Document and Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Nov. 01, 2017
Document And Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	Envision Solar International, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0001398805
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2017
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Is Entity a Well-known Seasoned Issuer?	No
Is Entity a Voluntary Filer?	No
Is Entity's Reporting Status Current?	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Smaller Reporting Company
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		127,241,113
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017