Power Window

PVPC planner for flexible electricity use in Spain.

Electric car

Electricity price for EV charging in Spain today

Charging at home does not cost the same at every hour. Use the hourly PVPC signal to choose when to plug in and move the session into lower-price hours.

1. Energy

Estimate the kWh you need

A session depends on the car battery, current charge, target charge, and charger power. Power Window estimates the energy first:

needed kWh = battery kWh * (target - current) / 100
2. Hours

Find a complete window

If you need three, five, or eight hours, the full-session average matters more than a single cheap hour. The app ranks continuous windows.

3. Bill

Separate energy price from the full bill

PVPC helps choose timing. A final bill can include contracted power, taxes, charges, retailer margin, and other items that do not change when the session moves.

4. Routine

Check before plugging in

Solar-heavy days can favor midday; other days, cheap hours appear overnight. The hourly curve should decide, not a fixed rule.

Practical guide

How to decide when to charge an electric car

For long sessions, the key number is not only the daily minimum hour. Your cost depends on the average price across every hour while the car is charging.

If you only need a small top-up

When you only want to recover 10% or 20% of the battery, two or three hours may be enough. A short window near the daily minimum often works well. The planner estimates duration from battery size, current charge, target charge, and charger power.

If you need many kWh

For a large recharge, one cheap hour does not define the full cost. It is better to find a continuous block with a low average price. That is why Power Window ranks complete windows rather than pointing at one isolated hour.

Wallbox, socket, and three-phase charging

The same energy takes different time depending on the charger. A 2.3 kW domestic socket may need many hours, a 7.4 kW wallbox concentrates the session, and an 11 kW three-phase installation changes the best window again. Enter the real power before deciding.

Frequently asked questions

EV charging with Spanish PVPC prices

When is it cheapest to charge an electric car in Spain?

It changes daily. The app uses hourly prices published by Red Electrica and compares complete windows for the session length you need.

What data do I need?

Car model or battery size, current charge, target charge, and charger power. Those inputs estimate how long the charge needs to run.

Does it work for a 7.4 kW wallbox?

Yes. You can also model a 2.3 kW socket, 3.7 kW slow charger, or 11 kW three-phase charging. The recommendation changes with duration.

More guides

Other flexible loads