How Many Panels Do you Need for your EV?

As electric vehicles increasingly become popular in the United States and around the world, manufacturers have launched plug-in models across their fleets. To help people who own electric vehicles or are interested in purchasing one, there is a home charging port options available on the market today.

Compared to regular petrol stations, there are fewer public charging stations on the road. As a result, it's understandable to desire to get one that can be used at home. It's useful and, in certain situations, required.

The majority of home charging outlets use electricity from the grid. Solar panels, on the other hand, may be used to generate electricity and are considerably more sustainable. Because certain EVs demand a big amount of power to completely charge, installing solar panels on your home's EV charging outlet will save you a lot of money.

One of the main advantages of buying an electric car is that you may switch from paying for fuel for cheaper energy. But why not go one step further and power your automobile with solar energy generated on your own property?

Here is a quick breakdown of how many solar panels you need to power an electric vehicle (EV).

How Much Electricity Does it Take to Charge an EV?

There are several ways to think about how much power an electric vehicle needs. The first is to consider the charge required per mile travelled, which is usually stated in kWh/100 mi. Another approach to think about how much power is needed to run an electric vehicle is to examine how much electricity is needed to completely charge the vehicle. This measure is more in line with how we now think about the expense of filling up a gas tank in an internal combustion engine automobile.

COMPANY	MODEL	BATTERY SIZE (KWH)	RANGE (MILES)
Audi	e-tron	95	204
BMW	i3	42	153
Chevy	Bolt EV	60	238
Honda	Clarity	26	89
Hyundai	Kona	64	258
Kia	Soul EV	64	243
Nissan	LEAF	40	150
Tesla	Model S	100	370
Volkswagon	e-Golf	36	125

To power an electric vehicle, the amount of power required is proportional to the battery size. In general, electric vehicle batteries can hold between 25 and 100 kWh, with the range that a car can cover on a single charge determining the difference. A home energy storage system like the LG Chem RESU 10H or Tesla Powerwall 2 typically stores 10 to 15 kWh of electricity.

How Much Electricity Will an Electric Vehicle (EV) Use Per Year?

The amount of electricity consumed by an electric vehicle (EV) each day, month, or year is mostly controlled by how far it is driven. If you live in a city and possess a car but only use it sometimes, the amount of electricity necessary to power your EV will be little over the course of a year.

However, if you live in a suburban or rural region and drive to work, the electricity used to power your vehicle could represent a significant portion of your annual electricity usage.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, The average American travels 13,500 miles per year in their vehicles, which means that they are moving an average of nearly 4,000 kWh of electricity per year.

COMPANY	MODEL	KWH/100 MI	ANNUAL ELECTRICITY USAGE (KWH)
Volkswagon	e-Golf	29	3,900
Tesla	Model S	27	3,600
Nissan	LEAF	27	3,600
Kia	Soul EV	26	3,600
Hyundai	Kona	25	3,300
Honda	Clarity	29	3,900
Chevy	Bolt EV	25	3,400
BMW	i3	28	3,700
Audi	e-tron	47	6,300

How Many Solar Panels Will you Need to Power Your EV?

To figure out how many solar panels you'll need to power your electric vehicle, you'll need three crucial pieces of information: 1) how much electricity your car will consume yearly, 2) the wattage of the solar panels you intend to install, and 3) how effectively solar panels create electricity where you reside.

A typical EV will use roughly 4,000 kWh of power per year for an average American driver. Solar panel output varies by area, with each panel providing more power in sunny climes like the Southwest than in the Northeast.

When all of these data points are taken into consideration, it becomes clear that a range of solar panels is required to power different types of EVs each year in different regions. Depending upon where you live, charging an electric vehicle typically requires 7 or 9 panels.

COMPANY	MODEL	NO. OF PANELS REQUIRED: NORTHEAST	NO. OF PANELS REQUIRED: SOUTHWEST
Tesla	Model S	8	6
Audi	e-tron	15	11
Hyundai	Kona	8	6
Kia	Soul EV	8	6
Chevy	Bolt EV	8	6
BMW	i3	9	6
Nissan	LEAF	8	6
Volkswagon	e-Golf	9	7
Honda	Clarity	9	7

The calculations in this article are based on the assumption that you drive the same amount per year as the average American driver. If, however, you drive less than 1,000 miles per month, then you would need fewer panels to power your EV.

Does Solar Panel Efficiency Matter?

The number of solar panels you need to power your EV depends on many factors, including:

The solar panel manufacturer and type you select
What is the amount of sunshine in your area?
Home and vehicle energy consumption

You won't need as many solar panels to satisfy your energy demands because some are more efficient than others. SunPower solar panels are the most efficient on the market, with an efficiency of 22.80% for their A-Series panels.

The following companies offer the best residential solar panels:

SunPower
LG Solar
Canadian Solar
JinkoSolar
Trina Solar
REC Group
Panasonic
Silfab
Q Cells

What is The Size of Your Electric Vehicle's Battery?

Before you can see how much electricity is needed to fully charge your EV's battery, you need to determine the capacity of that battery in kilowatt-hours (kWh). The range of kWh measurements is between 17.6 kWh and 200 kWh, with most models falling within this range.

The following five electric vehicles (EVs) have the highest battery capacities:

The GMC Hummer EV is a 200-kWh battery electric vehicle with a range of up to 329 or 350 miles.
The Rivian R1T and R1S are both equipped with a 135 kWh battery and have a range of 314 miles for the R1T and 316 miles for the R1S.
Lucid Air: 118 kWh battery with a range of up to 520 miles.
The Mercedes-Benz EQS uses a 115 kWh battery with 350 miles of range.
The Tesla Model S and Model X include a 100-kWh battery with 387 to 520 miles of range for the Model S and 335 to 371 miles of range for the Model X.

When purchasing an electric vehicle, it is important to be aware of the battery capacity. If you are unsure of this, ask your dealership for the most up-to-date information. Once you know the vehicle’s battery capacity, then you can calculate how much electricity it needs to charge up. The amount of solar panels you'll need to create an adequate energy supply for your electric vehicle battery depends on their size and efficiency.

Contact Forme Solar Today to Power Your Home and EV with Solar Energy.

The electric vehicle (EV) is a growing trend that shows no signs of slowing down. With better access to renewable energy sources and knowledge of the benefits of sustainable living, we’ll see an increasing number of EVs on the road in the future.

Using solar energy as your EV power source is an additional step worth taking to reduce your environmental impact.

Forme Solar is ready to help you install solar panels at your home or business. Call us today at +1 714-694-2262 or fill out our online inquiry form to begin your free consultation.