Solar-powered car port charges electric cars

The car port of the future is likely to double as a solar-powered charging station for electric cars.

The Romag ‘PowerPark’ canopy uses its entire roof area to house photovoltaic cells that have a 1.7KW capacity, which equates to about half the amount of energy used by an average household.

The canopy could be used to charge the batteries of an electric or hybrid car, provide energy for a building or even feed electricity back into the National Grid.

Self-sufficient cars

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “A charging station like the PowerPark system could allow a household or business to be entirely self-sufficient when running an electric vehicle.”

The regional development agency, One North East has ordered two prototype PowerPark canopies.

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What is the ETA?

The ETA provides motorists and cyclists with green breakdown cover and green insurance products.