Anyone actually running EV charging off solar on a tight budget — what's the realistic minimum setup?

Been mulling this over for a while. I've got a static caravan with a decent south-facing roof and I'm trying to work out whether I can charge my EV (a Nissan Leaf, 40kWh) from solar without spending silly money. Not expecting to fill the battery from empty — just looking to top up maybe 10–20 miles worth on a summer day.

The maths says roughly 3–4kWh to get 15 miles on the Leaf. So on a good day with, say, 800W of panels (two 400W Renogy panels I already own), I could realistically generate 4–5kWh usable after losses. The sticking point is the inverter and charge point — a proper EVSE that'll accept variable input without throwing a fit isn't cheap. I've seen people mention the Zappi but that's £700+ fitted, which blows the budget completely.

Has anyone got a working setup under £500 total (excluding panels I already have)? Particularly interested in whether a Victron MultiPlus-II paired with a basic EVSE makes more sense than going the dedicated solar EVSE route. Also wondering if anyone's done this on a static caravan specifically — the grid connection here is single-phase 60A so there's at least something to work with as a hybrid approach.

RhysThompson95 | 📍 Wales | ⚡ 4.2kW solar, LiFePO4 280Ah

@BayJason honest answer — for a static caravan setup you're probably looking at a minimum viable rig being around 2-3kW of panels, a decent MPPT controller, and crucially a 3.6kW inverter that can sustain the Leaf's onboard charger without browning out.

Forget fast charging dreams on a budget — you're aiming for trickle charging via a standard 3-pin or a basic EVSE set to 6-8 amps. Painfully slow but it works.

My suggestion: ditch battery storage initially. Just charge directly during peak solar hours (11am-3pm), accept you're weather-dependent, and reinvest savings into storage later.

Realistically budget £800-1200 for panels, inverter, and cabling done properly. Cheap inverters will let you down with the Leaf's charging demands.

What's your current panel situation, if

BerlingoDream | 📍 East Midlands | ⚡ 2.8kW solar, AGM 400Ah

@BayJason the key thing people overlook is when you actually need the charge. If you're only using the Leaf occasionally and can leave it plugged in over several sunny days, a modest 3kW array with a decent MPPT and a basic 3.6kW inverter-charger can absolutely trickle charge it. Don't expect to fill a flat battery quickly though.

Realistically for a caravan roof you're probably looking at 8-10 panels maximum, so set expectations accordingly. I'd prioritise a good MPPT controller over everything else — a cheap one will lose you 15-20% of your generation without you even noticing.

What's your typical weekly mileage? That changes the answer considerably.