Electrification at lightning speed: electric cars consume more power than train traffic in the Netherlands

Transport electricity consumption nearly doubles since 2019

Between 2019 and 2024, power consumption of plug-in vehicles in the Netherlands rose from 9 to 17 petajoules (PJ), CBS figures show. By comparison, 1 petajoule is enough to power nearly 20,000 households for a year. In short: we are really talking about huge amounts of electricity. This substantial increase is mainly due to the increasing number of electric cars and trucks on the road. In 2024, domestic electric transport accounted for 4 percent of total Dutch electricity consumption, which totaled 407 PJ.

Road traffic now uses more power than train traffic

The number of electric vehicles on the road has grown rapidly in recent years. As a result, the power consumption of all EVs combined was already higher than that of rail traffic in 2023. By 2024, that difference has only widened, in part because of the emergence of electric trucks that are increasingly charging along highways.

Households remain major power consumers

Despite the rapid growth of electric transport, electricity consumption in homes remains significant: accounting for 75.5 PJ in 2024, almost one-fifth of total electricity consumption in the Netherlands. This figure has been fluctuating for years: appliances and lighting are becoming more efficient, but the use of heat pumps and other electric devices is increasing. By the way, the charging of electric cars at home is not counted in household electricity consumption, but in that of transport.

Data centers also require more and more electricity

It is not only the growth of electric cars that is increasing electricity consumption. Data centers are also contributing significantly: in the information and communications sector, electricity consumption has increased by more than 50 percent since 2019, to 22 PJ in 2024. This is mainly due to the expansion of data centers.

More power generation outside the power sector

Almost one-third of the electricity in the Netherlands in 2024 was generated outside the traditional energy sector. Homes and businesses together produced an increasing share of electricity. Houses even supplied three times as much electricity as five years ago thanks to solar panels and accounted for 8 percent of total electricity production in 2024.

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