Rolling Energy: Connecting Electric Vehicles, Home Charging, and Solar in Arkansas

“It is clean and renewable, and it's produced within feet of where it's consumed. That is less dumb. That makes so much more sense.”

— David Stitt, Owner, The Stitt Group / Stitt Solar

About the Show:

Our podcast host, Randy Wilburn, is buying an electric vehicle, and he's learned the car is the easy part. In this episode of Stitt Happens, Randy and David Stitt, owner of The Stitt Group and Stitt Solar, start in Randy's driveway and work outward. David explains the three kinds of EV charging, what to check in your electrical panel, and why he calls an EV "rolling energy": with bidirectional charging, a typical vehicle can hold several times the energy of a home battery and keep a house running through an outage.

They cover the local incentives still available in Northwest Arkansas, how service businesses are electrifying their fleets, and why every bit of energy covered by the sun takes risk out of your budget. The conversation closes with a plain-English look at virtual power plants, hydrogen fuel cells, and what energy in Northwest Arkansas could look like in ten years, plus a preview of the next episode on how to pay for it all.

Key Takeaways:

• Start with the house, not the car: Picking the EV is the easy part. Getting home-ready means choosing the right charger and confirming your electrical panel can handle it.
• Match the charger to how you drive: Basic home charging works overnight, Level 2 is significantly faster, and rapid chargers on the road can fill up in about 30 minutes. Apartments and multifamily properties can add destination chargers.
• Think of your EV as rolling energy: Bidirectional charging lets a 75–100 kWh vehicle power your home or business during an outage, several times the capacity of a typical home battery.
• Local incentives still matter: Ozarks Electric and SWEPCO offer Level 2 charger rebates and lower overnight rates, even after federal EV credits ended. Arkansas does charge a $200 annual EV registration fee.
• Fleet electrification is within reach: Metered home-charging platforms reimburse techs and remind them to plug in, making EVs practical for local service companies.
• Every bit from the sun counts: You don't have to cover 100% of your bill. Even 10% from solar removes that much risk from your budget and that much demand from the grid.
• The future is decentralized: Virtual power plants and, down the road, hydrogen fuel cells point toward homes, businesses, and schools that are resilient and fully self-contained.

Important Links and Mentions on the Show:

• Stitt Solar: https://stittsolar.com
• Stitt Group: https://thestittgroup.com
• Stitt Solar FAQs: https://stittsolar.com/faq
• Contact Stitt Solar for a free evaluation: https://stittsolar.com/contact
• Arkansas PSC (Public Service Commission) – Utility Regulation Info
• Stitt Happens Podcast Archive
• YouTube Channel
• Listen to Stitt Happens (Apple Podcasts, Spotify & more)
• SWEPCO Level 2 EV Charging Station Rebate — $250 rebate for an ENERGY STAR Level 2 home charger
• Arkansas EV and Charger Incentives (incl. Ozarks Electric EV Charging Rate)—utility rebates and overnight EV rates in Arkansas
• Arkansas PACE Program—overview of Property Assessed Clean Energy financing

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Stitt Solar

1301 S 8th St,

Rogers, AR 72756

Tel: 479.636.8745

Email: info@thestittgroup.com

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Monday to Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Tune in and join the clean energy conversation—because when it comes to your future, Stitt Happens.