Camilla Jessen
New data shows electric cars could consume nearly half of household electricity.
Charging electric cars may soon take up as much electricity as everything else in your home—combined.
That’s the message from a new report by the Swiss Energy Agency, which reveals how the rising number of electric vehicles could affect the country’s power supply.
According to the study, charging electric cars could make up as much as 48 percent of total household electricity use in Switzerland by 2050.
In areas where charging patterns aren’t managed, the pressure on local electricity grids could grow considerably.
But there’s good news: this outcome can be avoided with smarter charging habits.
Smart Charging Can Solve the Problem
The report, prepared by consulting firm Infras, stresses the importance of intelligent charging.
That means charging outside of peak hours, like during the night or midday, when fewer people are using power for cooking, heating, or lighting.
Most electric cars only need around 2.5 hours of charging per day, so there’s plenty of flexibility to shift this use to quieter times.
Doing so would reduce the need for costly upgrades to the power grid, like new cables and transformers.
Tools such as smart chargers and flexible pricing models could help.
These systems automatically select charging times based on when the grid is under the least strain. This would spread out electricity demand more evenly throughout the day.
A Growing Number of Electric Cars
By 2035, Switzerland is expected to have around 1.3 million electric cars.
That number could rise to nearly 2.8 million by 2050—equal to almost all cars on the road today.
As electric vehicles become the norm, making sure the infrastructure keeps up will be essential. That means not just enough charging stations, but smart systems that integrate well with both urban and rural power networks.
Although the report focuses on Switzerland, the challenges it outlines are not unique.
If too many people charge their cars at the same time—such as when they get home from work—it can overwhelm local grids. But if charging is spread out and adapted to the existing power supply, billions in infrastructure costs could be avoided.
