More than 80 % of electric car charging happens at home or at work. That only works if the electrical installation can keep up: whether in a 1980s villa or in the underground car park of a Geneva condominium, adding an 11 kW charger is not a weekend job. The connection has to be checked, a dedicated circuit with the right protection devices installed, the installation notified to the grid operator and, in an apartment building, the co-owners or the landlord have to agree.

This guide explains how to go about it in Geneva and in the canton of Vaud, which subsidies exist in 2026 and what budget to plan.

Household socket, industrial socket or wallbox

The Swiss type 13 household socket is not designed for several hours at full current. It heats up, and many portable charging cables limit the current to 8 or 10 amps for that reason, which is about 2 kW. For regular use there are three options.

  • An industrial CEE 16 A socket, blue for single-phase or red for three-phase, on a dedicated circuit. It is cheap, but offers no load management and no reliable metering.
  • A three-phase 11 kW wall-mounted charger, or wallbox. This is the standard for a house or a private parking space: one night adds 300 to 400 kilometres of range.
  • A 22 kW charger, which is rarely useful at home. Most cars only accept 11 kW on alternating current, and grid operators often limit or refuse that power on a residential connection.

For most households, an 11 kW wallbox with a tethered cable, access control and a built-in meter is the right choice. A networked charger that supports OCPP also lets you change service provider later without replacing the hardware.

What the electrical rules require

In Switzerland a charger is a fixed electrical installation covered by the Low Voltage Installations Ordinance (OIBT/NIV) and the NIBT/NIN standards. It must be installed by a contractor holding an ESTI licence; owners are not allowed to install it themselves.

  • A dedicated circuit from the distribution board, with a cable size suited to the length, often 5 × 4 or 5 × 6 mm² for 16 A three-phase.
  • A type B residual current device, or a type A device combined with 6 mA DC fault detection, which many chargers include.
  • A check of the power available at the meter and in the board, taking the heating, water heater and cooker into account.
  • An installation notice sent before the work to the grid operator: SIG in Geneva, the Lausanne Industrial Services or Romande Energie depending on the municipality.
  • A safety certificate handed to the owner after the final inspection, as for any installation under the OIBT.

The grid operator usually replies within one to three weeks. It may impose a maximum power, remote control or load management if the building's connection is already heavily used.

Villa, condominium or rented apartment

In a detached house the process is simple: the owner decides, the electrician checks the connection and installs the charger, usually in one day. The main thing to anticipate is the distance between the board and the parking space, because a trench or a long cable route quickly raises the bill.

In a condominium (PPE), the garage and the service ducts are normally common parts. Installing a charger on your own space therefore requires the community's consent, at least for the cable routing. Swiss law does not currently give owners a general right to charge like the one that exists in France, so the assembly has to be convinced. For works considered useful, article 647d of the Civil Code requires a majority of co-owners who also hold a majority of the shares.

The best approach in a condominium is to propose a building-wide project rather than a single charger. The community installs a shared infrastructure, and each owner connects their own charger when they need it. Each space gets its own meter, and dynamic load management shares the available power between cars without upgrading the connection.

A tenant needs the landlord's written consent before modifying the rented property, under article 260a of the Code of Obligations. The agreement should state who pays for the installation, who owns it when the tenant moves out and how the electricity is billed.

Equipment levels in the SIA 2060 standard

The SIA 2060 standard describes parking space equipment in several levels. Cantons use it as the reference for subsidies, and architects use it for new projects.

  • Level A: power reserve planned at the building's connection.
  • Level B: conduits and cable trays laid to the spaces, without cables.
  • Level C1: a main cable or power rail running along the spaces.
  • Level C2: every space is connected and ready to receive a charger.
  • Level D: charger installed and in service.

For an existing car park, going straight to level C1 or C2 for every space costs far less than adding individual installations over the years, each with its own cable back to the board.

Subsidies in Geneva and Vaud in 2026

Cantonal aid now mainly targets apartment buildings and hardly ever the charger of a single house. The amounts change regularly, so always check the current schedule before signing.

  • Geneva: the canton has not subsidised individual chargers in houses since 31 March 2024. Since the scheme was strengthened in October 2025, it does support the electrification of car parks in existing buildings with at least five dwellings, rented or condominium: pre-equipment of the spaces, with an amount per space that decreases with the size of the car park and is capped at 50 % of costs, plus shared chargers.
  • Vaud: since 1 May 2025, the Energy Directorate no longer subsidises the charger itself. The aid covers the power supply of spaces at level C1 or C2 in multi-unit housing and workplaces, from three spaces, at around 400 CHF per space for the first ones and decreasing after that.
  • Municipalities: several Geneva and Vaud municipalities add to these schemes through their energy funds, sometimes for houses as well. Ask your municipality.

In every case, the application must be filed before the work starts. An installation that is already complete is normally no longer eligible.

Charging from your own solar panels

A charger controlled by the inverter or by an energy manager can charge the car first with the photovoltaic production from the roof. During the day, a plugged-in car absorbs the solar surplus that would otherwise be sold to the grid at a low price. In an apartment building, this fits into a self-consumption group (RCP/ZEV) or a local electricity community.

In a house with a KNX system, the charger can also be integrated into the home automation: consumption display, priority for the water heater or the heat pump, and automatic load shedding when several large consumers run at the same time.

How much does a charging station cost

The prices below are indicative for Geneva and Lausanne in 2026, before subsidies. They depend mainly on the distance between the board and the parking space and on the condition of the existing installation.

  • Good-quality 11 kW wallbox: 800 to 2,000 CHF depending on features such as a certified meter, OCPP or load management.
  • Installation in a house with a short cable run and a sound board: 1,000 to 2,500 CHF, including inspection and safety certificate.
  • Installation with a long cable route, a trench or board upgrades: 3,000 to 6,000 CHF or more.
  • Pre-equipment of a shared car park at level C1 or C2: often 1,500 to 4,000 CHF per space depending on the layout, before subsidies.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Charging every day from a household socket through a coiled extension lead. The risk of overheating is real, especially on an old installation.
  • Buying a charger online and then looking for an electrician: the model may not suit the connection or be accepted by the grid operator.
  • Installing a charger in a condominium without an assembly decision, then having to remove it.
  • Equipping a single space with its own cable when a shared infrastructure would have served the whole car park.
  • Signing for the work before filing the subsidy application.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a permit to install a charging station?

A charger installed on an existing parking space usually does not need a building permit. It must however be notified to the grid operator by the electrician and, in an apartment building, approved by the condominium or the landlord. A visible outdoor charger or a new parking space may need a municipal permit.

Is an 11 kW charger enough?

Yes, in most cases. Over eight hours at night it adds about 80 kWh, far more than the average daily commute in French-speaking Switzerland. Many cars cannot charge any faster on alternating current anyway.

How long does the installation take?

In a house, the installation itself takes one day. With the grid operator notice and equipment delivery, allow two to six weeks. In a condominium, the timing depends mostly on the next general assembly.

How is consumption billed in a shared car park?

Each space gets a meter, often built into the charger. The property manager or a service provider reads the consumption and bills the electricity to each user, sometimes with a flat fee for maintaining the infrastructure.