How Much You Can Save by Charging Your EV Car With Solar Panels?

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more popular in Pakistan, but charging them from WAPDA can be expensive – especially with electricity around Rs 41 per kWh.

One solution is to use solar panels to power your EV. In this post, we will check whether a 3 kW solar system can cover the charging needs of an EV with a 63 kWh battery (common in many modern sedan EVs) for 1,300 km of driving per month, and how much money that could save. We’ll break down the energy calculations, the solar potential in Pakistan, the cost savings, and the payback period for the solar setup.

Monthly Running

We’ll estimate that you drive 1,300 km monthly in your car which is average if you daily keep your driving to 43 Km in city. So first, how much electricity does an electric car require to drive 1,300 km?

EVs are quite efficient: many use about 15–20 kWh of energy per 100 km (that’s 0.15–0.20 kWh per km). Using a round-number estimate of 0.20 kWh per km.

In other words, driving 1,300 km in a month would use approximately 250–260 kWh of electricity. That’s roughly 8.5 kWh per day on average. 

Solar Electricity from a 3 kW System 

We’ll take a 3kW solar system for this blog, because it’s a recommend system you will need for a feasbile charging solar charging system. A well-designed 3 kW solar PV system (commonly around six panels of ~475 W each) can produce a substantial amount of energy under Pakistani sun. On average, Pakistan receives about 8-10 hours of peak sunlight per day, depending on location and season. This means:

These numbers assume the panels are installed at an optimal tilt and kept relatively clean to capture sunlight. Even in winter, a 3 kW system might generate around 300 kWh in a month of weaker sun, which is still good.

Note: These figures assume no net metering, meaning the system is not feeding excess power to WAPDA . Solar power is either used on the spot or wasted if not utilised. In practice, to use solar effectively off-grid, you would charge the car during daylight hours when the panels are producing power. Any solar energy that isn’t used while the sun is shining would simply go unutilized (unless you have batteries to store it).

How Much EV Charging Can a 3 kW Solar Cover in Month?

Comparison of the monthly energy required for the EV (1,300 km driving) vs. the energy output of a 3 kW solar system. In this scenario, the solar production can meet the EV’s charging needs with some surplus.

Under average conditions, a 3 kW solar array in Pakistan can generate more electricity than the EV needs for 1,300 km/month. This means the solar panels could cover 100% of the car’s charging requirements in most months, with room to spare (if the vehicle is charged daily in daylight)

Even in less sunny periods, the solar output is likely sufficient. For instance, if in a cloudy winter month the system only produces ~300 kWh, that’s still around ~85% of the 350 kWh needed if the car were less efficient (say, 0.25 kWh/km). In short, nearly all of the EV’s charging can be powered by the 3 kW solar setup in a year-round scenario.

However, because this system is off-grid (no net metering), timing is key. To utilize the solar energy, one would schedule the EV’s charging during sunlight hours (for example, late morning to afternoon). The EV’s battery effectively serves as the storage: the car is absorbing solar power as it’s produced. 

Monthly and Annual Cost Savings in WAPDA Bill

What does this mean for your pocket? With WAPDA electricity priced at Rs 41 per unit, every unit of solar energy used for charging is money saved from your electricity bill. By using solar for the EV, you avoid buying that energy from the WAPDA. Here’s how the savings add up:

Period Energy offset by solar Savings at Rs 41 per kWh
Per month ~260 kWh (for EV) ~Rs 10,600 saved per month
Per year ~3,120 kWh (260×12) ~Rs 127,000 saved per year

In other words, you’d be saving on the order of ₨ 10,000+ each month by not drawing those EV charging kWh from the WAPDA. Over a year, that’s roughly Rs 1.2–1.3 lakh back in your pocket.

Note: Here we assumed the solar system is exclusively for EV charging, so we haven’t counted other uses for any excess generation.)

Cost of a 3 kW Solar System and Payback Period

As of 2025, a typical 3 kW solar system costs around Rs 2.5 to 3.5 lacs, fully installed without batteries. This price may vary depending on the brand of panels and inverters.

A payback period is how long it takes for your investment to “pay for itself” through savings. With the savings we calculated (≈ Rs 127k/year) and an upfront cost in the few lakhs, the payback is relatively quick:

After ~2.3 years, the solar panels have essentially “paid for themselves” through the electricity cost you avoided. Considering solar panels often last 25 years or more, the next 20+ years of driving on solar are essentially free fuel (aside from minor maintenance or component replacements). Even if electricity prices rise further (which increases your savings), or if they fall, you’ve locked in a source of power at a fixed upfront cost.

Note that this cost doesn’t include the batteries, and we assume you will directly charge the car in daylight after every 2-3 days.

In summary, using a 3 kW solar system to charge an electric car in Pakistan is not only feasible, it’s economically very attractive. Beyond the cost savings, there are other benefits: you’re charging your car with clean, renewable energy, reducing your carbon footprint and easing demand on the WAPDA. You also gain a measure of protection from electricity rate hikes and power outages – as long as the sun is shining, you have the power to charge your transport.

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