Out and about – sustainably.
Where do you charge your e-car away from home?
21.11.2021
At the moment, nearly 90% of charging happens at home or at work, with home charging being by far the most common. Public charging columns are primarily used by people who don't have their own charging solution − how dense is the network in Switzerland today? A snapshot.
So much is certain: The fear of stopping in an electric car is becoming increasingly unfounded. Vehicle ranges are increasing, and the Swiss public network offers more than 6,300 charging points (as of October 2021). Electric drivers will still need to learn a few new habits though. For example, checking whether a particular public charging column is free, or quickly planning a longer journey using appropriate tools.
Important terms
Where do you get an overview of electric charging stations?
In addition to apps from major providers such as e.g. B. eCharge or Gofast is available at www.ich-tanke-strom.ch, a helpful interactive map, jointly operated by EnergieSchweiz, SFOE and Swisstopo.
Clicking on a location provides precise information about the charging station. Icons indicate whether at least one space is free (green), all spaces are occupied (red), spaces are reserved (orange), the status is unknown (white) or the station is out of service (dark grey). It's also easy to connect stations and calculate distances. As of today, 24 operators of e-charging stations have been registered, offering a total of over 6,300 charging points at around 3,100 stations. There is no information on prices. For this, you are referred to the individual provider. However, you can see which payment methods are accepted (credit card, app, QR code).
What about along the motorways?
Along the 1,850 km long national road network, a sufficiently dense high-speed charging infrastructure is required to make it easier to use plug-in cars, even over longer distances. This goal was included in the "Electromobility Roadmap", signed at the end of 2018 by invitation from the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC). Along the motorways, there are currently 59 service stations and 100 service stations that can be used for charging.
In the coming years, all 100 rest areas will be equipped with fast charging stations
The first of 100 fast charging stations was opened in June 2020 at the rest stop Inseli bei Sempach. Based on current plans, by the end of 2021, around half of rest stops should be equipped with fast charging. The stations have all of the common plug types, allowing charging at up to 150 kW, whereby multiple vehicles can charge at full power simultaneously.
When the expansion is complete, the motorway situation will look extremely favourable for you as an electric car driver. On average, you'll be able to reach a service station every 60 km and a rest stop every 40 km.
Some important providers of the high-speed charging network
eCarUp is a provider that enables private individuals and companies to set up and operate charging stations. Fastned is a fast-growing network currently found primarily in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany; in Switzerland there are DC stations in Lenzburg and Suhr. The other providers mentioned are the current market leaders in the scene.
One thing all of the listed providers have in common is that the customer can pay using an RFID card as well as an app/credit card.
«Expert tip: Only charge your battery to 80%»
How much “juice” does your e-car actually use? And what does it cost?
It's important to know the consumption of your own electric car so you can give it enough charge to meet your needs. Experts recommend only charging the battery to 80% rather than 100% because it takes significantly longer to charge the final 20%. This also makes batteries last longer.
The page provides excellent information on the consumption data of electricity generators www.verbrauchskatalog.ch, which lists 3,000 models and versions in great detail, right down to the petrol equivalent or the tax bonus. This tool is also ideal for comparing the energy efficiency of the different vehicle types. This takes you to a Example for the VW ID.3, which is part of the Mobility fleet.
Mobility aims for 300 stations by 2023
Together with its partners, Mobility is building hundreds of e-charging stations across Switzerland. By the end of 2023 there should be at least 300. We are also making use of SBB investment in charging infrastructure: In two years, 150 new electric cars will be available to you at around 50 Swiss railway stations.
Together with our partner Swisscharge, we rely on fast charging stations. The Swisscharge Card is already available in each of our plug-in vehicles. As usual, the charging fees are included in the Mobility tariff.
If you book a Mobility electric vehicle, there will be enough charge at the start of your hire. As our customer, you won't need to worry about that. The way we make this work is with sophisticated time management and "dedicated charging periods" for each individual vehicle.
There is a huge number of figures on this topic and most of them change rapidly. So we'll just offer a few of them here to enlighten you:
How much range can you charge in 1 hour?
The charging speed of electric cars is expressed in range gained per hour, so in kilometres of range per hour of charging. In everyday life that looks like this:
- Charging stations in parking garages and at public car parks (at 11–22 kW)
- Larger public charging stations on motorways (50 kW, DC)
- Fast charging stations on motorways (150 kW, DC)