Faced with global warming and the rise in the price of gasoline, the electric car is attracting more and more people. But recharging your vehicle is still difficult. There are few charging station outside the main roads and parking areas. These infrastructures are very expensive and unprofitable.
Finding a charging station near your home has become a real challenge for owners of electric vehicles. Guillaume Saehr knows something about it. He has to charge his vehicle, but the charging station where he usually goes is unavailable: “So I’m going to go to another station, which is a little further.”
The number of charging stations for electric vehicles is constantly increasing. In Switzerland, there are now nearly 8,700, a figure up 26% compared to 2020. But more is needed to meet demand. Last year, the number of electric cars on the road jumped by 62%.
Expensive Charging Station Infrastructure
Guillaume has installed a dozen applications on his phone to avoid spending hours looking for an available terminal. “It’s a jungle. And when you arrive at a terminal, you have the choice between different operators and different types of prices. We choose according to our needs. And inevitably, we look for the cheapest”, he says.
In one year, the kilowatt hour offered by the manufacturer of his vehicle has gone from 23 to 70 cents. An almost inevitable increase, as the infrastructures are expensive.
For A Right Of Charge To Tenants
The president of the Green Liberals, Jürg Grossen pleads for developing private terminals. They are slower but less expensive. “Today, tenants have no say in installing a charging station in their home. It is only the owner who can decide to put one in. I would like him to know there is a right to charge and that lessors cannot prevent tenants from equipping themselves.
The stakes are high for Switzerland, which has 60% tenants. However, those who manage to do so will have to be patient: it takes 3 to 4 hours to recharge a vehicle at these terminals.