The Swedish government has announced its intention to facilitate the provision of electric car charging near residential areas to expedite the growth of charging infrastructure and promote the adoption of electric vehicles.
The government has tasked the Swedish Transport Agency with reviewing and streamlining regulations on public land. It also gave the agency a deadline to submit a report on the assignment by April 5, 2024.
“It should be easy to charge electric cars close to home,” the minister for Infrastructure and Housing, Andreas Carlson, said. “But those who live in apartment buildings today may have to travel a long way to be able to charge their car.”
Carlson noted it is therefore necessary to enhance accessibility and make it easier for a broader population to opt for electric cars to accelerate the transition to electric road transport.
Toward Sustainable Transportation with More Charging Points
The Swedish government’s actions align with recent developments in the availability of charging points for electric cars in the EU.
Avere, the European association representing and advocating for electromobility on behalf of the industry, academia, and EV users, has announced a significant milestone with 500,000 charging points now present in the EU. This includes 455,902 destination chargers and 56,437 fast chargers, though high-speed chargers above 350 kW still make up only a tiny percentage.
The Netherlands, France, and Germany are leading in charging point numbers. Specific data for Sweden, however, are not provided.
The EU Parliament has previously approved a goal of establishing fast charger stations every six miles along major European routes through the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation by 2026. However, this goal still awaits approval from the Council of Ministers to be enacted into binding law.
“Transport represents almost a quarter of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions, so boosting e-mobility is very crucial if we wish to achieve climate goals,” Finnish representative in the European Parliament, Miapetra Kumpula-Natri, said. “The charging infrastructure needs to be aligned with the new targets.”
The EU has included provisions in its €750 billion stimulus package to support the transition to electric mobility. A significant portion of this funding, specifically €20 billion, has been allocated to stimulate the sales of clean vehicles. The plan will install 1 million electric and hydrogen vehicle charging stations across the EU by 2025.