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Welcome back, everyone, to another Deep Dive.

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This time, we're looking at how to power those EVs with Sunshine.

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Sounds pretty bright.

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It does, right?

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And before we get started, a huge shout out to Safe Server.

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Oh, yeah, definitely got to thank Safe Server.

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They're actually the ones hosting the software

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we're going to be talking about today.

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And they're experts in all things digital transformation.

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So you can check them out at www.safeserver.de.

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Good folks over at Safe Server.

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Yeah.

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OK, so today, like I said, we're going

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to be talking about this really cool system called EVC, EVCC.

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And it's all about harnessing solar power

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to charge your electric vehicle.

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So it's like having a personal solar power charging

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assistant.

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That's a great way to put it.

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So we've got a ton of articles and research on EVC.

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We're going to break it all down for you today.

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Yeah, we're going to try to make this as clear and simple

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as possible, especially for anyone

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who's new to this whole world of solar and electric vehicles.

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Yeah.

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So EVC is designed to be beginner-friendly,

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which is fantastic.

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Exactly.

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But what exactly could EVC do?

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Well, EVC is more than just about solar charging.

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It's kind of like a smart energy manager.

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It connects to your solar panels, your EV charger,

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even a home battery, if you've got one.

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And it figures out how to best use all that energy.

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So it's about using my solar energy in the smartest way

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possible, not just for charging my car.

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Yeah, absolutely.

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It takes the guesswork out of it all.

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It will automatically charge your car when the sun's out.

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It'll prioritize using solar for your appliances.

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And it can even switch to grid power if you need it,

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and all while trying to save you money on your electricity bill.

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That sounds amazing.

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But is this only for people with really complex setups?

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No, not at all.

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It's surprisingly flexible, actually.

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It works with a single EV and a small solar array.

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Or if you've got multiple charging points

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and a full home energy storage system, it works for that, too.

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That's really cool.

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So it can grow with me as I get more into the solar and EV stuff.

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Exactly, yeah.

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I like that.

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But we keep mentioning solar charging.

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What happens when it's a cloudy day?

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What happens then?

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Well, that's when EVC gets even smarter.

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OK.

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Because it's always monitoring.

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It can switch to grid power when there's not enough sun.

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That makes sense.

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But here's the cool part.

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It can actually do that strategically.

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So it will charge your car when electricity prices are lower.

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Oh, wow, so it's saving me money even on cloudy days.

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Exactly.

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That's very, very cool.

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And this brings us to one of its standout features, which

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is that it's open source.

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OK, now open source.

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For somebody who doesn't know a lot about tech,

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what does that actually mean?

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Well, open source basically means

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that anyone can see the code.

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They can change it.

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They can improve it.

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Interesting.

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It's like a global community effort

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to keep making it better.

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It's kind of cool, like a big group project.

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Yeah.

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It makes it transparent.

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It makes it secure.

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And you've got this huge community

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that's always there to help each other out.

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That's fantastic.

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Like a built-in support system of people

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who love the same tech that you do.

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Exactly.

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That's great.

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But speaking of tech, is it actually hard to set up?

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Is it very tech heavy?

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It might sound intimidating, but EveCC actually

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has this really user-friendly interface.

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It's like controlling everything from a website.

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So you can use your phone, tablet, computer.

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So it's not all complicated code and command lines and all

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that?

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No, unless you want to get into that, you can.

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But for most people, it's really intuitive and easy

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to navigate.

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It's great.

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There's even a demo version you can try online

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before you decide to actually install anything.

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That's awesome, so you can kind of see how it works.

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Exactly.

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You mentioned earlier that it's compatible

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with a lot of different devices.

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Can you give us some examples?

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Yeah, so it supports a bunch of different EV chargers,

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like Wallbox, Tesla, a bunch of other brands.

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It also works with a bunch of energy meters

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that track your solar production,

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how much power you're using from the grid, and all that.

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So chances are, if I already have a solar setup and an EV

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charger, that it'll work with my existing stuff.

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It's very likely, yeah.

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But even if you're starting from scratch,

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you've got a lot of freedom to choose components that

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fit your budget and your needs.

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That's really great.

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It's sounding pretty amazing so far.

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So what are some of its key features?

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What really makes AVC stand out?

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Well, one thing that really stands out

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is that you've got granular control over your charging.

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You can set specific charging times,

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you can adjust the charging speeds,

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and you can prioritize charging from your solar panels

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or your home battery.

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So I could tell it, like, hey, only charge my car at night

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when electricity is cheaper, and then

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prioritize using solar first.

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Yeah.

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You could even set up rules to make sure your car is charged

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to a certain level by a specific time every day

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if you have, like, a regular commute.

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Wow.

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This level of control is really appealing.

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Are there other features that kind of enhance

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that user experience?

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Yeah.

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So AVC can actually integrate with your car.

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So you can see the charging status, battery level, range,

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right in the interface.

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And you can even preheat or cool your car

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while it's plugged in.

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Wait, so like on a cold winter morning,

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I could preheat my car using solar energy?

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Yeah.

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All part of making the experience really seamless

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and energy efficient.

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That's incredible.

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I love it.

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I love it.

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Yeah.

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That's very cool.

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It's also got like safety features built in.

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Right.

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It's always monitoring your system.

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And if it detects any problems, it just stops charging.

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OK.

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Keeps your car and your home safe.

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That's a big one.

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Peace of mind.

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Yeah.

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So AVC sounds pretty awesome.

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Yeah.

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But how do I actually get started with it?

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So the most common way to run it is on a Raspberry Pi.

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OK, a Raspberry Pi.

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Yeah, think of it like a little computer.

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Yeah, a tiny brain for your home energy system.

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So that sounds kind of techie.

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Is it difficult to set up?

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It's not too bad.

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VVC's got really good documentation,

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and there's a really supportive community that

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can walk you through it.

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And there are even pre-built images available,

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so you kind of just plug and play.

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So even if I'm not super tech savvy,

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with a little bit of guidance, I can set this up.

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Yeah, for sure.

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And if you're more techie, you can customize it.

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Your heart's content.

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I like that, that flexibility.

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What about support, though?

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If I run into a problem, what happens then?

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Well, individual support might be a little bit limited,

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but the community is super helpful.

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There are forums, there are chat groups.

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They're full of experienced users, developers.

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They'll answer your questions, troubleshoot any problems.

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It's like having a network of tech savvy friends.

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Exactly, yeah.

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I like it.

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Before we wrap up, I have one more question.

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Sure.

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We've talked a lot about solar.

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Yeah.

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Can ECC work with any other renewable energy sources,

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like wind power?

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That's a great question.

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It's primarily designed for solar,

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but because it's so flexible, it could adapt.

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So theoretically, if you had a wind turbine,

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you could probably use ECC to manage that energy, too.

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Oh, wow, that would be amazing.

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Yeah, and as more people get into renewable energy,

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that's going to become even more important.

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That's really cool.

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This has been such an interesting deep dive

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into EVC.

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Yeah.

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I'm really impressed.

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Yeah, it's fascinating how EVC is giving people

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control over their energy and making

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things more sustainable.

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Totally.

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It's not just about charging your car.

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It's about being part of this whole shift

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towards clean energy.

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Absolutely.

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By using solar to charge your EV,

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you're reducing your carbon footprint, saving money,

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maybe even becoming more energy independent.

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It's a win-win-win.

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Yeah.

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And with how user-friendly EVC is and that supportive

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community, I think it's definitely worth checking out.

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For sure.

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For anyone listening who wants to learn more about EVC,

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where should they go?

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Best place to start is their website.

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They've got tons of documentation, tutorials,

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links to their forums and chat groups.

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Awesome.

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And again, huge thanks to Safe Server

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for supporting this episode.

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Absolutely.

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You can check them out at www.safeserver.d.

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Yeah, they're doing great work.

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Really are.

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So to leave everyone with something to think about,

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imagine a world where every electric car is

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charged by the sun.

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Oh, wow.

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Is that a future you want to be a part of?

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What steps can you take to get there?

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Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Yeah.

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And as always, thanks for joining us on the Deep Dive.

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Thanks, everyone.

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If you're feeling really adventurous,

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you could even contribute to the EVC project itself.

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Oh, yeah.

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It's open source, so anybody can jump in and make it better.

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That's what's so cool about open source.

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It's a real collaborative effort.

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Yeah.

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Driven by people who are passionate.

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Exactly.

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Who knows?

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Maybe your contribution could change the future

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of solar-powered EV charging.

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It's a really inspiring thought.

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So to wrap things up, we learned that EVCC is super powerful.

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Yeah.

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It's versatile.

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It's user-friendly.

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It can really change the way we charge our cars.

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Yeah.

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And it's a great example of how we can use technology

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to create a more sustainable future.

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For sure.

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It's all about taking control of your energy,

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relying less on fossil fuels, and being

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a part of this big movement towards clean energy.

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And the best part is, it's accessible to everybody.

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Yeah, no matter your tech skills.

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So whether you're a solar expert or just starting out

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with your EV, I think EVCC is worth checking out.

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Definitely.

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Thanks for joining us on this electrifying deep dive

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into EVCC.

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Yeah, thanks, everyone.

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Until next time, keep those electrons flowing sustainably.