Electric car ban in Switzerland: what’s going on

The dark energy saving and the containment of electricity consumption also affects the electric cars. It will almost seem strange to read it, but it is true: the technology that is defined by all sides as the future of sustainable mobility could have its biggest obstacle in the rising energy costs.

At least this is the impression one gets when reading the news coming from nearby Switzerland. In fact, the President of the Confederation Ignazio Cassis has placed a measure in consultation with the cantons that could severely limit the use of electric cars. The goal would be to reduce energy consumption caused by electric cars (whose reload costs have increased significantly in recent weeks) thus addressing the energy crisis that Europe has been experiencing in recent months.

If the consultation were to receive a favorable opinion, electric car owners would be forced to review their lifestyle. But will it really be like this?

Stop to electric cars in Switzerland: what’s true

Let’s immediately dispel a “myth”: Switzerland is not restricting the use of electric cars. The question that the confederal government has put in consultation foresees a rather articulated scenario, within which various levels of alert are included.

In the event that what has been defined as “Alert state 3”, then the Government could put in place draconian measures to reduce energy consumption. In this scenario, electric cars could only be used for travel that cannot be postponed, such as go to work, go shopping or carry out medical visits. In all other cases, Swiss motorists should look for a different means of transport.

Limited speed on the highway

In the same round of consultations proposed by the central government to the various cantons, there are also some provisions concerning the car with endothermic engine. The most important is related to maximum speed allowed on the motorway: if the proposal passes, the limit would be lowered to 100 km/h from the current 120 km/h.

The goal, in this case, is reduce petrol and diesel consumption which, in the event of an extreme emergency, could be used to power emergency electric generators.

The last word, as often happens beyond the Gotthard, is left to the local institutions, which will be called to express themselves on 12 December 2022.

Stop electric cars: what’s happening in Sweden and Germany

Switzerland, however, is not the only European country that is reselling some policies which, over the last few years, have favored an ever wider diffusion of battery-powered cars. In recent days news is coming from Sweden and Germany (two of the European countries with the highest concentration of full electric vehicles) which could change the scenario of the automotive market.

Come already happened in Norway in recent months, the Government of Stockholm has decided to eliminate incentives for the purchase of electric carswhich guaranteed buyers a discount of around 7,000 euros on the list price of the vehicle. The reason, the executive spokesmen explain, is that electric car sales now amount to 50% of the total and there are no longer any reasons to support them with state intervention.

The German government also followed the same line, which decided to eliminate the incentives for the purchase of hybrid cars, keeping them only for full electric cars.