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“I no longer need to manually throttle charging to my EV.”
Photo Credit: Reddit
An electric vehicle owner hoping to charge their car with surplus solar power found that their setup was drawing from their home battery, highlighting the importance of a recent Tesla equipment update.
They shared their experience on Reddit’s r/Powerwall forum.
In the Reddit thread, the original poster wrote, “Tesla finally upgraded their UWC to enable smart features like charge on excess solar. I purchased a UWC as soon as I heard about the update and had it installed (replaced my Emporia) this week.”
OP added, “So far so good… Just posting this because I no longer need to manually throttle charging to my EV to charge on excess solar and am super pumped for this.”
Other commenters described similar workarounds that don’t involve Universal Wall Connectors. The top comment read, “Confirmed this also works with WC3, not just with UWC. Charging my 2025 Ioniq 5 on excess solar with Savings Mode.”
Another Ioniq 5 owner responded, asking, “Would you say the Tesla integration with Powerwall 3 is worth the premium price of the UWC over some competitors?” The first user then added, “I can’t say. But based on what others have said and if true that you need to manage it manually then yes. I’ve been monitoring for several hours now and it has been balancing load like a champ.”
A third commenter wrote, “I am stoked to hear this. Have Wallbox and do all my load management manually.”
For homeowners exploring how storage could fit their own setup, EnergySage offers information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates. EnergySage has teamed up with electrification brand Qmerit to help homeowners get the best price on home battery storage solutions.
With energy prices through the roof, there’s never been a better time to go solar — and EasyHome can help you find the best prices from the best installers in your area.
EasyHome takes the guesswork and headaches out of energy upgrades by showing you estimated savings from a network of vetted local partners. To get started, just enter your ZIP and share a few details about your home — seeing your estimate is really that easy.
Battery storage can protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and provide more energy independence. A battery such as the Powerwall can store solar electricity for later use, providing backup power, reducing reliance on purchased electricity, and making EV charging cheaper.
Another backup option is Pila, which offers plug-and-play batteries priced at a fraction of what a whole-home backup system would cost. Its batteries can protect individual appliances, like refrigerators, when the grid goes down.
Getting an EV to charge from surplus solar without draining a home battery has tripped up other owners, too. 
• A U.K. owner built a Powerwall 3 workaround to stop their battery draining into EV charging.
• During a storm, an EV owner found their car still charging as Powerwall backup dropped.
• Tesla EV chargers can now soak up spare solar or seek cheaper power for charging.
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© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.

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