EV is an investment into your future, as all indications show that our power issues are here to stay for the foreseeable future, and the cost of both fuel andelectricity will continue to rise.So ultimately, the combination of EVs and solar provides a sustainable and cost-effective solution for environmentallyconscious customers with attractive long-term savings potential.”