Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

More electric vehicle charging stations to be built

Charging stations for electronic vehicles
There currently exists about 3,500 charging stations across Switzerland but only very few along the country's motorway network. © Keystone/Alexandra Wey

The Swiss government has awarded concessions to five companies to set up additional electric charging stations at 100 rest areas along the country’s motorways.

The decision, announced by the Federal Roads Office on Thursday, is part of government plans to boost e-transport.

There are currently 24 charging stations at rest areas according to the cantonal authorities.

The roads office said 25 additional stations have to be built within the next 12 months by the five licensed companies form Switzerland and the Netherlands with the remainder to follow within a decade.

It is estimated that an initial investment of CHF500,000 ($500,000) per installation, to be financed by the Swiss authorities, is needed. The firms will have to pay back the amount once the stations are operational, according to officials.

Less than 2% of car registrations in Switzerland were for electric vehicles and about 4% for hybrids. The government wants to raise the rate to 15% in the next few years and 20% by 2050.

A constitutional amendment, endorsed in a nationwide vote in 2017, paved the way for the installation of charging stations along Switzerland’s 1,850km motorway network.

More

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

No Swiss bank in phase with environmental objectives

More

Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF

This content was published on None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.

Read more: Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF
UNRWA provides emergency assistance to just over one million Palestine refugees, or about 75 per cent of all Palestine refugees in Gaza, who lack the financial means to cover their basic food.

More

Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

This content was published on The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.

Read more: Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR