(NewsNation) — Tesla announced it’s launched a new feature that allows owners to fill their electric vehicles’ batteries using solar energy.
To use “Charge on Solar,” Tesla vehicles will need the Model S, Model 3, Model X or Model Y (software version 2023.26 or higher), Tesla Powerwall with software version 23.12.10 or higher and solar power on-site. They’ll also need the Tesla app version 4.22.5 to adjust how the two work in harmony with one another.
Tesla noted that the 2012-2020 Model S and 2015-2020 Model X are not eligible for this feature.
To use the feature, users will need to open their Tesla app, select their vehicle and then choose the solar charge option. Then, the app will ask users to set a charge limit, by dragging left or right to set their preference and charge location.
This will allow the vehicle to charge itself from the grid, like usual, before it reaches the sun slider, then supplementing with solar power only.
The vehicle will adjust sharing levels every 10 seconds during solar charging, while users have the flexibility to schedule when to utilize solar charging.
A major benefit is the ability to maximize the utilization of solar panels, allowing users to rely less on stored energy in the Powerwall and draw more energy directly from solar sources.