The obstacle to conversion: Few can charge the car at home

Interest in driving electric cars is at a record high, but according to a survey, 6 out of 10 Swedes still lack the opportunity to charge the car at home.

Switching from fossil-powered to electrified cars is something that is emphasized as one of the most important activities in climate work. Nevertheless, there is a lack of public charging stations and many state that they do not have the opportunity to charge the electric car at home. According to a new survey in which we asked Swedes about their ability to charge at home, only 29 percent state that they can charge their car at home.

- Being able to easily charge one's electric car while sleeping, at work or on the trip is a prerequisite for more people to want to switch to an electric car, so this is bad news for the climate goal and the transition, says Daniel Odsberg, sales manager at Kvdbil.

Apartment owners say they don't actually know whether they can install a charging post or not.

Big difference depending on where you live

At the same time, many villa owners believe that they will easily be able to arrange a charging post - when the time comes to purchase an electric car. Those who live in an apartment, on the other hand, state that it is not as easy to fix their own charging facility. Uncertainty is great among both groups, both villa owners and apartment owners say that they actually do not know whether they can install a charging post or not.

- You may not have a parking space or you may encounter bureaucratic problems when you want to have a charging post installed. We know that the government is on the issue, but it would have to go much faster. In some countries there is something called "right-to-charge-law", which means that you cannot be refused to install a charging point in your parking lot as long as you cover the cost yourself. It might also be something for Sweden to follow, says Daniel Odsberg.

About the survey

The survey was conducted in Kantar Sifo's web panel during the period 16-19 March 2022. A total of 1145 people aged 18-79 were interviewed. The web panel is nationally representative recruited based on random selection. There is no self-recruitment in Sifo's web panel.