In short: an electric car that drives 1,000 km a month uses roughly 160 units of electricity, which about 1.2 kW of solar panels makes in Lahore. Three things decide whether solar really cuts your charging bill:
- When the car is home. Solar only charges a car that is parked at home in daylight. A car that sits at the office all day charges at night, from the grid.
- Net billing. Units you use yourself save your full tariff. Units you export are credited at only about Rs 8 to 11.
- A proper charger and enough load. A 7 kW wall charger is a big load. Check your sanctioned load, and use a fixed, protected installation, never a socket and adaptor.
The low EV tariff in the news (Rs 39.70 per unit) is for public charging stations, not for the meter at your house.
Last updated: 2 October 2026. Based on NEECA’s charging infrastructure regulations (S.R.O. 1646(I)/2024), NEPRA’s tariff decision of 11 February 2026, PVGIS data for Lahore and vehicle specifications listed in Pakistan. Sources are at the end.
How much electricity does an electric car use?
Battery size and range give the lower limit. The BYD Atto 3 sold in Pakistan has a 49.92 kWh battery and a WLTP range of about 345 km, which works out to roughly 14.5 kWh per 100 km in a lab test. The BYD Atto 2 has a 45.12 kWh battery and a WLTP range of about 323 km, roughly 14 kWh per 100 km. Real driving, air conditioning and charging losses push the figure up, so for planning we use 16 kWh per 100 km, or 0.16 units for every kilometre.
How much solar does that need?
PVGIS data puts yearly production in Lahore at about 1,570 units per kW, roughly 130 units per kW per month. Divide the car’s monthly units by 130:
| Driving per month | Units for the car | Extra solar (Lahore) | Extra panels (610 W) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 km | 80 | About 0.6 kW | 1 |
| 1,000 km | 160 | About 1.2 kW | 2 |
| 1,500 km | 240 | About 1.8 kW | 3 |
| 2,000 km | 320 | About 2.5 kW | 4 |
Other cities range from about 1,537 units per kW a year in Peshawar to about 1,850 in Quetta; the full table is in our net billing guide.
Example: a house that uses 1,300 units a month and adds a car driving 1,000 km needs about 1,460 units. Divided by 130, that is about 11 kW instead of 10 kW. To size the house itself, see how to size solar from your bill (in Urdu).
Will the car be home while the sun is out?
This is the question that decides the value. Solar produces between morning and late afternoon, so it charges a car directly only if the car is plugged in during those hours.
- Good fit: working from home, a shop or business near the house, retirees, a second car that stays parked, and weekend driving.
- Weaker fit: a daily commute that keeps the car away from 8 am to 6 pm. It charges at night from the grid, and your solar covers the house in the daytime.
With net billing, units sent to the grid are credited at only about Rs 8 to 11, so a bigger system built just to feed a car that charges at night is poor value. Size for what you use in the daytime. If you need to move solar into the evening, a battery can do it; see hybrid solar systems in Lahore.
What a unit of solar is worth
| Where the unit comes from | Cost or value |
|---|---|
| Your own solar, used in the daytime | Saves your tariff. The time-of-use off-peak rate is Rs 34.53 per unit before taxes (NEPRA, 11 February 2026) |
| Your own solar, exported | Credited at about Rs 8 to 11 per unit |
| Public DC fast charger | Listed at roughly Rs 110 to 150 per kWh at several stations in 2026 directories; it varies by operator and changes |
For a car driving 1,000 km a month (160 units), your own daytime solar avoids about Rs 5,500 of grid electricity before taxes. The same 160 units at the listed public fast-charging prices would cost about Rs 17,600 to 24,000, and exported to the grid they would earn only about Rs 1,300 to 1,800. Your own rates depend on your bill, so use it for the final figure.
The EV tariff in the news is not for your home
NEPRA approved a special tariff for EV charging stations: a base of Rs 23.57 per kWh, which comes to Rs 39.70 after adjustments and taxes, billed under category A-2(d) with no monthly fuel adjustment. The New Energy Vehicles Policy 2025-30 repeats the Rs 39.7 figure for commercial charging. This is the price at which stations buy electricity. Some websites show it as a home rate, but the decision and the regulations describe it only for charging stations. We found no separate tariff for a wall charger at a house, so check your own bill and your electricity company.
Rules and safety for a charger at home
Pakistan’s charging regulations (NEECA, S.R.O. 1646(I)/2024, gazetted 24 October 2024) apply to charging stations in the areas of K-Electric and the distribution companies. They describe Level 1 charging (up to 3.3 kW, single phase) and Level 2 charging (3.3 to 22 kW, three phase, 240 to 415 V), and they say Level 2 is installed at home, captive or public sites.
- Registration: a charging station, whether for public use or private captive use such as a company fleet, must register with NEECA (application fee Rs 50,000; annual fee Rs 35,000 for Level 2). The regulations define a station as one where any electric vehicle can charge. They do not separately describe a wall charger for your own car, so if you only charge your own car, ask NEECA or your electricity company whether anything applies to you. If you plan to sell charging to others, you are in charging-station territory.
- A useful safety checklist. For charging stations the regulations ban portable socket-outlets and adaptors for EV charging, and extension cords. Outdoor equipment must be at least IPX4 rated, socket-outlets at least 800 mm above the ground, the circuit protected by RCD or earth-leakage devices with a proper earthing system (earth resistance not more than 5 ohms), a lightning protection system provided, and the car’s connection within five metres of the charging point. These are sensible rules for a home installation too.
- Match the car. The BYD Atto 3 and Atto 2 sold in Pakistan have a CCS2 port and a 7 kW onboard AC charger, so a 7 kW wall charger already charges them as fast as they can accept. A 22 kW wall charger will not make them faster. Check your own car’s manual for its AC charging limit.
- Ask the dealer what is included. BYD Pakistan’s January 2026 launch offer for the Atto 2 and Sealion 7 included a complimentary 7 kW wall-mounted charger, with free installation for the Sealion 7; that offer ended on 28 February 2026.
- Load and connection. A 7 kW charger can run for hours at full power. Add it to your house load before you decide the solar size. Net billing needs a three-phase connection and a solar size no larger than your sanctioned load; see how to check and increase sanctioned load.
Need the charger fitted?
Solar Net Metering installs fixed AC wall chargers in Lahore. For a standard installation, charger and fitting together cost Rs 251,000 for a 7.4 kW single-phase charger, which suits the BYD Atto 3 and Atto 2, and Rs 153,000 for a 3.5 kW charger. The 11 kW and 22 kW three-phase chargers cost Rs 331,000 and Rs 386,000. Longer cable runs, new circuits and upgrades are quoted after a survey. See EV charger installation in Lahore: prices and what is included.
A simple plan for EV plus solar
- Estimate your monthly driving in km and multiply by 0.16 to get units.
- Add those units to your house’s average monthly units from your bills.
- Decide when the car will charge: in the daytime at home, or at night.
- Size solar for the daytime part, within your sanctioned load.
- Have a fixed wall charger fitted with proper protection, following the maker’s instructions and the checklist above. We can do this for you.
- Keep your net billing agreement, the charger’s paperwork and your electricity company’s approvals together.
Frequently asked questions
How many solar panels do I need to charge an electric car?
About two 610 W panels (1.2 kW) for every 1,000 km you drive a month in Lahore, based on 0.16 units per km. Plan for more if you have shade, or if the car charges mostly at night.
Can I charge my electric car from solar at night?
Not directly. Without a battery, night charging uses grid electricity, and your solar system covers the house during the day. A battery can store daytime solar for the evening.
Does the Rs 39.70 EV tariff apply at home?
No. The tariff NEPRA approved is for EV charging stations. We found no separate home tariff, so a home charger is billed with the rest of your household use. Confirm with your electricity company.
Do I need permission to install a home charger?
The charging regulations require registration for charging stations. They do not separately describe a wall charger for your own car, so ask NEECA or your electricity company, and check that your sanctioned load can carry the extra load.
How much does it cost to install a home charger?
For a standard installation in Lahore, charger and fitting together cost Rs 153,000 for 3.5 kW and Rs 251,000 for 7.4 kW, and Rs 331,000 and Rs 386,000 for the three-phase 11 kW and 22 kW sizes. Longer runs and upgrades are quoted after a survey. See our price list.
Is a 22 kW wall charger worth buying?
Only if your car can accept it. The BYD Atto 3 and Atto 2 sold in Pakistan have a 7 kW AC onboard charger, so a bigger wall charger does not charge them faster.
اردو خلاصہ
جو الیکٹرک کار مہینے میں 1,000 کلومیٹر چلتی ہے وہ تقریباً 160 یونٹ بجلی استعمال کرتی ہے، جو لاہور میں تقریباً 1.2 کلو واٹ سولر بنا دیتا ہے (ہم 16 کلو واٹ گھنٹہ فی 100 کلومیٹر کا اندازہ لیتے ہیں)۔ سولر سے چارجنگ تبھی فائدہ دیتی ہے جب گاڑی دن میں گھر پر کھڑی ہو۔ نیٹ بلنگ میں خود استعمال شدہ یونٹ آپ کا پورا ٹیرف بچاتا ہے جبکہ بھیجے گئے یونٹ کا کریڈٹ صرف تقریباً 8 سے 11 روپے ہے، اس لیے رات کو چارج ہونے والی گاڑی کے لیے بہت بڑا سسٹم فائدہ مند نہیں۔ خبروں میں آنے والا 39.70 روپے فی یونٹ کا ٹیرف چارجنگ سٹیشنز کے لیے ہے، گھر کے میٹر کے لیے نہیں۔ ہوم چارجر لگاتے وقت پورٹیبل ساکٹ یا اڈاپٹر استعمال نہ کریں، آر سی ڈی اور ارتھنگ کے ساتھ فکسڈ تنصیب کروائیں، اور اپنا منظور شدہ لوڈ چیک کریں۔ 7 کلو واٹ کا وال چارجر بی وائی ڈی ایٹو 3 اور ایٹو 2 کے لیے کافی ہے۔
اردو میں مزید: بجلی کے بل سے سولر سسٹم کا سائز کیسے نکالیں
Buying an electric car?
Tell us the car and how much you drive, and Solar Net Metering will add it to your solar size, handle the net billing application and fit the charger. Net billing for a 10 kW system costs Rs 160,000 with LESCO and K-Electric, and Rs 200,000 with the other distribution companies. Office: 222 Main Boulevard, DHA Phase 6, Lahore.
Sources
- NEECA, Pakistan Electric Vehicles Charging Infrastructure and Battery Swapping Regulations 2024 (S.R.O. 1646(I)/2024)
- Digital Pakistan: NEPRA EV charging station tariff
- Dawn: Is Pakistan ready for ‘the charge’?
- Arab News: Pakistan launches New Energy Vehicle policy
- ProPakistani, 30 January 2026: BYD Pakistan and MMC launch offer
- PakWheels: BYD Atto 3 specifications and BYD Atto 2
- Wikipedia: BYD Atto 3 (WLTP range and battery capacities)
- Charging Station Radar: public EV charging prices in Pakistan (directory listings)
- NEPRA tariff decision, 11 February 2026
- PVGIS (European Commission Joint Research Centre): Lahore, 20° tilt, south-facing, 14% losses
This page explains the rules in plain language and is not legal or engineering advice. Pakistan’s EV rules are new and can change; confirm requirements with NEECA and your electricity company before you install.