Switzerland lags behind when it comes to electric cars

Swiss car importers will forget next year! After the epidemic-related decline in sales over the past two years, auto-importers association Auto-Schweiz had to report a weak balance sheet for 2022 as well. Just under 226,000 new cars were sold in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein last year – still around 300,000 in 2019, the year before the crisis.

On the other hand, when it comes to new records recorded, it’s still clear where the trend is going: from pure combustion engines to alternatively driven cars. Only 37.8 percent and 11.7 percent of all new cars were delivered with pure gasoline or diesel engines. Nearly a quarter of all cars sold in 2022 had hybrid driving, and 16.6 percent were powered by electric motors alone. The remaining 8.1 percent of new cars were plug-in hybrids. This means that in 2022 about half of all newly registered vehicles are delivered with an alternative drive.

Poor conditions for tenants

According to Krispin Romang, Managing Director of the Swiss eMobility association, growth in rechargeable vehicles (e-cars and add-ons) that can be charged from the electric grid is in line with expectations. However, Switzerland lags further behind in a European comparison in terms of electrification and ranks only eighth among new cars, with a share of rechargeables at around 25 percent. “The first electric cars like the Tesla Model S were in the high-priced vehicle classes, often bought by customers with their own homes and their own charging stations,” explains Romang. “Expanding the offer to lower price categories is also increasingly appealing to tenants struggling with poor conditions for the installation of home charging stations.”

Romang explains that, as the country with the highest tenant rate in Europe, it is therefore predictable that Switzerland lags behind in the European comparison. Because in other European countries, charging stations are increasingly recognized as necessary structural measures that significantly simplify installation, for example, in apartment garages, while such nationwide measures are still not a reality in Switzerland. On the contrary: here, too, Switzerland lags behind in the international comparison when it comes to e-charging stations. That’s why Krispin Romang “claims the right to shop for the tenants as well. The process of installing charging stations at home needs to be accelerated and simplified.”

Country beats city

Judging by the cantonal registration figures, it is particularly difficult for residents of large metropolitan areas to find a suitable parking spot with a charging station. The proportion of e-cars sold per capita is particularly high in the more rural cantons. Leading Zug has more than 60 electric cars per 10,000 inhabitants, Nidwalden has about 48, Schwyz, Obwalden, Thurgau, Jura and Valais still have between 40 and 45 electric cars. 20 e-cars per 10,000 people. Basel-Stadt (22) and Bern (26) are also at the bottom of the ranking. The canton of Zurich, which leads with absolute figures in all sales statistics, is also only in the lower middle zone (34).

Charging infrastructure grows

“Another explanation for the central Swiss cantons being top-notch may be that there are particularly many public charging stations there,” says Krispin Romang. More public charging stations mean more comfort and safety for e-car drivers. Compared to previous years, Switzerland has once again managed to grow significantly in terms of charging infrastructure: Swiss eMobility had 12,560 public Swiss charging stations by the end of 2022 – 62 percent of them slower AC chargers, 38 percent DC fast chargers . This corresponds to a 35 percent growth compared to the previous year. “If growth continues at the same rate, 2023 could mean doubling since the census start in 2020,” Romang said.