How to Charge Your Cybertruck with Solar Power: A Complete Guide

The Tesla Cybertruck is a breakout electric vehicle that challenges the standard design for eco-friendly transportation. While the Cybertruck is sustainable in its innovative technology, it’s possible to take its sustainability even further by charging it with solar power. By driving an EV such as the Cybertruck and using solar to charge it, you’ll get even closer to true energy independence.

Solar charging is a compelling option for anyone who wants to get off the grid, reduce their reliance on traditional charging stations, or lower their carbon footprint. In this guide, you’ll learn about the best charging solutions for your Cybertruck, the wattage and panels needed to get the job done, the cost of this charging option, and how long you can expect charging to take.

Can You Charge a Cybertruck With Solar Panels?

Yes, you can charge a Tesla Cybertruck with solar panels. The Cybertruck was built with solar charging in mind, with Tesla confirming its development of a Solar Tonneau Cover, which will use the sun’s power to add to your mileage range daily. But if you want more substantial charging at home in between uses, you can create a more extensive solar panel setup.

However, the efficiency and practicality of using solar energy to recharge your Cybertruck depend on:

• Panel Output: The higher the wattage and the more sunlight they receive, the more energy they can generate.
• Battery Size and Energy Needs: The Cybertruck has a large battery pack, ranging from 100 kWh to 200 kWh, which requires significant energy. A smaller setup may take up to two days to fully charge the battery, while a more robust system can get the job done faster.
• Sunlight Availability: The weather, time of year, and your location all impact how much solar energy is available to you. You need direct sunlight for several hours daily to charge the truck effectively.

Solar power can be an excellent supplement for charging, especially during off-grid adventures or emergency backup power. However, because solar energy requires a significant amount of energy, using solar energy exclusively to recharge may not be the most practical solution unless you’re willing to make an expensive investment.

Best Solar Charging Solutions for Cybertrucks

You have several options to charge your Tesla Cybertruck with solar power. 

• Solar Tonneau Cover: While it’s not available yet, Tesla has patented this feature as it develops it. This optional built-in cover will capture and generate energy when the vehicle is parked. It won’t charge the truck completely but can boost the daily range by up to 15 miles in optimal sunlight conditions. It will soon become an easy, passive way to extend your truck’s battery life without investing in an external charger.
• Solar Panels + Level 2 Charger + Home Battery System: You can also set up a home solar panel array and pair it with a Level 2 home charger like the Tesla Wall Connector and a home battery system like the Tesla Powerwall. The panels generate the electricity, which is stored in the battery, and the charger delivers the power to the Cybertruck at an efficient charging rate. This allows you to charge overnight using the energy you generate daily.
• Portable Solar Panels + Solar Generator: For off-grid or emergency charging, you can use portable panels such as EcoFlow Solar Panels and an EcoFlow Solar Generator for supplemental charging. The setup includes portable panels (usually foldable), a solar generator, such as the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Pro Solar Generator (PV400W) or EcoFlow DELTA 3 Series Solar Generator (PV220W), and an inverter. It’s not the fastest charging method, but it can provide extended range or emergency power.

How Many Watts Does It Take To Charge a Cybertruck?

To figure out the watts it takes to charge the robust batteries of a Cybertruck, you need to consider which model you have. The RWD model requires around 100 kWh of energy, the WD model requires roughly 120 kWh, and the Cyberbeast model requires about 200 kWh. You’ll need to replace this energy used in order to charge it.

Energy Required = Battery Size x Charging Efficiency

You can assume about 90% efficiency with a 10% energy loss, so a 120 kWh Cybertruck battery would require approximately 133 kWh of energy to recharge, and a 200 kWh battery would need about 222 kWh for a full charge.

The more wattage your charger can provide, the faster the energy will flow into your battery, and the sooner the charging will be complete.

How Many Solar Panels Do You Need to Charge a Cybertruck?

To determine how many solar panels you need to charge your Cybertruck, you need to know how much electricity your car uses. For the Cybertruck, the energy consumption is around 39 kWh per 100 miles. Then, you can determine how much electricity you need to power the truck each month. 

The formula is (kWh per 100 miles x monthly miles) / 100 = kWh needed per month

If you drive 1123 miles per month (the average annual miles driven) and get 39 kWh per 100 miles, you will need 437.97 kWh monthly.

Next, you can try to estimate how many panels you’ll need. It’s hard to know exactly how many because the amount of electricity a panel can generate depends on the panel type, the weather, and the installation location. You can generally assume that one 400W panel can produce between 30 kWh and 60 kWh per month.

So, you can divide the 437.97 kWh per month by the 30kWh or 60 kWh of power you’ll get each month per panel to see how many panels you’ll need.

If your panels produce 30 kWh per month:

437.97 kWh / 30 kWh = 15 panels

If your panels produce 60 kWh per month:

437.97 kWh / 60 kWh = 8 panels

You can always add more panels to increase efficiency and charging speed.

Cost of Solar Panels vs Traditional Charging

Switching from grid charging to solar charging for an electric vehicle like a Cybertruck can help you save a significant amount of money each month, but the initial setup has notable costs.

Traditional grid charging will cost between $0 and $500 to set up, while solar panel charging can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000. Although the upfront cost of solar is higher than traditional electricity, the long-term savings can be significant when factoring in average energy costs.

With traditional grid charging, you’ll pay anywhere from $0.13 to $0.20 per kWh. On the other hand, the average electricity rate for solar charging is $0 – sunlight is free.

Solar does require annual maintenance of about $100-$200, with traditional charging costing less ($0-$50 per month). 

But when you look at things long-term, you get impressive savings taking the solar route and only moderate savings if you stick to traditional charging.

Let’s say your monthly charging costs for traditional electricity is around $120. By switching to solar, you’ll save about $1,200 annually and make your money back within a year or two, depending on how much you spend on your system.

How Much Is the Solar Option for the Cybertruck?

Now that we can see how much you can save overall by switching to solar, let’s break down the upfront costs to create your own solar charging solution for the Tesla Cybertruck. You’ll need the same items required for solar charging for any EV or motorcycle battery:

Panels

A 400W solar panel will likely cost around $400-500. Depending on the system size you want to create, your total panel system could cost anywhere from $4,000 for a smaller 10-panel array to $15,000 for a 30-plus-panel array. 

Inverters and Other Components

You may also need to purchase an inverter, charger, battery storage device, emergency shutdown device, or other accessories.  A battery such as the Tesla Powerwall can cost $8,500-$9,000 per unit.

Installation

You’ll also need to pay to install your panels (if creating a stationary array), battery, charger, and other system components. The installation cost varies depending on the type of roof you have, the complexity of your solar charging system, and the size of your system. It can run anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000.

All in All

The upfront cost to set up an at-home solar system can range from $10,000 to $50,000, depending on your needs, the complexity of the system, and the robustness of your battery storage. You can front these costs yourself, look into federal and state renewable energy incentive programs, or see if your loved ones might like to gift you one or more of these components.

How Long Does it Take to Fully Charge a Cybertruck?

It’s hard to give an exact answer to this because the time it takes to charge a Cybertruck entirely depends on factors like sunlight availability, battery storage capacity, and the efficiency of your charging system.

Sunlight Availability

Your panels rely on sunlight to create electricity, so geographic location, time of day, and cloud cover all impact how much energy your system can produce. Depending on the season and where you live, you can get 4-6 peak sunlight hours per day. Areas of consistent sunny weather, like Florida or California, can usually generate more electricity than those in areas with frequent clouds or longer winters. The more electricity available, the faster you can charge your battery.

Battery Storage Capacity

Your battery storage will hold on to excess energy you generate during the day so you can use it during nighttime charging. The more storage you have, the more power you can store for later use, and the faster you’ll be able to charge your Cybertruck, even if solar generation is low. This is one great way to offset slower charging due to limited electricity generation and sunlight — invest in a more extensive battery storage system to have enough energy readily available when needed. 

Solar System Efficiency

Your charging equipment and solar panel efficiency both impact how quickly energy can be delivered to your Cybertruck and, thus, how long it takes to charge. Even the highest-quality monocrystalline panels experience some energy loss, so not all power generated by the panels will be available for charging.

Solar panel efficiency generally ranges from 15% to 22% (the average is 21%), with higher-efficiency panels producing more power within the same size. 

Your inverter’s efficiency also plays a role. Energy loss reduces the amount of power that can be converted for car charging and the total charging time. Modern inverters are usually 90-95% efficient.

You can ensure faster charging and reduced energy loss by choosing high-efficiency panels and a quality inverter.

Charging Power Source

The wattage of your charging power source also affects charging speed. The more watts the charger offers, the faster the battery can get filled. Level 2 home chargers provide 11.5 kW of power, which can charge a vehicle overnight. On the other hand, Tesla Superchargers can provide up to 250 kW of power, allowing for rapid charging of about 200 miles in 15 minutes.

Cybertruck Battery Size

Finally, the size of the battery itself also comes into play. The RWD has the smallest battery at 100 kWh, so it will charge much faster than the 200 kWh Cyberbeast model. While a bigger battery means larger driving ranges, it also requires more total energy storage and takes longer to charge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Take your eco-friendly Tesla Cybertruck to the next level of sustainability by charging it using solar power. You can install a solar array on your roof for at-home charging or invest in a portable option like the EcoFlow DELTA Series Solar Generators for on-the-go adventures. While there is a significant cost to setting up an at-home solar charging solution for your Cybertruck, you’ll quickly make a return on your investment by taking advantage of free energy to recharge your battery as needed. It’s a great option if you want to reduce your home’s energy bills or reduce your carbon footprint.