Battery charging from solar panels is a renewable and sustainable way to power your electric vehicle. Simply put, solar panels work by converting sunlight into electricity, which can then be used to charge your EV battery.
For solar EV charging, the DC output from the PV panels connects directly to a bidirectional DC-DC converter. This converter can step up or step down the voltage as needed for charging the EV battery. During the day when the sun is shining, the solar PV panels generate electricity which provides power to charge the EV through the DC-DC converter.
A Level 1 home EV charging station typically charges at a maximum of 1.9kW, adding around five miles of driving range per hour, while a Level 2 charger can typically charge at a maximum of 19.2kW, adding around 25 miles of driving range per hour. Before installing solar panels for electric car charging, there are several factors to consider.
You can absolutely use solar panels to charge an electric car. Your solar panels will come with an inverter that converts the DC (Direct Current) electricity that comes from the sun to AC (Alternating Current) electricity, which you can use in your home and to charge your car.
Solar panel charging can take longer than grid charging. Yes, it takes longer to charge an electric car using solar power than it does to charge from the grid. But, if you have a solar PV system installed, you can charge your EV overnight while you're sleeping, so it will be ready to go in the morning.
Smart chargers with solar compatibility can be configured to only charge an EV from the sun, or they can use a combination of solar and grid energy. Is it worth getting solar PV to charge my EV?