Home EV chargers, run on sunshine.
Pair your solar with a smart home charger and run your EV on power you generate yourself — installed by licensed Kratos electricians.
The cheapest fuel is your own roof.
Charge from solar
Top up your car on free daytime solar instead of grid power.
Fast 7kW & 22kW
Add hundreds of kilometres of range overnight, or in a few hours.
Smart scheduling
Automate charging for the cheapest tariffs and surplus solar.
Licensed install
A fully licensed electrician installs and activates your charger.
A charger for every driveway.
Smart 7kW AC
Ideal for overnight home charging
Smart 22kW AC
Fastest AC charging for two-car homes
Solar-Matched
Only charges from surplus solar export
How much charging a typical commute really needs
Most people overestimate it. At 16 kWh per 100 km — a fair average for a mid-size EV — daily driving needs far less energy than the battery in the car holds, so you are topping up, not filling from empty.
30 km a day
About 24kWh across a five-day week. A 7kW charger replaces a day's driving in about 0.7 hours.
50 km a day
About 40kWh across a five-day week. A 7kW charger replaces a day's driving in about 1.1 hours.
80 km a day
About 64kWh across a five-day week. A 7kW charger replaces a day's driving in about 1.8 hours.
For comparison, a 6.6kW solar system in the Sydney region averages around 27 kWh a day across the year. Even after the house takes its share, there is often enough surplus on a sunny day to cover a commute — if the car is home to take it.
Estimate only — not a quote. Real consumption varies with the car, speed, weather and air-conditioning.
Single-phase 7kW vs three-phase 22kW: what you actually get
The charger on the wall supplies AC power; a charger inside the car converts it for the battery. Charging runs at whichever is lower — the wall unit, your supply, or the car's onboard charger.
| Option | Power | Range per hour | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power point (portable lead) | 2.3kW | ~14 km | 10A socket; fine for low daily kilometres |
| Single-phase wallbox | 7kW | ~44 km | 32A circuit; the common home charger |
| Three-phase wallbox at 11kW | 11kW | ~69 km | Where most cars top out on three-phase AC |
| Three-phase wallbox at 22kW | 22kW | ~138 km | Only if the car's onboard charger accepts it |
Why 22kW is often wasted
A 22kW charger needs a three-phase supply, and many EVs accept only 11kW on AC; many plug-in hybrids take 7kW or less. Plug one of those cars into a 22kW unit and it charges at its own limit. Check the onboard charger rating in your car's specifications before paying for the larger unit.
When three-phase is worth it
If you already have three-phase power, a three-phase charger costs little extra and helps two-EV households, cars that do accept high AC rates, and solar charging on three-phase systems. On a single-phase home, a 7kW charger replaces a long day of driving in a few hours overnight, which is all most people need.
Estimate only — not a quote. Range per hour assumes 16 kWh per 100 km.
Charging from solar, and the limits nobody mentions
A solar-aware charger measures what your home is exporting and sends that surplus to the car instead of the grid. It is the cheapest charging there is — with a few catches.
There's a minimum
Most EVs will not charge below about 6 amps. On single phase that means roughly 1.4kW of spare solar before charging starts; on three phase about 4.1kW. Some chargers switch between one and three phases to start earlier on cloudy days. Below the minimum, you choose: wait, or top up from the grid.
The car has to be home
Solar charging only works while the car is parked at home in daylight. Commuters usually get it on weekends and days off, then use off-peak or scheduled charging for the rest. A charger that mixes modes — solar first, grid by a set time — covers both.
Battery or car first?
With a home battery, decide which fills first. Letting the house battery charge first and the car take what is left suits most homes. Overnight, stop the car draining the home battery unless you mean it to — that energy was meant for your evening.
Solar-aware charging needs a way to measure export: a meter or current clamp at the switchboard that the charger, or your inverter, can read. We wire that in at install and check it works with your solar inverter brand. Thinking about storage too? Read about home solar batteries.
What to look for in a home EV charger
The charging itself is the same from one wallbox to the next — AC power through a Type 2 connector. The differences are in control, fit and how long the unit is backed.
Solar mode that suits your inverter
Some chargers read export through their own meter; others are controlled by the solar inverter. Either works, but they have to match your system. Ask how the charger measures surplus before you choose it.
Load management
A charger that backs off when the oven, air-conditioner and hot water are all running protects your supply and can avoid a costlier upgrade. On a tight supply this matters more than top speed.
Tethered or socket
A tethered cable is quicker to use day to day. A socket keeps the wall tidy and suits homes with more than one car or visitors with different leads. Think about cable length from where the charger sits to both parking spots.
Scheduling that matches your tariff
Set charging to start in the off-peak or free window and finish by the time you leave. Check that the app can do this without a subscription, and that the charger keeps its schedule if the internet drops out.
Built for where it goes
A carport or driveway charger lives in sun and rain. Check the weather rating for an outdoor wall, and keep the cable off the ground where it can be driven over.
Warranty and support here
Read who honours the warranty in Australia and what it covers — the unit, the cable, and the labour to swap it. A cheap charger with no local support is expensive the first time it faults.
Off-peak vs solar charging: what it costs
The cost of home charging is just the price of the kWh that goes in. Where those kWh come from matters more than the charger.
From the grid at the general rate
At a typical NSW rate of 32c/kWh, about $5 per 100 km. Fine as a fallback; the most expensive way to charge at home.
Off-peak or a free period
A time-of-use plan with a cheap overnight rate lowers that a lot. Since 1 July 2026, NSW households with a smart meter can also opt into a Solar Sharer plan, which has a three-hour free window in the middle of the day — useful if the car is home then. Compare the full plan, not just the cheap hours.
From your own surplus solar
The only cost is the 5c/kWh feed-in credit you give up — about $1 per 100 km. Every kWh that goes into the car instead of the grid is one you are no longer selling cheaply.
Put in your own kilometres and tariff with the EV charging cost calculator.
Estimate only — not a quote. Tariffs are 2026 NSW averages from our energy assumptions; your plan's rates will differ.
Switchboard, circuits and approvals
Most of the cost and time of a charger install sits behind the wall, not on it.
What the electrician checks
- A dedicated circuit for the charger, with its own protection at the switchboard.
- Space and condition of the switchboard — older boards may need an upgrade first.
- Spare capacity on your supply once the charger is added to air-conditioning, cooking and hot water.
- Load management, so the charger slows down instead of overloading the supply when the house is busy.
- The cable route from the board to where you park, and whether the charger is indoors or exposed to weather.
Who has to approve it
A licensed electrician must install and certify a hard-wired charger. In NSW, the local electricity network also has to approve load increases before they are connected, so a charger — especially a larger or three-phase one — can need a network application. We find out what applies to your address and lodge it before install day.
Already have solar? We check how the charger and your inverter talk to each other so solar mode works from day one.
From quote to first charge
- 1
Car and site details
Your car's onboard charger rating, where you park, how far you drive, photos of the switchboard and meter, and whether you have solar or a battery.
- 2
Supply and load check
Single or three-phase, spare capacity on your supply, the cable run from board to charger, and whether the board needs work first.
- 3
Written quote
Named charger, circuit and protection, any switchboard work, load management and solar integration — itemised, with the price incl. GST.
- 4
Network paperwork
Where your network needs an application for the added load, we lodge it before install day.
- 5
Install and set-up
A licensed electrician installs, tests and certifies the charger, then we set the schedule, solar mode and app with you.
Home EV charger questions
How long does a home EV charger take to charge a car?
Do I need three-phase power for a home EV charger?
Can I charge my EV from my solar panels?
How much does it cost to charge an EV at home?
Will I need a switchboard upgrade for an EV charger?
Do I need approval to install a home EV charger in NSW?
Can I just use a normal power point?
Do I need a home battery to charge my EV on solar?
Rules checked against Australian and NSW Government sources, October 2026. Figures are estimates, not quotes.
EV charging guides
Work out your running cost with the EV charging cost calculator, see what is available on the rebates page, find your area in solar and EV charger installation across NSW, or add storage with a home solar battery.
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