offgrid electric car (2025)

Eight months prior, the writer embarked on an electric car journey, arriving at their residence with a full solar panel mounting system. Unaware of the challenges ahead, they acquired their off-grid solar upgrade soon after. Although lacking nearby EV chargers and facing winter's dwindling solar power, they believed the time was right to transition to off-grid EV life. Their initial 1 kilowatt solar array could only charge the car 5 miles on a good day, proving insufficient for their needs.

Their first attempt at off-grid charging proved ineffective, as the house battery drained during the process, leading to further degradation. This served as a proof of concept, prompting the need for an upgrade. By mid-October, they had installed 5 kilowatts of solar, allowing them to charge the car directly from the sun, even in cloudy conditions. On a celebratory road trip to Niagara Falls, they charged the car from hydro power, using it to recharge from the house battery during brief darker periods.

As winter approached, their solar upgrade was only one-third complete, charging the car 30 miles per day on a good day. This necessitated limiting their trips to town, with weather worsening and the car's state of charge dropping. Despite these challenges, they managed to complete their Thanksgiving trip with careful planning and limited trips.

December proved to be a real test for off-grid solar, with the writer holed up at home and the road trip delayed until mid-January. By March, charging became effortless despite the cold, and they were able to complete long round trips without fast charging. As of today, the car is 80% charged, ready for a long trip on Friday, despite the overcast skies and limited inverter upgrade.

The writer looks forward to a fully upgraded solar array next December, with faster charging as a benefit of their summer preparations. They have also documented their off-grid charging process and charging graphs for future reference, having charged 475 kWh off-grid, easily covering over 1500 miles. An update in 2026 revealed that the inverter upgrade allowed for faster charging at 16 amps, with the car typically charging 25% per day.