Editor in chief at IamExpat Media
Switzerland has plans to fit almost all motorway service stations in the country with charging stations for electric cars, the Federal Department of Transport has announced.
Under the plans, around 100 rest areas on Swiss motorways would be equipped with fast-charging points, while others would be further developed into so-called “charging hubs”, Watson reports.
Announcing the plans on X, the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (Uvek) said that it would have fast charging stations “at all 100 rest areas along the national roads” by 2030. This is not quite all service stations in Switzerland, but a substantial majority of them, and will provide an essential service to drivers with cars powered by electricity.
The plan forms part of the Swiss federal government’s “Electromobility Roadmap”, which aims to create 20.000 publicly-accessible electric car charging stations across Switzerland by 2025 - although it’s looking less and less likely that this target will be reached on time.
Recently, the Federal Roads Office (Astra) put out a tender for 55 locations for fast charging stations and received a huge volume of interest. The proposals are currently being evaluated, and the lots are expected to be awarded in the late summer. The companies with successful bids will then have three years to plan and obtain building permits.