Charging facilities throughout the country are crucial to a rapid changeover

Is it desirable that Sweden leads the way in the electrification of the vehicle fleet, and, if so, how is it done?

– The electrification of the vehicle fleet is hugely important for achieving Sweden’s tough climate targets. Industry has an important role to play in developing the technology, and within the next two years, a hundred new plug-in car models are expected on the market. Naturally, we view this positively because the car buyer’s needs can be met to a greater extent, which is important for a large-scale changeover in the near future. The Government’s role is nevertheless crucial; it must pave the way for a well-developed charging infrastructure in order to meet the needs. In the short term, a huge expansion of private charging infrastructure is required because overnight home charging accounts for most of the home charging needs. We also require a national charging density target that will enable charging in sparsely populated areas and create the conditions for a huge expansion of home charging.

How do we ensure the possibility of owning an electric or plug-in hybrid car is not just limited to houseowners?

– The statement of government policy contained an ambitious and important goal for the Government’s term of office: throughout the country you will be able to charge your vehicle or put non-fossil fuel in it. The Government now needs to put its money where its mouth is! For this to become reality, a huge investment in expanding on-street charging is required so that even all flat residents who can potentially do on-street ‘home charging’ (that is, those whose housing associations or landlords do not have parking facilities) are offered a charging facility. Otherwise, the risk is that many will not even consider getting a plug-in car. A first step is to prioritise ‘charging streets’, where it has been identified that it is relatively easy and cost-effective to install a number of charging points along a certain stretch of road. These charging streets need to be close to homes; accessibility is crucial to a rapid changeover.

Are there other countries we can take inspiration from?

– Norway is a model. There they have decided to electrify the vehicle fleet and they have done an excellent job. Last year almost half of all new cars sold in Norway were plug-ins. The corresponding figure for Sweden was 8 per cent. Home charging is a low-hanging fruit for increasing the percentage of plug-in cars in Sweden relatively quickly. A changeover is expensive but important for quickly achieving the goals; in that case, this entails looking at various incentives that can accelerate the trend, for instance home charging grants.

Anna Henstedt was interviewed by Maria Eklöf, senior consultant and associate partner at New Republic. ‘Three Quick Questions…’ is a series of interviews conducted by New Republic.