Solar for EV charging calculator (Canada)
Solar output varies less across Canada than electricity prices do, and prices decide whether panels for your EV pay off. Pick your province and car to see the panel count, cost and payback.
Fills in your electricity rate and, where available, solar production.
Use the module wattage on your quote.
100% with full net metering. Lower where exports earn less, because most EV charging happens at night.
Solar to cover your EV
- EV charging at home per year
- 3,460 kWh
- Solar needed
- 2.7 kW
- Panels needed
- 7 × 400 W (2.8 kW)
- Installed cost
- $9,352
- Value of that solar per year
- $582
- Charging cost covered per month
- $49
- Simple payback
- 16.1 years
Sizes added solar to match your home EV charging over a year. Night charging relies on net metering or net billing to bank daytime output; a battery is not included.
Defaults and sources
- Residential electricity price
- Largest city in your province when you pick one; average of the ten cities 16.0 cents/kWhHydro-Québec, Comparison of Electricity Prices in Major North American Cities 2025 (rates in effect April 1, 2025; 1,000 kWh/month, largest city per province) · checked Oct 27, 2026
- Solar production per kW
- Modelled for the largest city in your provincePVGIS 5.3 (European Commission JRC): south-facing, 30 degree tilt, 14% system losses, ERA5 weather 2005-2023 · checked Oct 27, 2026
- Vehicle efficiency presets
- Natural Resources Canada combined ratings, 2026 models (kWh/100 km and L/100 km)NRCan Fuel consumption ratings (open data, updated September-October 2026) · checked Oct 27, 2026
- Installed price, home solar
- $2.42-$3.75 per watt across provinces ($4.00+ in Newfoundland and Labrador); national average $3.34/W. Survey last updated September 2023EnergyHub, Cost of Solar Power in Canada (industry survey; no official statistics exist) · checked Oct 27, 2026
- Canada Greener Homes Loan
- Closed: funding fully committed, no new applicationsNatural Resources Canada · checked Oct 27, 2026
How the calculator works
Annual home charging is your kilometres times the EV's NRCan rating in kWh per 100 km, divided by 100, times the share you charge at home.
Solar needed is that energy divided by your province's PVGIS production per kW; panels are rounded up to whole modules. Value is the energy times your electricity rate and bill-credit share.
Solar for EV charging in Canada: common questions
How many solar panels does it take to charge an EV in Canada?
For 20,000 km a year in a Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD (17.3 kWh/100 km), about 3,460 kWh. In Toronto that is about 2.7 kW, or seven 400 W panels.
Does solar for an EV pay off in Canada?
It depends on your electricity price more than your sun. Those seven panels at the EnergyHub national average of $3.34/W cost about $9,350; at Toronto's 15.6¢/kWh they save about $550 a year (17 years to pay back), while at Calgary's 22.9¢/kWh and stronger sun payback is closer to 10 years.
Is there a federal rebate for solar panels in Canada in 2026?
No federal homeowner programme is open: the Greener Homes Grant ended and the Greener Homes Loan has closed. Check provincial and utility programmes.