Electric Vehicle Chargers

Installing an EV charger is different for every household, with many different aspects to take into consideration before determining what your household needs. Some of the factors we look at include whether your switchboard and mains cables can handle the additional load, the time of day you are more likely to charge your car, and how many kilometres you drive on average per day. There are other options to consider as well, such as whether you wish to charge your car only on excess energy produced, or whether you want to connect your charger to a different tariff to allow faster charging on a cheaper rate.

Often local governments will announce short-term rebate programs. Visit our Government Incentives page for more information on what offers are currently available.

It is certainly possible to install an EV charger without having solar panels, but there are many requirements to consider depending on your local energy provider, such as Ergon Energy in Far North Queensland. Ergon and other providers may have rules limiting how quickly you can charge your EV, so make sure to check.

Some EVs come with a 3-pin charging cable that you can plug into your standard household power point. Many owners of EVs choose to install dedicated chargers, which allow you to obtain faster charging rates, however when used in conjunction with a solar panel system, you are not only saving money, but are using cleaner energy, and helping to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Every house is built differently, and each panel works together to produce overall energy, rather than a dedicated panel per item. If you already have solar panels installed, you may already be generating enough energy to cover charging your EV. Solar panel installation usually takes into account your household power demands, as well as future demands. When planning to install an EV charger, our team at Solahart Cairns will visit your home to inspect your current solar setup to see what will be required. We can do a custom design based on your household load and how many kilometres you drive per day to get you the best results.

While every car’s battery capacity may differ, it can take between 40-70kwH to achieve a full charge. For comparison, 50kWh is the same amount of energy that an average home would consume in 2 days! When purchasing your EV, information on their charging requirements should be included.

Most good quality EV chargers are well designed to handle the elements and are built to be used both indoors and outdoors. If you look for an ingress protection (IP) rating, this will give you an indication of how well your EV charger will withstand the elements.

While solar power is not required to run your EV charger at home, you can certainly offset the costs involved by utilising your charger in conjunction with an efficient solar power system. And don’t forget the added benefits for the environment!

The number of solar panels you need to charge your EV will depend on the overall amount of energy required to power your household, inclusive of your charging. We check for how many kilometres per day on average you drive your car to determine how much energy you may need.