Quick answer
Text PJ your setup, get your personal 2027 EV life build back. One text covers your car, where it charges, your SDG&E plan, solar, e-bikes, short trips around town and your HOA or lease. PJ sends back the best option for each piece, sourced, by text. No meetings.
SideGuy is the go-between, never the installer. PJ explains the decision in plain English and, when a piece needs hands-on work like a charger, a panel upgrade or solar, routes you to a local licensed installer or electrician. SideGuy doesn't sell or install panels, batteries or chargers.
Every piece below links to a full guide we checked on Oct. 1, 2026.
Know someone who needs this?
Something changed here? Text PJ and we'll update this page.
More free local tools: the North County toolkit.
Latest · auto-checked Oct 6
- California Law SB 1167: Defining E-bikes and E-motos Clearly · Singletrack World Magazine, Oct 5
- New California E-Bike Laws Include Ban For San Mateo County Youth Under 12 · SFist, Oct 2
- California council reverses denial, approves giant battery site near beloved park · The Cool Down, Oct 1
- NWS: Extreme Heat Warning until Thu Oct 8, 8PM · forecast
- NWS: Beach Hazards Statement until Fri Oct 9, 11PM · forecast
- NWS: Coastal Flood Advisory until Fri Oct 9, 11AM · forecast
- New fast charger: Jimmy John's - Tesla Supercharger (Cardiff, 2.4 mi), opened 2026-09-18, 12 DC fast ports · federal NREL station data
- Solar today: SDG&E pays about 5.5¢/kWh for noon exports vs 19.2¢ at 6pm · North County power today
Pulled automatically from public feeds (news, NWS, SDG&E, NREL, Google Trends). Something we missed? Text PJ.
Step one
Send your life's deal: the 7 things to text
Copy this list into a text, or tap the button and it's already filled in. Short answers are fine. A photo of your last SDG&E bill helps.
- What you drive, or plan to (make, model, year).
- Where you park and charge: garage, driveway, carport, street, work or a public charger.
- Your SDG&E plan, or your CCA (San Diego Community Power or Clean Energy Alliance), if you know it.
- Solar: yes or no, and if yes, roughly when it went in.
- Who in the house is on e-bikes, and their ages.
- Your usual short local trips: coffee, school, the beach, the village, errands.
- HOA, renter or owner.
Opens your messages app with the 7 items ready to fill in. Or text 858-461-8054 in your own words.
Step two
The pieces of the build
Your build is these pieces, put together for your house. Here's the short version of each, from the guide it links to. Rates are SDG&E non-CCA total rates effective Aug. 1, 2026, as listed on those guides. Rates change, so check sdge.com for today's numbers.
1. Charging at home vs the Supercharger
If you have a garage or driveway outlet, home charging on the right SDG&E plan is usually the cheap baseline: 13.1¢ per kWh in summer super off-peak on EV-TOU-5. The Solana Beach Supercharger (8 stalls, up to 250 kW, Level B at Beachwalk, 437 S Highway 101) is for top-ups and road days. We don't print its price because we couldn't confirm it from Tesla; the Tesla app shows it before you plug in.
EV-TOU-5 vs TOU-DR1 · What to do while your Tesla charges in Solana Beach
2. The SDG&E rate plan
If most charging can happen in super off-peak hours (weekdays midnight-6am and 10am-2pm, weekends and holidays midnight-2pm), EV-TOU-5 usually wins: 13.1¢ per kWh in summer, versus 37.4¢ on TOU-DR1. The catch is that it covers the whole house, and its 4-9pm price is 80.2¢ in summer. Per SDG&E, most plans let you switch only once every 12 months, so run the plan comparison first.
3. Solar and a battery under NEM 3
Under the Solar Billing Plan, weekday 10am-2pm exports earn roughly 0-6.5¢ per kWh, while buying power 4-9pm on EV-TOU-5 costs 80.2¢ in summer. That gap is why a battery often makes new solar pencil out. The federal 25D credit ended for systems placed in service after Dec. 31, 2025, and SGIP rebates are closed or waitlisted. Renters and condo owners: from Jan. 1, 2027, SB 868 allows a certified plug-in kit of up to 1,200 watts per home with no SDG&E approval or fee, but no complete kit was certified as of the June 2026 committee analysis.
Is a home battery worth it under NEM 3? · Balcony solar and SB 868
4. Short trips: a cart or LSV vs a second car
In 2021, 52% of U.S. trips were under three miles (U.S. DOE), and several short cold-start trips can use twice the fuel of one longer trip (FuelEconomy.gov). A registered, plated LSV can use roads posted 35 mph or less; a golf cart in Solana Beach is limited to the city's 53 designated streets with a $26 yearly permit. An LSV needs registration and insurance like a car, so get a quote and compare it with what a second car would cost you.
5. E-bikes for the family, and the 2027 laws
From Jan. 1, 2027, a device that tops 20 mph on motor power alone isn't an e-bike and can't be used on public roads unless it's a vehicle the Vehicle Code allows there (SB 1167). Sidewalks get a 10 mph limit, and shops must hand buyers a written disclosure (AB 2346). City rules still stack on top: Carlsbad bans e-bikes for anyone under 12, Solana Beach bans bikes on sidewalks, and Del Mar bans them on commercial sidewalks.
New California e-bike laws 2027 · North County e-bike rules, city by city
6. The home phone or landline
On June 29, 2026 the FCC approved AT&T's request to discontinue copper voice service at more than 184,000 California locations. AT&T has said that would happen on or after June 1, 2027, and only if pending petitions go its way. What to do now: list everything on the phone line (alarm, medical alert, fax, gate phone), test the replacement before you need it, and port your number instead of cancelling.
Figures as of Oct. 1, 2026, per the linked guides, which cite SDG&E's EV-TOU-5 and TOU-DR1 total rate tables (effective Aug. 1, 2026) and 2026 export price file, Tesla and supercharge.info, the IRS, the SGIP administrator, SB 868's enrolled text and the Assembly committee analysis, U.S. DOE and FuelEconomy.gov, the Solana Beach Municipal Code and 2026 fee schedule, leginfo bill texts, city e-bike pages, and TURN, Broadband Breakfast and Light Reading.
Piece 7
What changes Jan. 1, 2027
These are the 2026 bills, signed by the Governor, that touch an EV household. Each takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, the default start date for a non-urgency bill signed in 2026, unless a later date is noted. Plain-language summary, not legal advice; the bill text is linked.
- SB 1167 (e-bikes): e-motos and other devices that aren't legal e-bikes can't be advertised, sold or labeled as e-bikes, and a 2- or 3-wheeled electric device that tops 20 mph on motor power alone can't be used on public roads unless the Vehicle Code allows that vehicle there. leginfo
- AB 2346 (e-bikes): a 10 mph sidewalk speed limit with no DMV point, local 10, 15 or 20 mph limits on posted bike paths and trails, and a written disclosure at every sale. Front and rear lights on new e-bikes, and a speedometer on new class 2 e-bikes, start Jan. 1, 2029. leginfo
- SB 868 (balcony solar): a UL-certified plug-in solar system of 1,200 W AC or less per home, with anti-backfeed protection, plugs into a standard outlet. Utilities can't require approval, fees or extra equipment, and may only ask for a simple online registration, through Jan. 1, 2030. leginfo
- SB 1267 (HOA EV chargers): an HOA can't prohibit or unreasonably restrict a charger in your unit or deeded space, and must act on your application within 60 days. The owner pays, uses a licensed contractor and carries insurance. leginfo
- SB 913 (batteries and EVs as grid capacity): the CPUC must create pathways by June 30, 2028 for aggregated home batteries, solar, smart thermostats and EVs to count as resource adequacy and be paid for it, with no double payment on top of NEM or net-billing credits. leginfo
- SB 222 (heat-pump permits): permit fees for heat-pump water heaters and HVAC are capped at $150 and $200, with asynchronous inspections from July 1, 2027 and automated online permits by July 1, 2028. Not for new construction. leginfo
- AB 1684 (HOAs and cooling): HOAs can't block code-compliant AC, window and portable units, swamp coolers, fans or heat pumps, can't charge fees for them or force a brand or contractor, and may require a licensed contractor where a permit is needed. leginfo
As of Oct. 1, 2026, per the leginfo bill pages linked above, from SideGuy's Oct. 1, 2026 scan of the bills signed by the Sept. 30, 2026 deadline.
How it works
How it works, and what it costs
1. Text your life's deal
The 7 things above, in one text. If your question is a quick self-fix, PJ says so and points you to it.
2. Get your build back
The best option for each piece, with the source for every number, plus what to ask SDG&E, your HOA or a contractor. By text, no meetings.
3. Route the hands-on parts
Charger, panel or solar work goes to a local licensed installer or electrician. SideGuy stays the go-between and never installs.
The build is one $150 SideGuy Hour: one operator, hands on your actual setup, async and text-first.
Save time and money, or you don't pay. Start with one $150 SideGuy Hour — if it doesn't save you more time or money than it costs, you don't pay for it. How the SideGuy Hour works.
Questions
Is SideGuy an installer?
No. SideGuy is the go-between. PJ explains each decision in plain English and, when a piece of your build needs hands-on work such as a charger, a panel upgrade or solar, routes you to a local licensed installer or electrician. SideGuy doesn't sell or install panels, batteries or chargers.
Do I need an EV to use this?
No. Much of the build applies before you own one: picking an SDG&E plan, deciding on solar, a battery or a plug-in balcony kit, sorting out e-bikes for the family, or planning a home phone ahead of AT&T's copper retirement. Text what you have now and what you're considering.
Is this only for Teslas?
No. Any EV fits. The Solana Beach Supercharger is a NACS Partner Site, per Tesla, but its stalls are NACS plugs only, so a car with a CCS port needs an adapter. SDG&E's EV plans need an EV registered with the California DMV, per SDG&E, not a particular brand.
What do I send?
Seven things, by text: what you drive or plan to, where you park and charge, your SDG&E plan or CCA, whether you have solar, who in the house is on e-bikes, your usual short local trips, and whether you're in an HOA, renting or own. A photo of your last SDG&E bill helps.
Which areas does the EV life build cover?
North County San Diego: Solana Beach, Del Mar, Encinitas, Cardiff, Carlsbad and Oceanside. The build itself happens by text, so it works anywhere in that area. In-person help starts in Solana Beach, then Del Mar and Cardiff; elsewhere is case by case.
Know someone who needs this?
Something changed here? Text PJ and we'll update this page.
More free local tools: the North County toolkit.