Solar for EV charging calculator
An EV adds a predictable chunk to your electricity use. This works out how much solar covers it in your state, how many panels that is, and whether the added panels pay for themselves at your electricity rate.
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
- 3,300 kWh
- Solar needed
- 2.4 kW
- Panels needed
- 6 × 400 W (2.4 kW)
- Installed cost
- $8,400
- Value of that solar per year
- $605
- Charging cost covered per month
- $50
- Simple payback
- 13.9 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
- State average when you pick a state; US average 18.19 cents/kWhEIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.B (year-to-date through August 2026, preliminary) · checked Oct 27, 2026
- Solar production per kW
- Modelled for one major city per state when you pick a statePVWatts v8 (National Laboratory of the Rockies, formerly NREL): fixed roof mount, 20 degree tilt, south-facing, 14% system losses, NSRDB typical-year weather (2020; 2023 for Alaska) · checked Oct 27, 2026
- Vehicle efficiency presets
- EPA combined ratings; EV kWh/100 mi includes losses during chargingfueleconomy.gov (U.S. DOE and EPA) · checked Oct 27, 2026
- Median installed price, cash-purchase home solar
- $3.5 per watt (2024 installs, before incentives)Berkeley Lab, U.S. Distributed Solar and Storage 2025 Data Update · checked Oct 27, 2026
- Federal credit for buying solar or a battery (25D)
- None for systems installed after December 31, 2025IRS FAQs on Public Law 119-21 · checked Oct 27, 2026
- Federal credit for a home EV charger (30C)
- None for chargers placed in service after June 30, 2026IRS FAQs on Public Law 119-21 · checked Oct 27, 2026
How the calculator works
Annual home charging is your miles times the EV's EPA kWh per 100 miles, divided by 100, times the share you charge at home. EPA's rating already includes charging losses.
Solar needed is that energy divided by your state's production per kW. Panels are the system size divided by your panel wattage, rounded up. Value is the energy times your electricity rate and bill-credit share.
Solar for EV charging: common questions
How many solar panels does it take to charge an EV?
For 12,000 miles a year in a 27.5 kWh/100 mi EV charged at home, you need about 3,300 kWh a year. At 1,400 kWh per kW that is about 2.4 kW, or six 400 W panels. Sunnier states need fewer.
Can I charge my EV directly from solar at night?
Not directly. Most owners charge at night, so the panels' daytime output is banked through net metering or net billing. Where exports earn little, a battery or daytime charging raises the value of the solar.
Is there a tax credit for solar to charge an EV in 2026?
No. The residential clean energy credit ended for systems installed after December 31, 2025, and the home EV charger credit ended for chargers placed in service after June 30, 2026.