Solar + EV charging veetla — complete setup guide, sizing, cost, ROI

**Why solar + EV combo makes sense:** EV petrol/diesel savings + solar grid electricity savings compound. Petrol ₹100/L, EV grid charge ₹1.5/km, solar-charged EV ₹0.4/km. 20,000 km/year driver ₹1.5L annual fuel savings vs petrol, ₹22k vs grid EV — solar EV pure play saves ₹1.75L/year vs petrol vandi.

**EV daily energy need (Indian models 2026):** Tata Nexon EV Max — 15-18 kWh/100 km. MG ZS EV — 17-20 kWh/100 km. Mahindra XUV400 — 16-19 kWh/100 km. Tata Punch EV — 14-16 kWh/100 km. BYD Atto 3 — 16-18 kWh/100 km. Average daily commute 40-60 km → 8-12 kWh needed daily.

**Sizing formula:** existing home consumption × 1 + EV daily kWh × 1.15 (buffer for cloudy days) = target daily solar generation. TN 4.2 sun hours avg → daily kWh / 4.2 = kW system size. Example: 20 kWh home + 12 kWh EV = 32 × 1.15 = 36.8 kWh/day. 36.8 / 4.2 = 8.8 kW solar system.

**Dedicated EV solar (add-on to existing):** existing 3-5 kW residential + 5 kW EV addition. Total 8-10 kW. EV charging window 11 AM - 3 PM (solar peak) directly consumed, minimal grid import.

**Charger types & speeds:** Level 1 (portable 3-pin, 2.3 kW) — 40 hours full charge, not practical daily. Level 2 AC (Type 2, 7.4 kW single-phase or 11-22 kW three-phase) — 4-8 hour full charge, home standard. DC Fast (30-60 kW) — 30-60 min charge, ₹4-8L install, home use overkill.

**Recommended AC charger brands India:** Tata Power EZ Charge (₹42k, 7.4 kW). Statiq HomeWallbox (₹38k, 7.4 kW, Wi-Fi). Exicom Harmony HomeAC (₹45k, 11 kW three-phase). ABB Terra AC Wallbox (₹65k premium). All OCPP-compatible for smart scheduling.

**Smart controller integration:** Sungrow / Deye hybrid inverter la EV charger integrate panna — solar surplus detect → charger auto-start → cloud cover detect → charge pause / grid draw disable. Prevents grid import during EV charging. Extra cost ₹8-15k for compatible EV charger + energy meter.

**Complete BOM (5 kW existing home, add 5 kW + EV charger):** 5 kW TOPCon panels + mounting ₹1.10L + 8 kW hybrid inverter (Sungrow SH8.0RT) ₹1.15L + smart energy meter + CT clamps ₹18k + 7.4 kW Statiq wallbox ₹38k + Type 2 cable + wiring ₹22k + install + civil ₹30k + monitoring ₹10k = ₹3.43L total add-on to existing home.

**With no existing solar (fresh 8 kW system + EV charger):** panels 8 kW ₹1.80L + hybrid inverter ₹1.15L + net metering ₹15k + wallbox + smart controller ₹56k + install ₹40k + civil ₹28k = ₹4.34L. Subsidy PM Surya Ghar 3 kW cap ₹78k → net ₹3.56L.

**ROI math (petrol EV switch, 20k km/year driver):** old petrol Maruti/Hyundai — ₹1.60L/year fuel + ₹18k service. EV grid charge — ₹28k/year electricity + ₹6k service. Solar EV — ₹0/year fuel + ₹6k service. Solar saves ₹1.72L/year vs petrol vandi, ₹28k/year vs grid EV.

**Total 5-year cash flow:** solar EV setup ₹3.56L investment → fuel savings ₹8.6L + home electricity savings ₹2.5L = ₹11.1L cumulative benefit. Net gain ₹7.5L in 5 years. Payback 2.1 years.

**EV solar time-of-use strategy:** work-from-home / weekend driver → solar hours charging optimal. Office commuter (leave 8 AM, return 6 PM) → challenge: EV missing during solar peak. Solution 1 — hybrid inverter + LFP battery 10 kWh (₹1.5L), store solar 11 AM-3 PM → charge EV 6 PM-10 PM. Solution 2 — dedicated employer solar EV charging (growing trend Chennai IT parks).

**Charger installation prerequisites:** dedicated 32A single-phase circuit (or 25A three-phase), MCB + RCCB (30 mA), earthing (< 1 ohm), 6/4 sq mm cable up to 50m, weatherproof outdoor mount. TANGEDCO no separate approval for <11 kW home charger — connect on existing service.

**SVN EV solar package (Trichy, Coimbatore, Chennai, Madurai):** turnkey design + install 4-week delivery. Includes: energy audit + EV usage pattern analysis + system design + Statiq or Tata Power charger + hybrid inverter + monitoring app + 5-year AMC. Free consultation + on-site load survey.