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If you have solar panels on your home or business, you can charge your EV with them. All you need is a solar EV charger with a solar feed and a CT clamp.
Solar EV chargers have dedicated terminals for a solar feed, letting you charge with 100% solar power or supplement grid power. The CT clamp is an additional piece of hardware that detects how much energy you’re exporting from your solar panels.
Solar EV chargers
Solar EV chargers allow you to charge your electric car using energy generated from your home solar panels. This lets you fuel your EV for free using the power of the sun, rather than pulling from the grid. Look for an EV charger with a solar input that’s compatible with your inverter. Top solar EV chargers integrate AI to optimise charging times when solar production is highest. They can also monitor your home energy use and solar generation to charge automatically when surplus solar is available. With a solar EV charger, you can slash your electric bill and carbon footprint. The upfront cost is quickly offset by free solar charging. As solar and EVs become more mainstream, smart solar EV chargers make green charging simple.
Your solar system size will determine how much solar power you can charge with. Our guide to charging an EV solar panels discusses this in detail.
Top tip: If you regularly go on camping holidays, you can buy 100W portable solar panels for charging 12V batteries, and wiring them in series makes them suitable for for 24/48-volt battery charging or for grid-tied applications.
We recommend this product for that:
Best overall
ECO-WORTHY 100W 12 Volt Solar Panel
This solar panel comes with 35.4 inches of 12AWG cable with male/female quick connectors and an IP-65 rated junction box. One panel generates up to 400W/H per day in full sun. Hook a few of these together and you have a great off-grid power solution. Priced around £87.
In this roundup, we’ll list the best EV chargers for solar panels. All our inclusions are based on reviews by our experts.
Let’s jump in!
Best EV charger for solar panels
- Most highly rated: Zappi v2.1
- Most stylish: Hypervolt Home 3 Pro
- Best app: Indra Smart PRO
- Smallest: Wallbox Pulsar Max
- Worth considering: Rolec WallPod SolarCharge
For most people, the best EV charger for solar panels is the Zappi v2. It has the biggest community of solar users with epic reliability.
1. Zappi v2 (and v2.1)
- Charging speed: 7kW
- Solar integration: Standard
- Type: Tethered (5m) and untethered
- Price: Around £949 after the OZEV grant (£1,199 without).
If you want a smart home charger with solar integration that ticks every box, the Zappi v2.1 is as good as it gets. It has an in-built screen and control panel, and is available tethered or untethered, with the untethered unit our preference.
Read our Zappi v2 review.
The Zappi charger has solar, wind, and micro-hydro support, so the charger is certified for various types of renewable energy. It has multiple charge modes too, so you can use 100% solar or grid + solar electricity and see how the power is split.
The in-built control panel makes life a lot easier because you don’t need to use your smartphone. The size of the charger also makes it a natural cable tidy – just loop the cable around the charger and it’s out of the way!
You can also get the Zappi v2.1 untethered if you prefer. Overall, the Zappi v2 has the biggest community of solar panel users.
2. Hypervolt Home 3 Pro
Specs
- Charging speed: 7.4kW
- Solar integration: Standard
- Type: Tethered (5m, 7.5m optional)
- Price: Around £775 after the OZEV grant (for landlords). £1,075 without.
The Hypervolt Home 3 Pro is one of our top-rated chargers, receiving an impressive review score of 4.6/5. It comes with solar integration as standard, with a dedicated terminal and the ability to charge your electric car with 100% solar.
Read our Hypervolt Home 3 Pro charger review.
The Hypervolt app lets you switch between energy sources, and your electrician can set up the feed to the supplementary. A supplementary feed means you have the option to charge with 100% solar or a mix of solar + grid electricity.
The Hypervolt Home 3 Pro also has voice control, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, fully dimmable LED status lighting and a simple but effective holster.
Overall, the Hypervolt Home 3 Pro is one of the best solar EV charger. There’s no untethered option but that’s the only downside, which is only an issue if you want an untethered unit.
3. Indra Smart Pro
- Charging speed: 7.4kW
- Solar integration: Standard
- Type: Tethered (5m) or untethered
- Price: Around £649 after the OZEV grant (£949 without).
The Indra Smart Pro boasts smart scheduling, off-peak charging, ready by time and solar matching, so you can use your solar panels to charge. It also has tariff integration, letting you set kWh price caps.
Read our Indra Smart PRO review.
It has a proprietary technology for earthing called Earth, Simultaneous Touch (PESTs) protection, which is useful for solar support because if the solar causes a fluctuation, then the PEN fault won’t kick in because the charger will check the earth via a reference spike. This improves uptime.
There are no downsides to the Indra Smart Pro, other than it has a web-based app and no Wi-Fi (Ethernet only). However, 4G is optional.
Overall, the Indra Smart Pro is an excellent charger with solar support.
4. Wallbox Pulsar Max
Charging speed: 7.4kW, 22kW (3-phase)
Solar integration: Standard
Type: Tethered (5m)
Price: Around £899 after the OZEV grant (£1,099 without).
The Wallbox Pulsar Plus (now replaced by the Max) is the smallest solar EV charger with solar integration. Wallbox added solar integration in September 2021 as an over-the-air software update. Now, all Pulsar Plus models have solar integration as standard.
Read our Wallbox Pulsar Plus review.
We love the Wallbox Pulsar Plus because it is so dinky and it has an excellent LED halo ring that clearly displays the charger’s status.
Compared to the Zappi, this is a very different charger. It’s only available tethered and the small footprint means it blends in a lot more.
The downside to the Wallbox Pulsar Plus is it doesn’t have an elegant cable tidy solution – you basically wrap the cable around the charger.
5. Rolec WallPod SolarCharge
- Charging speed: 7.2kW
- Solar integration: Standard
- Type: Tethered (5m) and untethered
- Price: £899 after the OZEV grant (£1,099 without).
The Rolec WallPod SolarCharge is a little-known gem that ticks the box as a small, reliable solar EV charger. It charges at 7.2kW and uses the excellent ev.energy app, a third-party app that gets excellent reviews.
Read our Rolec WallPod review (this has the same features as the SolarCharge, minus solar support. For solar, get the SolarCharge model).
We like the WallPod because it has a boost mode in the app to override schedules instantly, and you can add tariff details (kWh prices) to track costs.
With solar charging, the app shows how much power is being generated by the solar panels and how much is being supplied by the grid. It works extremely well. It has a solar mode and solar + grid mode to make switching easy.
The charger is also available tethered and untethered. Uniquely, it doesn’t have Wi-Fi, instead opting for a built-in modem and GPRS signal antenna with a built-in roaming SIM card. Our tests show that this is a reliable connectivity solution.
What to ask your electrician before buying a solar EV charger
Transitioning to an electric vehicle is thrilling, but installing the proper home charging equipment can be daunting. The best way to maximise savings and guarantee flawless performance is to work with a trusted electrician when installing your solar EV charger. Before hiring an electrician, make sure to ask these key questions:
- Is my electrical panel compatible or does it need an upgrade to handle the charger’s power demands? Upgrading the panel can add cost.
- Do I have enough solar capacity to offset my EV charging needs or should I expand my system? Your solar array size will impact charging speed and usage.
- What type of solar EV charger do you recommend for my EV model, solar system size and home energy use? Not all chargers are optimised for different setups.
- How will you integrate the charger with my existing solar array and home electrical? Clean installation is important.
- Will you help me apply for local/state incentives and rebates on solar EV chargers? Savings can be substantial.
- Do you handle permitting and inspections for home EV charger installation? Streamlined process is key.
- Asking the right questions will ensure your solar EV charger is professionally installed for optimal, cost-effective performance.
How to make the most of your solar EV charger
- Solar panel orientation is important for maximising solar production. Panels should face south in the northern hemisphere and north in the southern hemisphere. West- or east-facing panels will still work but produce less energy overall.
- EV charger placement should be as close to the solar panel array as possible to minimise power loss over distance. Ideal placement is right underneath the panels if feasible.
- Larger solar panel systems allow faster EV charging. A good rule of thumb is 1kW of panels per 1 mile of daily driving on electric to fully recharge from solar. More panels above this amount provide buffer and allow faster charging.
- Solar EV chargers work with both grid-tied and off-grid solar systems. For off-grid solar, batteries are required to store excess solar energy for night time charging.
- Smart solar EV chargers can monitor solar production and charge timing to optimise for the lowest electricity rates or maximum solar usage. This automation saves money.
Read our charging with solar panels guide for more advice.
Overall
Overall, the Hypervolt Home 3 Pro, Indra Smart PRO, and Zappi v21. stand out as the best EV chargers for solar panels.
A solar compatible EV charger allows you to power your electric vehicle using energy from solar panels installed on your home. Look for chargers with a dedicated solar input terminal when shopping. Top solar EV chargers have smart technology to optimise charging when solar production is highest. Consider your solar array size, as more panels allow faster solar charging. Aim to install the charger near your solar panels to minimize power loss. With a solar EV charger, you can slash your electric bill and carbon footprint by fuelling with free sunshine. Just be sure to get the proper permits and electrical upgrades so your solar EV charger is professionally installed for maximum savings.
Check out our EV charger reviews for more ideas.
Looking for a small charger? Our best small EV chargers list has you covered.
Do you have one of the EV chargers on this list? Perhaps you have another recommendation? Share your thoughts by commenting below.
