How many solar panels do you need to charge your electric car? Let’s count

Updated: Feb 04, 2025
Created: Jan 14, 2025
9 min

Julia ZaraevaAuthor

One of the cheapest ways to power your EV is by harnessing the energy of the sun. Why use solar panels to charge an EV? How many panels will you need? Find out in our article.

Key takeaways

Using solar panels for charging an EV reduces your electricity bills and lowers your carbon footprint.
When planning a solar system for your electric vehicle, consider your typical driving habits and the energy requirements of your EV.
Based on the Federal Highway Administration's average annual driving distance of 13,500 miles, most EVs would require approximately 4,000 to 5,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year.

Why use solar panels to charge an EV?

An EV is an energy-hungry beast. Still, 80% of EV owners prefer charging EV at home to charging stations. How do you avoid skyrocketing your electric bills? The answer is solar panels.

Reduce your electricity bills

Generating your own electricity through solar panels, you can reduce your reliance on the grid and lower your overall energy bills. In some cases, solar panels can generate enough electricity to cover your entire household's needs, including EV charging. Also, the cost of solar panel installation has decreased and many governments offer incentives and tax credits to encourage the adoption of solar energy, reducing the upfront costs for solar for homeowners.

Lower your carbon footprint

By switching to solar-powered EV charging, you are contributing to a cleaner and healthier planet. Solar energy is a renewable resource that produces no harmful emissions. By reducing your reliance on fossil fuels, you are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change.

80%

of EV owners prefer charging their vehicles at home

How much electricity does my EV need?

When planning a solar system for your electric vehicle, figure out your typical driving habits and the energy requirements of your EV. You’ll need to assess both the electricity needed for a full charge and the energy consumption per mile driven.

Electric vehicle batteries have significantly larger capacities compared to home energy storage systems. While the latter typically store around 10 kWh, EV batteries can range from 25 to 100+ kWh or more. This means that filling up an EV battery requires a substantial amount of electricity.

Brand	Model	Battery Size (kWh)	Approx. Range (miles)
Tesla	Model Y	75–82	330–350
Tesla	Model 3	57–82	272–358
Ford	Mustang Mach-E	68–91	224–312
Hyundai	IONIQ 5	58–77	220–303
Rivian	R1T	105–135	270–400
Cadillac	LYRIQ	102	312
Toyota	bZ4X	71.4	252
Ford	F-150 Lightning	98–131	240–320

Battery size & range of popular EVs

Just to give you a clearer understanding, the average size of a solar system in the US is 7 kilowatts. Such a system generates somewhere around 5 kilowatt-hours of electricity in an hour on a sunny day, making roughly 30 kilowatt-hours of electricity per day. So if we have a Tesla Model Y, we would need about two or three such systems to charge it from zero to full.

Annual electricity usage of popular EV models

The daily, monthly, or yearly electricity consumption of your EV largely depends on your driving habits. Urban dwellers with infrequent driving needs will consume less electricity than those living in suburban or rural areas with daily commutes. Based on the Federal Highway Administration's average annual driving distance of 13,500 miles, most EVs would require approximately 4,000 to 5,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year.

Model	kWh/100 miles	Annual kWh сonsumption (Average annual mileage: 13,500 miles)
Model Y	27	3,240
Model 3	25	3,000
Mustang Mach-E	29	3,480
IONIQ 5	28	3,360
R1T	48	5,760
LYRIQ	29	3,480
bZ4X	31	3,720
F-150 Lightning	50	6,000

Annual electricity usage of popular EV models

How to calculate energy needs

Your daily driving mileage directly affects the wattage needed for your solar panels. The more you drive, the more power you’ll need. Let’s break down how to calculate your daily energy needs for your EV.

Step 1: Find your EV's thirst
Head to the EPA and US Department of Energy's fueleconomy.gov and check your EV's efficiency listed in kWh per 100 miles. Divide this number by 100 to get its kWh usage per mile.

Step 2: Track your daily drive
Keep track of your average daily mileage for a few days, or simply divide your yearly mileage by 365. This tells you how many miles you need to "fuel" per day.

Step 3: Evaluate energy consumption
Multiply your EV's kWh/mile by your average daily miles. This gives you the total kWh needed to power your daily driving.

Step 4: Size up the solar system
Divide your daily kWh needs by your location's average peak sun hours per day. This reveals the ideal size in kilowatts for your solar panel system. You can find average sun hours online for your area.

Step 5: Choose the panels
After determining the ideal system size in kW, you can research specific solar panel brands and calculate the number of panels needed based on their wattage.

Formula for determining the number of solar panels

Number of solar panels required for popular EVs

Model	Battery Size (kWh)	400W Panels (California)	400W Panels (Massachusetts)
Model Y	75–82	13–14	19–21
Model 3	57–82	10–14	15–21
Mustang Mach-E	68–91	12–16	17–23
IONIQ 5	58–77	10–13	15–20
R1T	105–135	18–23	27–34
LYRIQ	102	17	26
bZ4X	71.4	12	18
F-150 Lightning	98–131	17–22	25–33

Assumptions:

A full charge is done in one day.
Solar panels operate at optimal conditions without losses.
Actual efficiency may vary due to inverter losses, weather, and system conditions.

Is it worth adding more solar panels for an EV?

Expanding your existing solar system or installing a new one is a great way to power your entire home, including your EV. However, it's not the only option. You can also create a standalone off-grid system dedicated solely to charging your EV. Consider building a solar-powered carport. This structure can be tilted to optimize sunlight absorption based on your location. For example, if you live at 41 degrees latitude, your carport's solar panels should be tilted at a 41-degree angle.