Originally published on EVANNEX.
By Charles Morris
Whenever I travel from the USA to Europe, I notice the very different mix of cars on the streets. In Switzerland, German and French brands dominate, and many models that are a mainstay in the USA are rare or non-existent here. Pickups are rarely seen except near farms.
Europe is going electric much faster than the US, and Switzerland is no exception. In October, plug-in vehicles made up 14% of the auto market. On my last trip, I saw dozens of different EV models, including several that are not sold in the US, such as the VW ID.3 and the Renault Zoe (too small for us burly cowboys).
Flat, humid Florida and hilly, cool Switzerland have one thing in common – Teslas are extremely popular. I’ve seen the entire S3XY range many times, including the Model 3s mega numbers. In fact, the Model 3 is the country’s top-selling electric vehicle since the beginning of the year with 3,133 units sold (the Renault Zoe is number two with 2,130 sales).
A highlight of every trip to Switzerland is a visit to my friend Speedy, a lifelong muscle car fan who bought a Tesla a few years ago and is now eager to convert electric cars. He recently swapped his Model S for a Model 3 (photos below) because he wanted the latest technology and because his Model S felt like a giant vehicle on Europe’s narrow streets. We drove through the breathtakingly beautiful vineyards above Lake Geneva (and I almost vomited when he hit the accelerator without warning).
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Switzerland is not Norway (and neither is Sweden, despite the opinion of some of my geographically difficult friends). Unlike most other Western European countries, there are no government incentives to buy electric vehicles (some cantons – similar to US states – offer incentives and the federal government has funded some public charging projects). The growing popularity of electric vehicles appears to be a free market phenomenon (the country’s high average income level certainly helps).
Swiss leaders have consistently opposed calls for subsidies or other measures to promote electric vehicles, one reason being that they fear electric vehicles could overload the power grid. A few years ago, Switzerland passed a referendum to withdraw from its nuclear power plants (like Germany), renewable energies are controversial. The country has a lot of hydropower, but most of the suitable sites are already being developed. The Swiss Greens are vehemently against wind turbines that damage prospects. Solar energy on rooftops is growing rapidly, but this isn’t the sunniest country, especially in winter. Tech-savvy folks like you, dear readers, know of course that energy storage is the answer, and that the actual impact of electric vehicles on the grid will be far less than the average Josef imagines once vehicle-to-grid technology goes far is common.
Public charging infrastructure is pretty abundant. There are currently around 20 Tesla Supercharger stations in the country, and Tesla-less fast charging stations are widespread at motorway service stations. If the often cited chicken and egg metaphor is correct, then the anecdotal evidence from my last 3 week trip is that there are many eggs and few chickens to sit on – I drove past many charging stations and almost never saw one in the Mission. At a rest stop there was a supercharger station with a couple of Tesla charging stations and a couple of non-brand charging stations that were empty.
In contrast to the neighboring countries of Germany, France and Italy, there are no domestic car manufacturers in Switzerland, but there are hundreds of small and medium-sized suppliers to the automotive industry, many of whom are heavily involved in electromobility. Charging giant ABB, cable supplier Huber + Suhner and battery manufacturer Leclanché are just a few of the Swiss companies that manufacture key components for electric vehicles.
EV advertising is common in Europe today on television, on billboards and in newspapers. Like the United States, Switzerland is a car loving country and you are never far from a dealership. Yes, I’ve seen a few electric cars for sale including the new VW ID.4 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 (and a couple of used Model S). However, these typically represent a car at the end of a row of 20 or more gas burners. In Switzerland (and Norway and everywhere else) the number of electric cars sold may be respectable and growing, but the electric cars actually on the streets are being replaced by old-fashioned ones Jalopies, which burn disgusting gasoline and diesel, far exceeded. Things are moving in the right direction, but there is still a long, long way to go.
All photos courtesy of Charles Morris.
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