Run your car on sunshine
The Zappi EV charger diverts excess solar straight into your vehicle
Zappi EV Charger
zappi – smart charging for your EV
The zappi is a smart EV charger, created by myenergi, which is designed to utilise energy in the most cost-efficient ways possible to charge electric vehicles. The zappi charger can work with an existing solar PV system, harnessing excess energy produced by your solar panels to charge your EV as well as your home. Using a zappi charger, you can essentially run your electric vehicle on sunshine!
A zappi EV charger helps you get the best economics from your solar roof, beacuse instead of exporting excess electricity to the grid for 5p/kWh, you don’t have to import electricity at 15p/kWh to charge your car. It can also work in conjunction with a home battery storage system, so if your car isn’t there whilst the solar energy is being harvested, this electricity can be stored in the battery until you’re ready to charge the vehicle, even at night.
If you don’t have a solar PV system at the moment, the zappi can still work exactly as other EV chargers do, using energy from the grid to charge your vehicle. However, you will be future-proofed, should you want to add solar at a later date.
Use your excess solar instead of exporting
That’s free mileage for your car
And it’s completely zero-carbon
Cost-effective – the Zappi is the same price as most other EV chargers
You can use the zappi without solar – and get a solar roof later
EV Charge Point Installer Of The Year
2020
2021
2022
2023
What makes the zappi different to other EV chargers?
Most EV chargers simply use electricity from the National Grid to charge your electric vehicle. Because EV chargers are high-powered (typically 7kW), standard EVc hargers will still be importing the majority of their electricity from the national grid. That’s costly, and more carbon intensive, so it makes sense to draw electricity from a solar roof instead.
The zappi has sensors measuring the amount of electricity being exported to the national grid. It adjusts the output of the zappi so that all excess solar generation is diverted into your vehicle, and nothing is exported back to the grid. That means your filling your vehicle with free, zero-carbon electricity.
Obviously, charging your vehicle in this way will take longer, so it helps if you are parked up all day at home. If the solar isn’t sufficient to fully charge your vehicle the zappi has different modes that can be chosen to suit your own particulalr circumstances
- Fast Charging Mode – the zappi operates like a conventional charger supplying 7kW single phase
- ECO mode – the zappi diverts excess solar into your vehicle. If the avauilable solar falls below 1.4kW, the supply is topped up to this amount by the grid. This ensures your vehicle does trickle charge
- ECO+ mode – the zappi relies solely on the excess solar for it’s charging requirements
Using the zappi app and a myenergi hub (which give the zappi EV charger a wireless internet connection), you can control your EV charger remotely, check on the status of your EV charging, adjust the balance or charging mode of the zappi, and view all of the usage statistics and logs that you could ever want or need.
A 4kW solar roof produces enough electricity in a year to power a BMW i3 for 20,000 miles. Over the lifetime of a solar roof, that’s 500,000 zero-carbon miles.
Is a zappi EV charger right for you?
If you currently have an existing solar PV system (or a wind energy generation system) and have or are planning to get an electric vehicle, the zappi EV charger will enable you to charge your vehicle with the free energy generated by your renewable system, making this a great option to have if your EV is likely to be parked up in this location during some daylight hours, either on weekdays or at the weekend.
If you don’t currently have a solar PV system or wind turbine, but are considering getting one installed at some point, you can install a zappi charger and later incorporate your new system with it. If you installed a conventional EV charger now and later decided to add a solar PV or wind energy system, you would need to purchase and install a new EV charger to work with your new elements, which might not be covered by the current UK government grant for installing EV chargers at home or at a workplace.
If you’re not sure whether the zappi is right for you or whether another EV charger might be a better fit for your requirements, get in touch with us for expert advice.
Integrating EV chargers with solar PV
Run Your Car on Sunshine
If you’re not parked at home during the day, it’s still possible to run your car on sunshine. Find out how.
Get the most from your solar
The zappi is a great way to make the most of your roofs generation. Here’s some others!
EV Charging
If you’re interested in the basics of switching to electric vehicles check out our EV info base.
Charge point grants
Homeowners are eligible for OZEV grants of £350 per charge point. Here’s how to claim your funding.
Can a zappi EV charger be installed outside?
The zappi EV charger is designed to be installed and operate optimally either outside or in a garage/sheltered area. The zappi is best placed in the area where you will most often park the electric vehicle. If you do get a zappi EV charger installed outside, it has a pin code lock function for security.
How much does it cost to install a zappi EV charger?
As with any EV charger installation, the costs of installation will vary, depending on your existing electrical setup and your requirements for this equipment. Download our pricing brochure here, and simply fill in a short survey on your mobile phone to get your pricing confirmed bu one of our engineers.
In the UK, the government currently provides a grant for homes or workplaces of up to £350 of the cost of an EV charge point and installation, which will make a significant difference to the end cost to you. Find out about the OZEV charging grants here.
