Solar Ioniq5 EV Charging: Self-Reliance and Reduced Carbon Emissions
The Solar Energy Project continues
At this point I’ve made about 20 posts regarding my adventures in Solar Energy. They all lead to a Solar-powered “Gas Station” for an Electric Vehicle (EV). As prices for solar equipment have come down, the idea is within reach on my budget.
Starting with solar power for the Amateur Radio station and progressing through a rainwater system, power for the shop, a large solar array and a substantial LiFePo battery storage system, I’ve always been thinking about the ultimate preparedness goal: Solar Powered Transportation.
Enter the Electric Vehicle (EV)
A bit of recent good fortune made buying an EV a possibility. Like many, I’ve been following the EV market over the last few years. Improvements in range and reductions in cost (partly due to more generous subsidies) made replacing my aging Mazda CX-5 practical.
Ford, Hyundai, Kia or Tesla?
We looked at several models: Tesla Model Y, Ford Mach-E, Kia EV6 and the Hyundai Ioniq5. All of these were suggested by a friend who had already done much of the research. We visited each dealer and drove all four cars. All were SUVs, with the EV6 being the largest. All had some kind of hatch back, since this was closest to the CX-5 we were replacing. All had impressive range and power, although we weren’t able to test drive the EV6 at highway speeds.
Hyundai Ioniq5
In the end, we liked the Hyundai Ioniq5 best and purchased the rear-wheel drive “Limited” trim package since it had the best range of the Ioniq5 models. The lack of a second motor accounts for the extra range, over 300 miles, but it will still reach 60 MPH in 6 seconds. Plenty fast for me.
I’ll leave it to the reader to learn about the Ioniq5 as interest dictates, but suffice it to say, it’s the best car I’ve ever owned and one of the best I’ve ever ridden. Regardless of our solar dreams, I would be happy to have it as my daily driver with or without solar charging.
What’s all this about watts?
We should define a few terms. An EV’s fuel storage is rated in kilowatt Hours (kWH). That’s simply the number of watts a battery can deliver over a given period of time. So, one kilowatt delivered for 1 hour is one kilowatt hour (kWH). It represents the amount of work a battery can do.
EV mileage is defined in miles per kilowatt/hour rather than miles per gallon. The 77 kWH battery in the 2024 Ioniq5 provides an estimated range of 303 miles. That’s simply 303 (EPA estimated range in miles) / 77 kWH (the Ioniq’s battery capacity) or approximately 4 miles per kWH.
To be clear, kilowatt measures instantaneous power, while a kilowatt/hour measures that power over time. With this in mind, we can think of kWH as the electrical equivalent of gallons of gas.
What does it take to charge an EV?
Let’s talk about what it really takes to use the sun as a major component of transportation. As already mentioned, the 2024 rear-wheel drive Ioniq5 Limited has a 77 kilowatt/hour (kWH) battery, and an EPA estimated range of 303 miles. A typical trip for us is between 75 and 100 miles. We make that trip 3 to 4 times a week. That works out to between 19 and 25 kWH per trip or about 76 to 100 kWH per week.
Our current solar generating capacity
From the previous posts (linked above) You may recall we have 24, 250-watt solar panels in the main array. Their peak output is around 5500 watts (or 5.5 kW). This varies depending on sun angle and cloud cover. Just recently, a sunny day in June, I recorded a total power generation of over 24 kWH from sunup to sundown. Close to the amount needed to recharge the car after a typical day’s use. Under those conditions, we could generate over 160 kWH per week.
But not so fast. This optimistic figure assumes cloudless days with the car parked near the charger during those sunlight hours. Since we typically drive to town in the daytime, we’ll lose that time on the charger, and there are going to be cloudy days. For the time being, we’ll have to supplement the solar charging with some commercial power from the grid.
EV Charge Rates
The Ioniq5 will accept a variety of charge rates. It comes with a 120-volt charging cord (Level 1), but that’s really only for emergency use. It only replenishes the battery at the rate of about 3 miles per hour (0.75 kW). 240-volt Level 2 chargers can replace power at between 25 and 33 miles per charging hour (7.5 kW). They are used in a typical home setup.
Finally, Level 3 facilities can provide up to 600 miles per charging hour (150 kW). This means going from 20% to 80% (about 46 kWH in the Ioniq5) charge can take as little as 18 minutes. These fast chargers are only found at certain premium charge locations and cost the most per kWH to use.
Ultimately, we aim to have a solar-powered Level 2 charger. That will deliver 7500 watts to the car and could replenish our typical trip (75-100) in 3 to 4 hours.
A “Level 1 1/2” EV Charger
Currently, our peak solar generating capacity is around 5500 watts — not enough for full Level 2 charging. Fortunately, EVs are flexible and can use smaller amounts of power effectively. For example, I found a 240-volt plug-in charger that can supply up to 3700 watts — enough to replenish our typical trip in 5 – 7 hours. That’s what I’m currently using.
Not only that, but the Ioniq5 allows charge rates to be limited to 90% or 60% of the full charge rate. This means I can charge on partly cloudy days. The 60% rate will charge at about 2200 watts, or about 15 miles per hour.
Why an EV?
Reduced Carbon Emissions
I believe that Climate Change is real, and already happening. Persuasive arguments have been made that climate change is largely a result of human activity — especially from the use of fossil fuels. There are other arguments to the contrary, but since we’re reaching a point where cost-effective alternatives are available, I prefer to move in that direction.
It doesn’t hurt that the current EVs are comfortable, efficient and fast — so I feel like I can do my part to reduce greenhouse gasses regardless of their effect on the climate.
Are EVs effective at reducing carbon emissions? A July, 2021 white paper issued by The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) really put it in perspective. Without reading the whole paper, the key finding is arresting:
Only battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles have the potential to achieve the magnitude of life-cycle {Green House Gas} emissions reductions needed to meet Paris Agreement goals.
Another site, The Visual Capitalist, provides a chart that compares grams of carbon emissions per passenger kilometer traveled. As shown in the chart, a medium gas-powered car produces 192 grams of carbon per passenger/kilometer mile traveled whereas an EV produces only 53 grams for the same distance. Manufacture and disposal of the EV are in included in these figures.
Electric wins the fuel cost comparison (in daily use)
If the sky is completely overcast and the solar panels are not generating much power, we can always charge from the Grid. I usually try to do that at night, so as to take advantage of the cheapest rates. Still, at about 10.5 cents per kWH (our most expensive rate), it would only cost about $7.50-$10 per week with no solar input. Still a bargain for about 300 miles or range per week. The old CX-5 got a pretty consistent 30 mpg, and at a cost of $3 per gallon, that’s about $30 worth of gas. Three times the cost of the electric “fuel.”
Reduced cost of fuel is nice, but not the main reason buying an EV. By the time you roll in the cost of the solar installation and the somewhat higher cost of buying an EV instead of a comparably appointed Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicle, you’d have to own the EV for quite a few years to recover that investment. I’ve done most of the work building the solar installation myself, and purchased used equipment whenever possible.
Even so, my investment is approaching $10,000. That’s about half the cost of a typical home solar installation, but still substantial. I may recover about $2000 a year in reduced or avoided fuel cost, realizing a $20,000 savings over the 100,000 mile life of the car (assuming a $3/gallon fuel cost).
Performance
Read just about any review for an EV, and you’ll find writers waxing rhapsodic about performance. I had written this off as hyperbole, but my first test drive of an EV changed my mind. The performance is impressive. As we visited various dealers in search of our next ride, one salesman reminded me that we were the “fastest car on the road” when confronted with a tricky traffic situation. He was right. Instantaneous smooth and impressive power. Since EVs have a simple drive train with no traditional transmission, there is no shifting. Power is delivered in proportion to pressure on the accelerator pedal — from cold start to as fast as you care to go in a few seconds.
Braking is just the reverse. Take your foot off of the accelerator, and the car slows or, depending on the mode, even comes to a full stop. EVs have regular brakes, but in the so-called “one-pedal” mode (“I-Pedal” on the Hyundai), braking is handled intelligently by the car by returning power to the batteries with regenerative braking. This is one o the reasons for EVs extraordinary efficiency — 3 to 4 times that of a typical Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicle. In short, a completely different and pleasant driving experience.
Upgradability (software)
This seems counterintuitive since many focus on the perceived difficulty of servicing an EV. Most, if not all of mechanical repairs will have to be done by a qualified mechanic or dealership.
However, since the EV has about 20 moving parts compared with more than 2000 in the typical ICE drivetrain, there’s less need for dealer service.
Since an EV is a software platform as much as a transportation device, the opportunity for upgrading that software exists. I’ve only owned my Ioniq5 for a few months now, but have noticed several software updates. Many updates will likely be bug fixes and other changes that are invisible to the end user, but I have also noticed some new features.
In addition to that, the Ioniq5 supports Apple Car Play, so we can expect annual updates and feature additions from Apple as well. I can’t remember getting feature updates even once with the CX-5 I owned for 11 years.
The “Big Ticket” item – Self Reliance
In an increasingly chaotic world, and with the supply chain problems we saw during the global pandemic and the massive power interruptions in Texas in 2021 and 2023, a little preparedness seems wise. In a way, using an EV for transportation and powering it from the sun is the ultimate preparedness. I can’t create hydrocarbons in my back yard, but I can collect photons and convert them into power in sufficient quantities to maintain a degree of transportation self-reliance for years to come.
Future Plans
We’re in a pretty good place now. The Ioniq5 is doing well, and we have a way to charge with both solar power and from the grid. We’re not done though. In the next few months, we plan to double the size of the solar array, install a more robust EV charger and generally perfect a Level 2 charging system for the EV. The added solar collection will also improve our resilience in the case of grid events. Watch this space!