In some wealthy countries, EVs are what’s keeping electricity demand from falling, while in emerging economies they make a modest addition to steady expected increases in overall electricity demand.
One way to think about this: In 2021, China generated 983 TWh of electricity from wind and solar, 25 times more than the global passenger EV fleet used. China added around 255 TWh of new wind and solar generation to its energy mix in 2021, meaning its newly installed renewable generation produced more than six times what the entire global passenger EV fleet — built up over many years — consumed.
Integrating EVs into the power system will still require careful planning, incentives for off-peak charging to reduce peak demand, and localized grid reinforcement in many places. As a share of global electricity demand, though, the contribution will still be very modest for quite a few years.
