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Compared to other countries of Western Europe, Swit-
zerland is something of an EV laggard. The government
has set an aspirational goal of electrifying a third of
the auto fleet by 2030, but every proposal to establish
purchase incentives has been nixed by the powerful auto
importers’ lobby. While a few of the Swiss cantons (the
equivalent of US states) offer tax incentives for EV pur-
chases, the federal government does not.
The Swiss smart-shopper magazine Ktipp recently
drew an unfavorable comparison between Norway,
which has the best average carbon emissions figure for
new cars of any European country, and Switzerland,
which has the worst.
The Swiss are, however, investing in public charging
infrastructure. More and more of the park-and-ride lots
at train stations feature Level 2 charging stations, and
highway rest stops are steadily being equipped with DC
fast charging facilities. 24 rest stops already have fast
chargers, and the federal highway authority plans to
install 100 more over the next 10 years.
The Federal Roads Office has chosen five companies to
deploy the new chargers: Gotttardo Fastcharge, Groupe
E, Primeo Energie, Socar and the Dutch-based firm
Fastned. Each will be responsible for 20 sites. The gov-
ernment will advance an estimated half million francs
(about $500,000) per site, which the operating firms will
pay back over 30 years.
Groupe E, which will install stations in the Zurich,
Basel and Ticino regions, says its stations will offer pow-
er levels up to 350 kW. Some locations may incorporate
solar panels and/or hydrogen fueling stations. Groupe
E’s chargers will be integrated into the MOVE network,
which includes over 820 charging points in Switzerland.Indian automotive
supplier Tata Auto-
Comp Systems has
signed a Memorandum
of Understanding with
Tritium, an Austra-
lian provider of EV
chargers. Tritium’s DC
fast chargers will soon
be available for Indian
EVs.
“The MoU ensures
Tata AutoComp re-
mains at the forefront
of innovation in India, as the nation adopts the FAME
India [Faster Adoption and Manufacture of (Hybrid and)
Electric Vehicles] Scheme,” said Tritium CEO David
Finn. “The FAME policy is among the most progressive
initiatives in the world, and Tata AutoComp’s commit-
ment to rolling out DC fast chargers for vehicles of all
sizes is helping to put India ahead of the world in its
drive towards a cleaner future.”
“With the [advent] of electric vehicles, the need for
chargers capable of powering them is significant and we
see a huge opportunity in this market,” said Tata Auto-
Comp CEO Arvind Goel.Switzerland rolls out highway
DC fast charging stations
Tritium to provide DC fast
chargers to Tata AutoComp for
EVs in India
Image courtesy of Nicolas RaymondImage courtesy of Tritium