In 2022, 40,507 electric vehicles were newly registered in Switzerland. That is 26.5 percent more than in 2021 and just under one fifth of all newly registered passenger vehicles in 2022. The trend is fast and strongly upward. That's why the demand for e-charging stations in Switzerland is also rising. We have researched how much it costs to install an e-charging station or wallbox and whether subsidies are available.
In our article "E-Charging Station or Wallbox: Smart Charging Solutions for Your E-Car" read how a wallbox works, what you should know about charging power, charging plugs or additional functions and what condominium owners need to consider.
Depending on the model and size, an electric car consumes 10 to 20 kilowatt hours of electricity per 100 kilometers. In our example, we calculate with 20 kilowatt hours. At an average electricity price of 27.2 centimes per kilowatt hour, an electric car consumes electricity for just under 5.50 Swiss francs per 100 kilometers - less than the cost of a cappuccino at the Paradeplatz in Zurich. A charge costs 13.60 Swiss francs for a Tesla Model 3 with 50 kilowatt hours of capacity and 11.40 Swiss francs for a BMW i* with 42 kilowatt hours. According to TCS calculations, the purchase as well as maintenance and operating costs (total cost of ownership) over ten years and 150,000 kilometers of driving are slightly lower than for vehicles with a gasoline or diesel engine at 79 to 84 centimes.
The price of electricity varies greatly from region to region. Electricity is cheapest in Zwischenbergen in Valais (8.49 centimes per kilowatt hour), and most expensive in Gaiserwald in the canton of St. Gallen (58.76 centimes). On strompreis.elcom.admin.ch (available only in German, French and Italian) you can query all prices in Switzerland.
If you charge away from home, it gets more expensive. Prices at public fast-charging stations vary greatly from region to region and provider to provider. Expect to pay 15 to 25 Swiss francs or more for a full charge. That's significantly more expensive than at home. It gets even cheaper if you power your e-charging station or wallbox with solar electricity from your own photovoltaic system on the roof of the carport, garage or house. An e-charging station increases your own consumption. Why is this important? Your own electricity costs less than electricity from the grid. That means you lower your energy costs when you increase your self-consumption and use more self-produced electricity. That's why you should use more cheap solar power than expensive power from your utility.
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The material costs vary from 800 to 2,400 Swiss francs and depend on the charging capacity, the equipment variants and the additional functions. In addition, there are labor costs of 1,000 to 3,000 Swiss francs if you have the wallbox installed. The cost depends on several factors:
Estimate 1,800 to 5,400 Swiss francs for materials and labor. Some car importers offer charging stations including installation at a low fixed price to promote the sale of electric vehicles.
In the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Bern, Geneva, Jura, Lucerne, St. Gallen, Thurgau, Ticino, Vaud, Valais and Zurich, electromobility is financially supported. For example, with a subsidy on the purchase of the vehicle, tax bonus on the cantonal motor vehicle tax, discount on car insurance or contribution for the wallbox. Private e-charging stations are subsidized in very different ways. In the city of Zurich, for example, with up to 60 percent of the installation costs or a maximum of 150 Swiss francs per kilowatt of power (lower value). On energiefranken.ch, you can find all the subsidy programs for your municipality by entering the postcode time in the search field, moving the slider from "Gebäude" to "Mobilität" and searching for subsidy programs under "Ladeinfrastruktur".
All prices are indicative only (as of 2023) so you can estimate the cost. If you want an exact offer, ask our certified e-mobility experts from your region.
