How solar EV charging works
A solar-aware charger watches what your house is exporting. When there's surplus, it diverts that into the car. On sunny days, a car plugged in at home can charge largely from your own panels. On grey days or overnight, it tops up from the grid on your cheapest tariff.
Chargers that do it well
- myenergi zappi: the established choice, with Eco and Eco+ modes for surplus-only charging. See zappi installation.
- Hypervolt: solar matching with an add-on CT kit. See Hypervolt installation.
- Ohme: works with some solar setups and is strong on tariff-based smart charging
Adding a home battery
A battery stores surplus solar for the evening and can charge from cheap overnight electricity. EV batteries are far bigger than home batteries, so a home battery is best used to run the house, leaving the car to charge on solar surplus and off-peak rates.
Already got solar?
We check your inverter and generation meter, place the current clamp (CT) correctly so the charger reads your export, and set the charging modes to suit how you use the car.
Common questions
Will my car charge from solar in winter?
Partly, on bright days. In winter most charging comes from the grid at off-peak rates, which a smart charger handles automatically.
Do I need a battery to charge my car from solar?
No. A solar-aware charger diverts surplus straight into the car while it's plugged in. A battery helps more with evening household use.