Why Charging Stations Are Important in PV Planning
Electric vehicles are one of the most common new electricity consumers in households with photovoltaic systems. Charging stations and wallboxes can increase the self-consumption of a PV system by 20-30% or more.
With the E-mobility Add-On you can:
Model realistic load profiles: The Eturnity Solar Expert automatically calculates a 15-minute charging curve based on real driving data
Increase self-consumption and profitability: Accurate modeling of e-mobility increases the profitability of the PV system by an average of 15-25%
Consider multiple vehicles: Up to 5 different charging setups per project (e.g. car + delivery van)
Various charging powers: From 3.7 kW household power to 22 kW wallbox or 50+ kW fast charging stations
License Note: This feature requires the paid E-mobility Add-On. If you have not activated this, please contact support@eturnity.com or your customer success manager.
Prerequisites
E-mobility Add-On activated: Contact support@eturnity.com if not yet done
Project template with E-mobility: Either an existing template with activated E-mobility or you activate the technology in an existing project in the Variants menu
Charging stations in library: At least one charging station added to your component library (see "Activating the E-Mobility Add-On and Adding Charging Stations to Your Library")
Customer information: Daily mileage, vehicle type (optional), preferred charging time
Step 1: Activate E-mobility in a Project
If you have an existing project and want it to contain charging station components, you must first activate the E-mobility technology.
For New Projects (with E-mobility Template)
Click on "Create New Project"
Select a project template that already has E-mobility activated (look for the designation or a corresponding note)
The project will be automatically created with E-mobility activated
For Existing Projects
Open your project and navigate to the "Variants" section (left side in the project view)
Look for the "Active Technologies" column
Click on the "E-mobility" button for the corresponding project variant
The button will turn green when the E-mobility technology is active
Save the changes
Note: You can only activate E-mobility if the add-on is included in your license. If the button is not visible or you receive an error, the add-on is not activated.
Step 2: Select the First Charging Station in the Project
Once E-mobility is activated, you can add charging stations to your project.
Navigate to "E-mobility" in the left menu of the project view
You will now see a component table with the charging stations from your library
Click on "Add Component" or use the dropdown list to select a charging station
Select the appropriate charging station based on:
Charging power (kW): 3.7 kW (household power) to 22 kW (wallbox) for private users
Availability: Available charging infrastructure at the customer's location
Costs: Budget and profitability of the project
Enter the quantity (normally 1, unless the customer has multiple charging stations)
Confirm the selection
Example: A private household with one electric car would typically choose an "11 kW AC Wallbox".
Step 3: Configure EV Load Profiles in Electricity Usage
The most important parameters for realistic EV modeling are entered on the "Electricity usage" page. Here you create the automatic load profiles that are then taken into account in the PV simulation.
Navigate to "Photovoltaics > Electricity usage"
In the right section you will see the "Edit Electric Vehicle" button
Click on "Edit Electric Vehicle"
A new charging setup form appears
3.1 Set Specific Energy Consumption
Under "Specific Energy Consumption" you can select the vehicle type:
Small electric vehicles (e.g. Tesla Model 3, VW ID.3): 15-18 kWh/100km
Medium electric vehicles (e.g. Tesla Model Y, Audi e-tron): 18-22 kWh/100km
Large electric vehicles (e.g. Tesla Model X, Kia EV9): 22-28 kWh/100km
Automatic calculation: The Eturnity Solar Expert uses standardized consumption values
3.2 Define Daily Mileage
Enter the average daily mileage in kilometers
This information is crucial for calculating the daily EV electricity consumption
Examples by customer type:
Commuter (commute to work): 40-60 km/day
Average private user: 25-40 km/day
Intensive user (trade business): 80-150 km/day
Tip: If the customer is uncertain, you can calculate with an average of 30-40 km/day
Special feature: You can enter different daily mileages for individual weekdays (e.g. longer distances on Fridays). The average value is then calculated automatically.
3.3 Set Charging Power
Under "Charging power (kW)" enter the maximum power of the installed charging station
The charging power should match the charging station you selected in the project:
3.7 kW: Household power / standard socket
11 kW: Wallbox with single-phase connection
22 kW: Wallbox with three-phase connection
50+ kW: Fast charging station (typically commercial)
The charging power determines how quickly the car is charged and thus the shape of the 15-minute charging curve
Step 4: Define Charging Schedule
The charging schedule determines when the car is normally charged. This is crucial for calculating the self-consumption potential.
In the "Charging schedule" section you will see two quick selection options:
"Morning" (08:00): Car is charged in the morning before work
"Midday" (12:00): Car is charged around midday
"Evening" (18:00): Car is charged after work
Alternatively, you can click on "Custom" and enter a specific start time (hourly resolution)
Choose the time that best suits the customer scenario
Click on "Save"
The load profile for e-mobility will now automatically be added to the selected load profile of the building on the Electricity usage page.
Note: The displayed yearly consumption on the Electricity usage page is always automatically calculated from the sum of the electricity consumption for charging electric vehicles and the yearly consumption of the selected load profile for the building
Step 5: Add Multiple Charging Setups (Optional)
If the customer has multiple vehicles or charges at different times, you can add up to 5 different charging setups per project.
Click on "Add Another Charging Setup"
Enter the parameters for the second vehicle (e.g. a commercial vehicle with higher mileage)
Repeat this process up to 5 times
All load profiles will be added together and included in the overall simulation
Warning: The combined electricity consumption from all load profiles must not exceed realistic limits. If you receive an error ("EV charging consumption exceeds realistic level"), reduce either the daily mileages or the number of vehicles.
Step 6: Display in PDF Proposal
If E-mobility is active in your project, the charging station will automatically be displayed in certain PDF document templates.
Navigate to "Documents > Generate Document"
Under "Add PDF pages from a document" select a document template that supports E-mobility
A special page "02b Information Section E-mobility" will be automatically inserted and shows:
If the page is not automatically inserted, you can add it manually via "Add PDF Pages"
Best Practices for E-mobility Planning
Customer consultation: Ask about planned mileage, vehicle type and preferred charging time
Multiple scenarios: Create different project variants with different EV parameters to show various scenarios
Profitability comparison: Show the customer the difference in ROI and payback time with and without a charging station
Future planning: Use E-mobility to optimize the sizing of the PV system (it can be larger with higher self-consumption)
Training: Inform the customer about optimal charging times and how to maximize self-consumption