Customers need to have a Tesla Powerwall for home storage and a Tesla Wall Connector for wall box charging in addition to a Tesla vehicle (all models are supported). And of course the roof-mounted photovoltaic system. Since Tesla only discusses using its own hardware in its statement, it is likely incompatible with home storage systems from other manufacturers when it comes to the surplus charging feature.
“With Charge on Solar, your Tesla vehicle can charge using only excess solar energy produced by your Tesla solar system. Using excess energy to charge your electric vehicle maximizes the value of your home’s solar system. Use the Tesla app to set Charge on Solar limits and have your vehicle charge using extra solar energy,” But in Europe, Tesla does not sell solar panels or solar roofs of its own. Since the feature is also being offered in this nation, if the Tesla Powerwall is available, it probably works with solar systems from other manufacturers.
Customers will be able to set the minimum charge level they need to utilise by utilising the “sun slider” feature in the app, which is akin to the charge limit slider. For instance, the user can effortlessly finish their typical driving trip by setting the “sun slider” to a 40% charge level. You can adjust the charging limit slider to ninety percent. In the event that the PV system’s excess energy is insufficient, the system will use grid electricity to charge the automobile to 40%. The range between 40 and 90% is only charged with excess solar energy; in this scenario, the charging process ends entirely at 90%.
According to Tesla, the feature itself will be free to use (as long as the required hardware is available) and will be available with software version 4.30.5. The following European nations have plans for this: Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The function will be implemented outside of Europe in Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand.
For this to work, the vehicles’ software version must be 2023.32 or higher; according to Tesla, the Powerwall with Solar requires software version 23.12.10 or higher.
