Determining The Number of Solar Panels Required To Charge EVS

Electric Vehicles are one of the latest innovations contributing to the sustainable environment. Electric vehicles are not only in demand because of their excellent performance but also because they reduce the carbon footprint of the environment. Therefore, leading manufacturers are now launching plug-in car charger across the world.

While EVs have a certain benefit, there are a few things that you need to consider before purchasing them, such as the increasing demand for electricity. Yes, EV electricity required to charge an EV can put a huge amount on the bill. Therefore, solar chargers are a better alternative to get your EV on the run.

Attaching solar panels to the EV charging port to draw energy is more beneficial and can reduce the bills while fulfilling your goal to go green. But is your solar panel system efficient enough to charge the EV?

To know this, you need to keep reading, because in this article, we will explain how many solar panels you will need to charge your EV based on different EV battery types and sizes and your home solar installation.

How Much Energy Is Needed To Charge An EV

To know how much energy your EV will consume a day, consider a few terms in mind, such as the fuel efficiency measurements and the miles traveled a day.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, an average of 37 miles are traveled per day. Now that you know the basics, consider the following terms for fuel efficiency measurement that you might see while exploring EVs.

• Kilowatt hours per 100 miles ( kWh/100 miles)
• Miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe)
• Miles Per kWh (Mi/kWh)

Take one of the terms from above to calculate the energy need of an EV. For instance, take MPGe and Tesla’s Model Y Standard Range RWD with 129 MPGe. Diving 129 MPGe with 33.705 gives you 3.82 miles per kWh.

Further dividing 37 miles per day by 3.82 miles per kWh gives us 9.69 kWh per day which is the amount of energy Tesla Model Y needs per day. The energy need is different for every EV, therefore thoroughly research the specification before purchasing.

Considering The Size of An EV Battery

Another factor in determining the energy and the solar panels needed for a solar car charger is the size of the battery. Considering the EV’s battery capacity will give you a rough estimate of how much electricity you need to charge it.

The following are some of the highest battery capacities in the market.

1. GMC Hummer EV: 200-KWh battery capacity and around 350 miles range
2. Rivian r1T and R1S: 135-kWh battery capacity with 314 and 316 miles range respectively.
3. Lucid Air: 118-kWh battery capacity and 520 miles range
4. Mercedes-Benz EQS: 115-kWh capacity and 350 miles range
5. Tesla Model S: 100-kWh battery and 387-520 miles range
6. Tesla Model X: 100-kWh and 335-371 miles range

No matter which flagship EV car you choose to buy this year, get updated information about the battery capacity of the system to ensure the amount of energy you need to draw from the solar panel car charger.

Your Solar Panle’s Efficiency Also Matters

In addition to the EV battery capacity and solar charger, the efficiency of your solar panel system is also crucial. The number of solar panels you need to charge the EV and home depends on the following factors.

• The type of solar panel ( Monocrystalline or Polycrystalline)
• Sunlight in your region ( More sunlight more output)
• Home energy demand and driving usage

The manufacturer of the solar panel also contributes to the overall efficiency. For instance, SunPower solar panels are more efficient than Tesla with a rating of up to 22.80%. Therefore, if you have a highly efficient solar panel, you will need less number of panels to generate the required amount of energy.

Other leading companies that we recommend for highly efficient solar panels are

JinkoSolar, Trina Solar, Silfab, Q Cells, and REC Group, now that Panasonic and LG solar production has shut down.

How Many Solar Panels Do You Need To Fully Charge EVs?

First of all, there is no definite answer to this question because as we specified above, there are various factors that are considered before determining the number of panels needed for EVs.

A standard 250 watts solar panel produces around 30 kWh to 42 kWh of energy monthly and an average of 1 kWh daily.

 Now, if you have a Tesla Model S, you will need 75 solar panels to fully charge its battery. If you apply the same equation to a more powerful solar panel such as SunPower, you will need fewer panels to charge your electric vehicle.

For example, with a 420-watt SunPower panel, you will generate approximately 54 kWh of energy monthly and 1.8 kWh daily. This means the number of solar panels needed will reduce to 42.

Now if your daily driving limit is less than the average, the number of panels will further reduce. Similarly, if you live in the southwest of the country, you are likely to get more sunlight and hence more power output than if you are living in the Northwest.

Lastly, a typical American house needs 19 to 34 solar panels to cover the electricity bills and meet the energy demand, so if you are adding an EV to your go solar list, the number of panels will increase accordingly. Remember, purchasing high-quality solar panels is a long-term investment.

Best EV Chargers For the Year

Now that you know how many solar panels you need to charge an EV, take a look at some of the best EV solar chargers you can get.

1. SolarEdge is one of the leading companies to manufacture a solar inverter with a built-in EV charger so you will not need a separate solar charger. You can use rooftop solar energy or grid energy to charge the EV when required. It is a level 1 charger that is 4 times faster than the rivals. You can also use a smartphone app to track the charging.

2. SMA: This EV charger also comes with an app and can be set to follow solar energy production so that it uses only excess solar energy for charging.

3. Tesla: Tesla home charging solutions also offer convenient wall connectors to charge vehicles.

Final Analysis

Having a solar charger at your home is a solution to all EV problems. EVs are coming into the trend but they have not yet replaced fuel so, you will see fewer electric charging stations around the country. Therefore, if you have having EV the wise thing to do is also have a home or portable solar charger.

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