California’s Drive Solar Campaign

Originally published on the ECOreport.

There have been some highly successful joint promotions of solar and electric vehicles. According to the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), 72% of EV purchases in a Colorado campaign were made by people who had not previously intended to buy, and about 15% also bought a solar system. The latest solar-EV combo brings Plugshare and Sungevity together for California’s Drive Solar campaign.

California’s Drive Solar Campaign

PlugShare users can get a free EV charging station and installation when they go solar with Sungevity.

“We know from recent studies that EV ownership can be a stepping stone to adopting home solar. Offering a complimentary charging station plus the installation of that station with a solar system agreement is a very attractive package that saves the customer both time and money,” said  said Kelly Griswold, Sungevity’s Vice President of Business Development.

According to PlugShare’s consumer research division, about 12% of EV purchases in 2015 were made by existing solar owners. Less than 1% of America’s homeowners have solar panels.

“Driving an electric car slowly got us into a completely new mind set. All of a sudden it was important for us to have solar panels on the roof,” a Tesla owner recently told the ECOreport.

Plugshare and Sungevity ran a successful pilot program in the Bay Area last fall.

Plugshare’s GE WattStation

Ploughshare’s GE WattStation™ is a residential charging station delivering up to 20 miles of range for every hour of charging. This system compares well to the 2 to 5 miles from a standard 120V wall outlet.

“We designed the Drive Solar program to help EV drivers in California get Level 2 charging at home while incentivizing the cleanest form of transit, solar-powered driving,” said Plugshare COO Forrest North.

Top Photo Credit: Sungevity & Plugshare