Since 2022, the Energy Agency has distributed SEK 2.4 billion to Swedish players to finance the expansion of charging stations for heavy trucks. So far, 146 public charging stations, 35 charging stations for destination charging, i.e. charging electric cars when the vehicle is parked for a long time, for example in a depot, and six hydrogen gas filling stations have been built with the help of the funding. A further 103 public stations and 147 charging stations for destination charging were funded and are scheduled to be built by 2028.
The new charging stations are part of Sweden’s ambition to offer charging options every ten miles on priority roads. On larger roads such as European roads and national roads, the aim is that the distance between charging stations must not be more than ten kilometers.
But there are obstacles. The increase in electric trucks is nowhere near enough. Mobility Sweden assumes that around one in five trucks sold in 2030 will be powered by electricity and current controls. This is a significant reduction compared to the forecast from 2020 – when the industry association expected between 30 and 50 percent for 2030.
The slow growth has prompted several charging operators to sound the alarm that investing in extensive charging infrastructure could become a loss-making business – and that smaller providers could drop out.
One of the companies warning about this is Skellefteå Kraft, which, together with its partner OKQ8, has received support of almost 200 million to expand charging infrastructure for heavy vehicles, including five hydrogen filling stations. The energy agency supports the installation, but the companies bear the costs of operating an empty charging station.
– There are too few trucks charging and empty charging stations are not good business for us, says Robert Andersson.
One of the biggest challenges are the so-called electricity fees, which mean increased costs for grid connection and electricity transmission when fast charging. The electricity fee is based on the highest electricity peak during a month and for a fast charger with two charging points the bill ends up being easily over SEK 600,000 per year – regardless of whether they are used by three or 100 trucks.
– There must be adequate profitability. Energy companies and electricity network operators should think carefully about what an appropriate electricity tariff is for this industry, says Tobias Henmark, responsible for e-mobility at Preem, which has so far received a total of 142 million in funding through the electrification pilots.
– You pay around SEK 900 per kilowatt per year. “If we want to have 1,600 such kilowatts at a gas station, many refueling operations have to be carried out to justify the high fees,” Henmark continued.
Lennart Olsson, responsible for heavy transport electrification at fuel company Circle K confirms the picture of a challenging economy, but believes its broad customer base with both light and heavy transport mitigates the impact somewhat. At the same time, he points out that recent procurements place higher demands on the available power, which increases fixed costs for operators.
– With recent procurements, one has to accept such high effects that the cost level immediately shifts upwards. With low utilization it becomes even more difficult.
In a message to Dagens Industri, Infrastructure Minister Andreas Carlsson (KD) writes that the government has strengthened the climate bonus in several households, which is intended to make it easier to buy electric trucks in particular:
“It is a reliable go-to-market support that covers part of the initial additional costs associated with the purchase. It is an important step in making the purchase of trucks and construction equipment powered by electricity more attractive. In addition, the government recently decided that municipalities should be able to allow night-time traffic of electric-powered heavy-duty trucks in urban areas. This means that the same truck can be used for more hours a day.”
Facts.Performance Fees
What is an impact fee?
The electricity fee is a price that electricity network operators charge based on the highest power (kW) consumed during a given period, often per month. The aim is to promote more consistent use of electricity and reduce the load on the power grid during power peaks.
Why is the performance fee introduced?
The aim of the electricity fee is to prevent many people from consuming a lot of electricity at the same time, which can lead to overload and increased costs for expanding the electricity network.
How much does it cost?
Approximate business electricity tariffs from E.ON, Ellevio and Vattenfall are in the range of around 20-120 SEK/kW per month, but vary depending on, for example, voltage level, fuse/subscription type and region.
Read more about mobility and the green transformation of the transport sector at di.se/mobilitet
