Reviewed by Lee Gundenswager (Lead Electrician, Connex Lic #92217) and Darren Standring (Owner). Written for North Brisbane and Moreton Bay homeowners. Last updated 2026-07-25.
Quick answer: Yes — you can charge your EV directly from rooftop solar, and in Brisbane it’s the cheapest way to run an electric car. With a smart solar-aware charger like a myenergi Zappi, the charger detects surplus power your panels are exporting and diverts it into the car instead of sending it to the grid for a few cents. On a sunny Brisbane day that’s effectively free driving. You need enough solar (ideally 6.6kW+), a compatible smart charger, and someone home to charge during daylight — or a battery to store it for overnight.
I’m Lee, lead electrician at Connex Electrical. Brisbane gets some of the best sun in the country, and a huge number of North Brisbane homes already have rooftop solar. Pairing that solar with your EV is one of the smartest energy moves you can make — but only if it’s set up right. Here’s how solar EV charging actually works, what you need, and how to get the most free kilometres out of your panels.
How solar EV charging works
During the day your panels generate power. Your home uses some; the surplus normally gets exported to the grid, for which you’re paid a small feed-in tariff (often just a few cents per kWh in Queensland these days). That same surplus is worth far more if you put it into your car instead.
A smart, solar-aware charger watches the flow of power at your meter in real time. When it sees surplus solar being exported, it diverts that energy into the EV. As clouds pass or the house load rises, it dials the charging up and down to match — so you’re charging from sunshine, not from the grid. If you’re new to how rooftop solar generates and exports power, our guide to how solar panels work is a good primer.
The Zappi and its ECO modes
The myenergi Zappi is the charger I fit most often for solar homes, because its charging modes are built around solar:
- Fast mode — charges at full speed from any source (solar + grid). Use when you need the car ready quickly.
- ECO mode — charges from surplus solar plus a top-up from the grid, keeping a minimum charge rate. A balance of speed and savings.
- ECO+ mode — charges only from surplus solar, pausing when there isn’t enough. This is the “free driving” mode — every kilometre comes from the sun.
Other solar-aware chargers (like the Fronius Wattpilot for Fronius solar homes) work on the same principle. We cover the full range in our best home EV chargers guide.
What you need for solar EV charging
- Enough solar. A 6.6kW system or larger gives comfortable surplus to charge with. Smaller systems still help but leave less spare after the house load. Not sure how big yours should be? See our solar sizing guide.
- A smart solar-aware charger (Zappi, Wattpilot, or similar) with a current sensor (CT clamp) fitted at your switchboard so it can read export in real time.
- Daytime charging opportunity — someone home during the day, a work-from-home setup, or a car that’s parked during daylight. Solar charging happens when the sun’s up.
- Optional: a home battery — stores daytime solar to charge the car overnight, if you’re out during the day.
How much can solar EV charging save?
The maths is compelling in Brisbane. Charging from the grid on an off-peak tariff costs roughly $3–$5 per 100km. Charging from surplus solar you’d otherwise export for a few cents is close to free — you’re just using power that would have earned you almost nothing. Over a year of typical driving, running on solar instead of exporting can save many hundreds of dollars compared with grid charging, and far more compared with petrol.
What if I’m not home during the day?
This is the most common hurdle. Solar generates at midday; a lot of people are at work then. Three ways around it:
- Charge on weekends in ECO+ mode to soak up solar when you’re home.
- Add a home battery — stores solar during the day and charges the car (and runs the house) overnight.
- Use a timer / off-peak tariff on weekdays — not free like solar, but still cheap at $3–$5/100km.
Many North Brisbane households do a mix: solar on weekends and days off, off-peak grid on busy weekdays. Even part-time solar charging cuts your running costs noticeably.
Single-phase solar and EV charging
Most Brisbane homes are single-phase, and single-phase solar pairs perfectly well with a single-phase 7kW charger — you don’t need three-phase to charge from solar. If you’re weighing charger speed, our 7kW vs 22kW guide explains why 7kW is right for nearly all homes, solar or not.
Getting it set up properly
Solar EV charging only works if the charger is installed with the right sensing and configuration. That means fitting the CT clamp correctly at your switchboard, configuring the export threshold, and testing that the charger genuinely follows your solar. It’s not a plug-and-play job — it’s where a proper installer earns their keep. We set it up, test each mode with you, and make sure ECO+ actually pauses and resumes as the sun comes and goes.
Call 0474 207 609 or request a quote and we’ll design a solar + EV setup that fits your system and how you drive.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. With a smart solar-aware charger such as a myenergi Zappi, the charger detects surplus solar your panels are exporting and diverts it into the car instead of the grid. On a sunny Brisbane day this means charging your EV for close to free. You need enough solar, a compatible smart charger with a current sensor at the switchboard, and the car available to charge during daylight or a battery to store solar for overnight.
A 6.6kW rooftop solar system or larger gives comfortable surplus to charge an EV after covering household use. Smaller systems still contribute but leave less spare power. The right size depends on your household consumption and how much you drive, but 6.6kW is a common sweet spot for solar EV charging in Brisbane.
ECO+ is the myenergi Zappi charging mode that charges the car only from surplus solar, pausing automatically when there isn’t enough sun and resuming when there is. It’s the mode that gives effectively free driving, because every kilowatt-hour comes from solar you would otherwise have exported to the grid for a few cents.
Yes, with some planning. You can charge in solar mode on weekends and days off, add a home battery to store daytime solar for overnight charging, or use an off-peak tariff on weekdays for cheap grid charging at around $3 to $5 per 100km. Many Brisbane households mix solar charging when home with off-peak charging on busy days.
No. Most Brisbane homes are single-phase, and single-phase solar works perfectly well with a single-phase 7kW EV charger. You don’t need three-phase power to charge from solar. A 7kW single-phase smart charger is the right setup for the large majority of solar homes.
Book your solar EV charger setup in North Brisbane
Connex Electrical installs and configures solar-aware EV chargers — myenergi Zappi, Fronius Wattpilot and more — across North Brisbane and Moreton Bay. We fit the sensing correctly, configure the solar modes, and test them with you so your car really does charge from the sun. QLD Electrical Contractor Licence #92217, $20M public liability, 5.0★ rated with 513 Google reviews. Call 0474 207 609 or see our EV charger installation North Brisbane service page.
Sources & references
- AS/NZS 3000:2018 Wiring Rules
- AS/NZS 61851.1 Electric Vehicle Conductive Charging System
- myenergi Zappi documentation (ECO / ECO+ modes)
- Energex — solar export and residential tariff information