the specific number of panels needed will depend on the size of your electric car’s battery. For this case however, let’s take the standard Tesla Model S that has a 75 kWh battery. First, we need to consider the amount of energy that an individual solar panel is producing. The energy production of a solar panel is dependent on its material, size, efficiency, and a few other factors. A typical, 250 watt solar panel will produce around 30-42.5 kWh of AC per month. To be safe, let's take the minimum to give us a conservative estimate. If one, low-end solar panel can produce approximately 1 kWh a day of AC electricity, that means you would need an astounding 75 solar panels to produce enough electricity to fuel your Tesla Model S to 100% capacity from 0% each day. Luckily, the average driver travels 37 miles per day, which translates to about 12 kWh of electricity. So, a more realistic number would be 12 solar panels. Remember, this is also a conservative estimate, so if your solar panels are high efficiency, the number of panels may drop even lower. Also, if you drive less than 30 miles per day, the number of required panels will decrease drastically. Since most solar panel systems include around 25 to 30 solar panels, this figure is very realistic for prospective solar panel owners and EV owners. Plus the batteries are getting better.
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