South African solar executive reports 400 km EV trip costing 85 rand using home solar and grid power
By Eve
GoSolr co-founder and technology chief Patrick Narbel found that charging his mid-size electric SUV for 400 kilometres (249 miles) cost R85 ($5.19) using home solar and household electricity, against R550 ($33.56) for an efficient petrol vehicle over the same distance. Charging entirely from the grid would have cost R280 ($17.09), making the solar and grid mix about 70% cheaper. The figures appear in GoSolr's quarterly Light Paper, as reported by The National, with average consumption of 13.3 kWh per 100 km over 7,000 km and a 68 kWh battery.
Why it matters
Home solar paired with charging is a growing cost argument for private EV owners in South Africa, and it sets a low price benchmark that public charging operators will be compared against. Narbel expects solar to cover about 70% of annual charging, falling to roughly 60% in winter, which points to demand for solar integrated home and workplace charging offers.
Source
- Original title
- “South African driver powers electric SUV for 249 miles on $5 worth of solar and grid electricity”
- Published
- 6 November 2026
In this story
- Topic
- EV Charging
- Place
- South Africa
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