Charging an Electric Car With Solar in Sydney: Panels, Chargers and Batteries

By the SimpliSolar team · Published 3 November 2026

Charging an electric vehicle from your own roof is one of the best uses of solar power. Each kWh you put into the car from your panels is a kWh you don’t buy from the grid at peak rates, and you don’t export it for a few cents either. This guide explains how much solar an EV actually needs, which charger to choose, and whether a home battery should charge the car.

How much electricity does an EV use?

Most small and mid-size electric cars use roughly 15 to 18kWh per 100km. Many Sydney drivers cover 30 to 40km on a typical day, which works out to about 5 to 7kWh a day, or 35 to 50kWh a week. Larger SUVs and utes use more.

For context, a 6.6kW solar system in Sydney produces in the order of 25kWh on an average day, more in summer and less in winter. So a typical daily commute can be covered by a modest share of a normal home system, as long as the car is plugged in while the sun is up.

Timing is the key

Solar only charges the car if the car is home during daylight. That works well if you work from home, have a second car that stays home, or can charge on weekends. If the car is away from 8am to 6pm on weekdays, most of the charging will happen at night, and the solar question becomes a tariff and battery question.

Choosing a home charger

Portable charger on a power point

Most EVs come with a cable that plugs into a standard 10 amp power point. It charges at about 2.3kW, adding roughly 10 to 15km of range per hour. It is slow, but for short daily trips it can be enough. Have an electrician check the circuit, because EV charging draws high current for hours.

Wall charger (single-phase, 7kW)

The most popular choice for Sydney homes. A 7kW wall charger on its own circuit adds roughly 40km of range per hour. It needs a dedicated circuit from the switchboard and sometimes a switchboard upgrade.

Three-phase charger (11 to 22kW)

Only for homes with three-phase power, and only useful if the car’s onboard charger accepts the higher rate. Many cars cap AC charging at 7 or 11kW.

Solar-aware charging

A solar-aware charger, or a car and inverter that work together, adjusts the charging rate to match your spare solar in real time. Instead of drawing a fixed 7kW and pulling the rest from the grid, it charges only from surplus. Most cars need a minimum of about 1.4kW (6 amps on single-phase) to start charging, so on cloudy days it may pause or top up from the grid, depending on the setting you choose.

Should the home battery charge the car?

Usually not as the default. An EV battery is many times bigger than a home battery: 60 to 80kWh in many cars versus 10 to 30kWh at home. Charging the car from the home battery empties it quickly and leaves the house to buy evening power from the grid anyway. The home battery does its best work covering your evening household load. Let the panels charge the car during the day, and use an off-peak or EV tariff for night charging when needed.

Do I need more panels?

If you drive 30 to 40km a day and can charge at home in daylight, plan for roughly 1.5 to 2kW of extra panels above what the house needs. If you have the roof space, it is usually cheaper to add those panels at the same time as a new system or battery than later. Make sure the inverter has room too: a hybrid inverter sized for future EV charging avoids a second upgrade.

Vehicle-to-home (V2H)

Some EVs and bidirectional chargers can send power from the car back to the house. In Australia this technology is still emerging, with a limited number of approved chargers and compatible cars, and it requires network approval like any inverter. If you are buying an EV now, ask whether it supports bidirectional charging, but don’t count on V2H replacing a home battery yet.

Before you install a charger

• Check your switchboard capacity and whether you have single- or three-phase power.
• Choose the charger location so the cable reaches without a trip hazard.
• Decide whether you want solar-aware charging and app control.
• Ask your retailer about EV or off-peak tariffs for night charging.
• Use a licensed electrician for the dedicated circuit and installation.