Solar EV charging stations get smarter control and battery tracking

A new study proposes a coordinated framework for solar-powered electric vehicle charging stations, achieving 98.1% solar tracking efficiency and cutting battery state-of-charge estimation error to 0.118%, while lowering operating costs by 6.8%. The framework combines a fuzzy-adaptive MPPT algorithm, which outperformed fixed-step methods in randomized irradiance tests, with an extended Kalman filter for accurate battery monitoring. A model-predictive-control energy management system reduced costs versus rule-based dispatch, though it revealed a trade-off with grid independence. Simulations showed 93.6% system efficiency and 14.2% grid dependency. Only the MPPT and SOC estimation were hardware-tested on an ESP8266, matching simulation within 2.4 percentage points. The cost dispatch and stability proof remain simulation-only, with hardware validation planned.