Annual Driving Distance

The average Irish private car travelled 13,436 km in 2019, according to the Central Statistics Office.

Electricity Consumption of The Car

Here are some of the top selling electric car models in Ireland, together with their electricity consumption:

You can see a much longer list at ev-database.

Solar Panels Required (kW_p)

This is the amount of solar PV panels (measured in peak power output, kW_p), that you would need to provide as much electricity as the car uses in a year.

This number assumes 920 kWh of electricity generated by kW of panels, which is typical for South-facing panels in Ireland. It also assumes 5% conversion losses in the car charger.

Of course, you’ll have more electricity than you need during summer and less during winter. The solution to this is to sell your surplus electricity to the grid during summer, and buy back cheaper night-rate electricity to charge your car during winter.

Either way though, you can optimise the use of your own solar electricity for electric car charging with a smart charger like the MyEnergi Zappi.

Number of Solar Panels Required

This of course depends on the power output of each panel. Our calculator assumes 420 W panels, which are a common size for rooftop installations. More powerful panels are not necessarily better or worse – it’s a case of choosing a size that works well for the job at hand. What really counts is the total installed power (kW_p)