Joshua 
As manufacturers release plug-in electric vehicles (EVs), they are becoming more popular in the U.S. as well as around the globe for their environmental and performance advantages. You may be looking for a home charger port to charge your EV battery, whether you already own one or are considering purchasing one.
There are fewer public charging stations than traditional gas stations. It’s normal to want one that is easily accessible for your home. It is convenient and sometimes even necessary.
Many home charging points get their energy from the electricity grid. It is possible and more sustainable to generate energy from solar panels. Solar panels can be attached to the charging port of your electric vehicle. This will help you save significant money, as some EVs need a lot of electricity to charge fully.
We’ll be looking at the different types of EV battery (and their sizes) and how the efficiency of your solar panels will affect the number of panels required to charge your car.
HOW BIG IS YOUR EV’S BATTERY SIZE?
Before you can determine how much electricity your EV needs to charge fully, it is necessary first to determine its capacity. EV battery capacities are measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh) and range anywhere between 17.6kWh and 200kWh.
These are the five EVs that have the highest battery capacities:
- GMC Hummer E-V: 200kWh battery with 329-350 miles range
- Rivian HTML1T and HTML1S:135kWh battery with 314 and 316 miles respectively for the R1T and the R1S.
- Lucid Air –118kWh battery with 520 mile range
- Mercedes-Benz EQS : 115 kWh with 350 mile range
- Tesla Model S & Model X: 100 kWh batteries with 387 to 520 and 335 to 371, respectively, ranges for the Model S and Model X.
If you have any questions about the current battery capacity of your EV or the one you are interested in purchasing, ask your dealer. You can calculate how much electricity is required to charge your EV once you have determined its battery capacity.
Your solar panels’ size and efficiency will determine how many you will need to produce the right amount of energy for your EV batteries.
DOES SOLAR PANEL EFFICIENCY MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
How many solar panels you will need to power both your EV and your home is dependent on:
- Choose the manufacturer and type you want for your solar panels
- What is the amount of sunlight in your area?
- Your home and your driving energy consumption
You won’t need to have as many solar panels to provide your energy needs. Some solar panels are more efficient then others. SunPower panels have the highest efficiency on the market — their A-Series panels boast a 22.80% efficiency.
These are the top companies that offer the best residential solar panel:
- SunPower
- LG Solar
- REC Group
- Panasonic
- Silfab
- Q Cells
- Canadian Solar
- JinkoSolar
- Trina Solar
HOW MANY SOLAR PANELS ARE YOU REQUIRED TO CHARGE YOUR EV’S PHONE?
A typical solar panel will produce between 30 and 42.5 kWh per month. It is typically 250 watts. At the lower end, you will be generating about 1 kWh per day. If your Tesla model S starts at 0%, this means that you would need 75 solar panels to charge it to 100%. This conservative estimate assumes that your EV won’t drop to 0% each time you charge it.
You would only need 42 panels if you installed high-efficiency SunPower solar panels. They are rated at 420 watts each and can generate 54 kWh per month or 1.8kWh per day.
The average driving distance is 39 miles per hour. This equates to approximately 12 kWh of electricity. You will need 12 standard efficiency solar panels to charge your devices.
If you drive less than on average 39 miles per hour, and have more efficient solar panels than you do, you will need fewer than 12 panels to charge your EVs. It’s better to invest in efficient, high-quality solar panels in the long term.
To fully pay electric bills, an average American home requires between 19 to 34 solar panels. This number should increase if you add an EV to charge.
