Solar charging hub provides 20,000 miles of charge

A solar powered electric vehicle (EV) charging hub has generated enough power for 20,000 miles of driving, in eight weeks.

The 3ti Papilio 3 is pop-up charging solution, which integrates local mains electricity with solar power and a Battery Energy Storage System.

Since its installation at the end of May, at Surrey Research Park in Guildford, the prototype device has generated 4.86MWh of solar electricity.

In June, the first Papilio3 unit generated 2.36MWh and is on track to exceed this figure in July. Currently, this represents a 53% PV Generation to EV Charging ratio, although this will reduce throughout the year and expected to average around 20% after the winter.

Tim Evans, 3ti founder and CEO, said: “Solar is an abundant source of renewable energy – yield from our first Papilio3 unit at Surrey Research Park has already topped 4.86MWh, and all 12 charging points have been in regular use.

“The most recent International Energy Agency statistics show that, thanks to higher solar and wind power generation, renewable electricity production is up by 9.8% year-on-year across all Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, but there is still plenty of room for further improvement.”

Papilio3 is built around a recycled shipping container, can be deployed within 24 hours. It provides EV charge points of 7, 11 and 22 kW.