Home battery and EV charger: can you charge your car from the battery?
Last updated: 17 October 2026 · By Team Multi-Solar, home batteries since 2022, Rotterdam
Yes, with a home battery and an EV charger you can charge your car partly with stored electricity. But a home battery of 5 to 10 kWh fills only a small part of a car battery of around 60 kWh, and delivers less power than the charger draws. Expect tens of kilometres per full battery, not a full car. And if your car is at home during the day, charge it directly on solar power. Below you can read how to calculate this yourself in kWh, kW and kilometres.
Can you charge your car with a home battery?
To a home battery, an EV charger is simply a large consumer. A battery that is controlled via the P1 smart meter dongle (P1-meter) or a CT clamp delivers as much as the house demands, up to its own maximum power. The rest comes from the solar panels or the grid.
So when charging an electric car with a home battery, two limits apply:
- Power (kW). A home EV charger charges at 3.7 kW on single-phase, or at 7.4 or 11 kW on three-phase (Milieu Centraal). A home battery delivers 0.8 to 6 kW, depending on the model.
- Capacity (kWh). The battery of an average new mid-size electric car is 61 kWh (Milieu Centraal). A home battery has 2 to 10 kWh in its base configuration.
So the car always gets the power of the charger. Only part of it comes from the battery.
How many kilometres do you drive on 5 or 10 kWh from your home battery?
The calculation method: kWh from the battery, minus the charging loss, divided by the consumption per kilometre.
Assumptions in this example: most electric cars use 15 to 20 kWh per 100 km in practice, and about 10 percent is lost when charging at an EV charger (ANWB; Milieu Centraal uses 13 percent).
| From the battery | Into the car (after approx. 10% charging loss) | Kilometres (15-20 kWh per 100 km) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 kWh | 1.8 kWh | approx. 9-12 km |
| 5 kWh | 4.5 kWh | approx. 22-30 km |
| 7 kWh | 6.3 kWh | approx. 31-42 km |
| 10 kWh | 9 kWh | approx. 45-60 km |
For comparison: a full 61 kWh car battery is more than six times a 10 kWh battery. At the same time, 95 percent of car journeys in the Netherlands are shorter than 75 km (Milieu Centraal). Someone who drives 12,000 km per year drives on average about 33 km per day. That is roughly 5 to 7 kWh per day in the car.
One caveat: whatever you put from the battery into the car, you can no longer use in the house in the evening.
How long does charging take at 800 W, 3 kW or 11 kW?
The calculation method: kWh divided by kW is the number of hours.
| Power | Where it occurs | Charging 10 kWh | Charging 61 kWh (full car battery) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.8 kW | plug-in battery via a standard wall socket | approx. 12.5 hours | – |
| 3 kW | plug-in battery on a dedicated circuit (e.g. Venus E 4.0) | approx. 3.3 hours | – |
| 3.7 kW | EV charger on single-phase | approx. 2.7 hours | approx. 16.5 hours |
| 6 kW | fixed battery on single-phase (Marstek Venus X) | approx. 1.7 hours | – |
| 11 kW | EV charger on three-phase | approx. 0.9 hours | approx. 5.5 hours |
Milieu Centraal states 10 to 20 hours for a full charge on single-phase and 3.5 to 10 hours on three-phase. One hour of charging at 3.7 to 11 kW is good for 20 to 60 km.
Important: the car charges at the power of the charger, not that of the battery. An example with assumptions:
- Charger 11 kW, battery 3 kW. Every hour 11 kWh goes into the car: 3 kWh from the battery and 8 kWh from solar or the grid. A 5 kWh battery is then empty after about 1.7 hours.
- Charger 3.7 kW, plug-in battery 800 W. Just over a fifth comes from the battery, the rest from solar or the grid.
Why is charging on solar power during the day smarter than via the battery?
Every time you store electricity and release it again, a little is lost. If you charge the car via the battery, you pay that loss twice: once in the battery and once when charging the car.
A worked example with 10 kWh of solar surplus (assumptions: battery efficiency about 90 percent according to the datasheet, charging loss about 10 percent):
- Directly into the car: 10 kWh × 0.9 = 9 kWh in the car battery. That is 45 to 60 km.
- First into the battery, into the car in the evening: 10 kWh × 0.9 × 0.9 = about 8.1 kWh in the car battery. That is 40 to 54 km.
So via the battery you drive about 10 percent fewer kilometres on the same solar power, and the battery goes through an extra charge cycle.
Milieu Centraal recommends smart charging: set the car to charge when there is plenty of your own solar power. Using your own solar power directly is the best step.
What does that mean in practice?
- Is your car at home during the day? Then let the charger charge on solar power, and use the battery for your evening consumption in the house.
- Is your car only at home in the evening? Then the battery can contribute a little. Or charge at the cheapest hours with a dynamic contract; read more about charging at cheap hours.
Can a plug-in battery charge your electric car?
A little. Via a standard wall socket a plug-in battery delivers a maximum of 800 W to the house. That is just over a fifth of what a 3.7 kW charger draws. Why that limit exists is explained in the 800 watt rule.
On a dedicated circuit, some models deliver more:
- Marstek Venus E 3.0: 2,500 W
- Marstek Venus E 4.0: 3,000 W
- Anker SOLIX Solarbank Max AC: 3,500 W
- Marstek Venus Max: 3,600 W
Installing a dedicated circuit means work in the electrical panel; installation is arranged via a quote.
The realistic expectation: a plug-in battery gives the car a small boost in the evening (see the kilometre table), but it is not a battery for your EV charger.
Which home battery suits a house with an EV charger?
Start with your grid connection. A 1x35A connection delivers a maximum of 8 kW, a 3x25A connection a maximum of 17 kW (Enexis, Liander). On single-phase, an EV charger of at most 3.7 kW fits; on three-phase one of 7.4 or 11 kW (Milieu Centraal). Charger, battery and house must fit within that connection together. Have an installer look at this, possibly with load balancing; that is arranged via a quote. More on this in single-phase or three-phase.
Then determine the capacity: your evening consumption in the house plus the kilometres you really want to top up from the battery in the evening. How to calculate that is explained in how many kWh you need.
| Type | Power | Capacity | What is realistic alongside an EV charger? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plug-in (Venus E 3.0, Venus E 4.0, Anker Max AC) | 0.8 kW via wall socket, 2.5-3.5 kW on a dedicated circuit | 5-7 kWh per unit | topping up the car a little |
| Fixed, single-phase (Marstek Venus X) | 6 kW continuous | 10 kWh, expandable to 60 kWh | covers the full power of a 3.7 kW charger as long as it is not empty; 10 kWh is approx. 45-60 km |
| Fixed, modular (Sigenergy SigenStor) | controller 5-25 kW, 3 kW continuous per module | 6 or 9 kWh per module, up to 54 kWh | the most power and the most capacity |
A fixed battery is always arranged via a quote. View the fixed home batteries or the plug & play batteries. If you are in doubt between the two, read plug-in or fixed.
Does your home battery discharge into your car by itself?
Often, yes. A battery that is controlled via the P1 smart meter dongle delivers exactly what the house consumes. It sees an EV charger as ordinary consumption and then delivers up to its maximum. If you plug the car in to charge in the evening, the battery can be empty in a short time, and the house then runs on the grid.
What you can do:
- Coordinate the charging times of the car and the battery, for example by charging the car at cheap hours with a dynamic contract.
- Set in the app of your battery or charger when they charge, insofar as that app supports it.
- Control the car and battery together with Home Assistant.
Can your car itself act as a home battery?
Not yet on a large scale. With bidirectional charging the car supplies electricity back to the house or the grid. According to Milieu Centraal there are still few charging points and cars that are fully suitable for this; an electric car is not yet a home battery on wheels. Some manufacturers are preparing their systems for it, such as Sigenergy, but whether it works depends on the car. See it as a look ahead, not as something you can count on now.
Situation: what suits you?
Your car is at home during the day. Charge it on solar power and use a plug-in battery for the evening consumption in the house. Take a look at the plug & play batteries.
Your car is only at home in the evening and you want to charge part of it from the battery. Then you need more power: a dedicated circuit or a fixed battery. Take a look at the fixed home batteries and request a quote.
You have an 11 kW EV charger or a three-phase connection. Have an installer look at the combination of charger, battery and connection; that is arranged via a quote.
Frequently asked questions
How big should a home battery be if you have an electric car?
That depends on your evening consumption and on how many kilometres you want to charge from the battery in the evening. Every 10 kWh from the battery is about 45 to 60 km. Charging a full car battery from a typical home battery is not feasible.
Is it smart to charge your car from the home battery in the evening?
If your car is at home during the day, you are better off charging it directly on solar power. Via the battery you lose about 10 percent extra. If the car is only at home in the evening, the battery can contribute part of it.
Do you need a three-phase connection for an EV charger and a home battery?
Not always. On single-phase, a charger of up to 3.7 kW fits. For 11 kW you need three-phase. Charger, battery and house must fit within your connection together. Read single-phase or three-phase.
Does my home battery automatically discharge into the car?
A battery that is controlled via the P1 smart meter dongle sees the charger as consumption and then delivers up to its maximum. If you do not want that, coordinate the charging times in the app or with smart control.
Will I get more out of a battery with an EV charger after 2027?
When the Dutch net-metering scheme (salderingsregeling) ends, using your own electricity becomes more important. That applies to the battery and to charging the car on solar during the day. Read more about the Dutch net-metering scheme and feed-in costs.
Want to know which battery suits your EV charger and connection? View all home batteries or request a quote.
Sources
- Milieu Centraal, "Opladen elektrische auto" (last modified 29 June 2026)
- Milieu Centraal, "Accu en bereik elektrische auto" and "Elektrische auto slim laden" (24 June 2026)
- Milieu Centraal, "Thuisbatterij: zonne-energie opslaan" (last modified 28 September 2026)
- Milieu Centraal, Factsheet CO2-uitstoot elektrische auto (July 2024)
- ANWB, "Hoeveel stroom verbruikt een elektrische auto?" and "1-fase of 3-fase laden" (consulted 17 October 2026)
- Enexis, "Welke aansluiting heb ik nodig" and Liander, "Soorten aansluitingen" (consulted 17 October 2026)
- Product data multi-solar.nl (17 October 2026)
Worked examples are examples based on assumptions. Consumption and charging loss differ per car, charger and battery.