Applies to solar interconnected after April 15, 2023

Charging your EV on solar surplus with PG&E (NEM 3.0 / net billing)

Under NEM 3.0, Pacific Gas and Electric pays you 4.5¢ for each kWh of solar you export, and charges about 35¢ for each kWh you buy back. Putting that surplus into your car instead of the grid keeps the difference.

See your number How the math works 

Any solar brand. If SundialEV doesn't connect to your inverter, a $39.99 plug-in reader on your PG&E SmartMeter™ fills the gap. See how →

The spread

What PG&E pays for solar vs. what it charges for power

Export credit
4.5¢/kWh
What an exported kWh earns
Blended import rate
35¢/kWh
What a kWh from the grid costs, averaged

A kWh you keep is worth 7× what it earns exported.

Tariff: NBT Solar Billing Plan (E-ELEC) · Rates as of July 2026. A reference figure, not a bill quote — your own rate depends on your plan, season and time of use.

Under the Solar Billing Plan, PG&E credits exports at the CPUC's avoided-cost values, which change hour by hour — a small fraction of what you pay to import.

Worked example

One July month: export it, or drive on it?

An 8 kW system with 20 kWh/day of July surplus, and an EV driven 40 miles a day at 3.5 mi/kWh (about 11.4 kWh/day). The car can absorb 11.4 of the 20 kWh, so 343 kWh a month goes to the car instead of the grid.

Where the 343 kWh goesRatePer month
Exported to PG&E4.5¢/kWh credit$15.43
Charged into your EV (grid imports avoided)35¢/kWh avoided$120.00
Difference from charging on solar$104.57

Illustrative; the calculator uses your zip and plan.

Does this apply to me?

Four things to check

Interconnected before April 15, 2023? You're most likely on NEM 2.0, which credits exports near the retail rate for 20 years from your permission-to-operate date. The gap on this page mostly doesn't apply to you until that term ends — though SundialEV still keeps EV charging off peak-rate grid power.

Compatible gear

Works with the equipment PG&E homes already have — or any solar system

Connect what you own. If your inverter isn't here, the fourth option works with any brand.

Tesla Powerwall

Solar, grid and battery from your Powerwall, with a battery-priority setting.

How it works →

Enphase

Enphase production, plus grid and IQ Battery when your system meters them.

How it works →

Wallbox Pulsar Plus

Any EV, charged on surplus. SundialEV throttles the charger over OCPP.

How it works →
 $39.99 add-on

Any solar system + Emporia Vue Utility Connect

For inverters SundialEV doesn't connect to directly. A plug-in reader on your PG&E SmartMeter™ shows when you're exporting, and SundialEV charges on it.

How it works →
Plug-in solar charging

Any solar brand? Plug in at the meter.

SolarEdge, SMA, Fronius, Generac or something else — it doesn't matter. The Emporia Vue Utility Connect ($39.99) reads your PG&E SmartMeter™ directly, and SundialEV uses that reading to charge your EV on surplus. No electrician; it plugs into an outlet near your meter.

How it works

  1. Plug in the reader
    Buy the Emporia Vue Utility Connect and plug it into an outlet near your meter.
  2. Link it to your meter
    Register it with PG&E's Stream My Data and finish setup in the Emporia app (Emporia's guide).
  3. Connect Emporia in SundialEV
    Sign in with your Emporia account. That's the whole setup on our side.

Then SundialEV takes over: when the meter shows you're exporting, it starts the car, and it raises or lowers the charge rate every few minutes to keep your meter near zero.

You'll also need a Tesla, or any EV on a supported wall charger (OCPP, like the Wallbox Pulsar Plus, or Emporia), so SundialEV can start, stop and throttle the charge.

What you'll see in SundialEV

The reader sees what crosses the meter — what you export and what you import — which is exactly what PG&E bills you on. It doesn't see how much your panels produce, so charts show grid flow. Connect a supported solar system as well if you want production figures.

One measured afternoon: SundialEV started a Tesla Model 3 on about 3 kW of export, ramped it to 25–28 A, and held the meter within about 1 kW of zero for 1 hour 45 minutes — 56% to 72%.
Get started How it works with Emporia 

Your PG&E number, from your zip

The calculator starts from PG&E's rates for your zip and plan, then lets you adjust your system size and driving.

For solar interconnected after April 15, 2023 (NEM 3.0).

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does SundialEV work with PG&E's E-ELEC?
Yes. SundialEV charges your EV from whatever solar your home would otherwise export, on any PG&E plan. Your plan matters for the savings math: SundialEV values each kWh at your plan's rates (NBT Solar Billing Plan (E-ELEC) by default, and you can change it), and you can set avoid-hours so grid top-ups skip your peak window.
My inverter isn't on your list. Can I still use SundialEV?
Yes. Add an Emporia Vue Utility Connect ($39.99). It plugs into a standard outlet near your PG&E SmartMeter™ and reads what your home exports and imports at the meter, so the brand of your inverter or panels doesn't matter. Once it's registered with PG&E and set up in the Emporia app, connect your Emporia account in SundialEV. SundialEV checks the meter every few minutes, starts charging when you're exporting, and adjusts the charge rate to keep your meter near zero. You'll also need a Tesla, or any EV on a supported wall charger (OCPP or Emporia), so SundialEV can control the charging. How it works →
Do I need to install anything?
Usually not. SundialEV connects through the cloud APIs of the gear you already own — your Tesla, your solar or battery system, or your wall charger — so there's no new wall connector and no electrician. If your solar system isn't one we connect to, the one optional add-on is a $39.99 Emporia Vue Utility Connect that plugs into an outlet near your PG&E meter.
How much will I save with PG&E?
It depends on how much surplus you export and how much you drive. In the illustrative example on this page (20 kWh/day of July surplus, 40 miles a day), charging the car instead of exporting is worth about $104.57 a month at PG&E's rates as of July 2026. The calculator runs the same math with your zip and plan.
Does this work without a Powerwall?
Yes. A Powerwall adds battery-priority options, but SundialEV works with solar and an EV alone: when there's surplus, it goes to the car.
Do I need a Tesla?
No. Tesla vehicles are controlled directly, and any other EV works through a supported wall charger — the Wallbox Pulsar Plus over OCPP, or an Emporia charger through Emporia's cloud — which SundialEV starts, stops and throttles to match your surplus.
Emporia says the Utility Connect doesn't do solar-only charging. Does SundialEV?
Yes — that's the part SundialEV adds. Emporia's product page notes the Utility Connect doesn't support its Solar Only Charging feature. SundialEV reads the same meter data through your Emporia account and does the solar-only charging itself.
Will I see my solar production with just the Utility Connect?
No. It sees what crosses your meter — exports and imports — not what your panels produce. Charging works the same either way. If you also connect a supported solar system, SundialEV shows production too.

Keep your PG&E surplus in the car

SundialEV charges from your surplus automatically — with any solar brand.

Get started on web Estimate your savings →