A decade ago, the rapid growth of electric vehicles (BEVs) in Norway raised alarms among electricity distributors and energy authorities, who feared that the additional demand would overload the grid and cause outages.
Unlike in other countries, such as the Netherlands —where concerns over potential grid collapse remain—, in the Scandinavian nation those fears have subsided.
“Energy companies no longer see BEVs as a threat to the grid,” says Sveinung André Kvalø, Senior Advisor at the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association (Norsk elbilforening), during a recent webinar.
Most of Norway’s electricity —generated almost entirely from renewable sources— is used for industry and heating. “An average electric car consumes roughly the same amount of energy as a standard household water heater,” Kvalø explains.
In 2024, BEV charging required 1.6 terawatt-hours (TWh), a minimal fraction of the national electricity consumption (139 TWh).
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