I’m exploring the possibility of using my 3.6 kW solar panel installation to directly charge an electric vehicle while the sun is shining. Is there technology that enables this direct connection? If not, would it be feasible to use a setup with solar panels, a charge controller, and batteries to charge the vehicle, possibly even at night with a large enough battery system? What are the specific components or equipment needed for either system?
It is technically possible to use solar panels to directly charge your electric car while the sun is shining, but this is not very common. The primary reason is that it is difficult to safely match the voltage from the panels to your car’s battery. A conventional residential solar system may also be insufficient to fast charge your car, particularly on cloudy days.
A better choice is to employ a system that is linked to your home’s electrical grid. This manner, your solar panels may create electricity during the day and distribute it to your home and EV charger. You can also include a battery in this configuration. The battery retains any additional solar power generated during the day so that you can utilise it to charge your car at night.
It will function better if a battery is added to this configuration.