Project

Guideline for promoting the use of electric vehicles

Working on behalf of EnergieSchweiz, EBP recently joined forces with synergo to draft a guideline entitled “E-Mobility for Municipalities” that gives municipalities a well-structured and neutral overview of measures that can be adopted to promote the use of electric vehicles.

Transportation on roads in Switzerland today is still nearly entirely dependent on fossil fuels. It is also responsible for around one-third of total domestic CO2 emissions. Given that vehicles with combustion engines account for the lion’s share of transportation-related emissions, electric vehicles warrant promotion as a more environmentally-friendly alternative. In the interest of providing a compendium of viable promotional measures to municipalities lacking the resources for their own in-depth studies, we joined forces with synergo to draft a general-use guideline.
The guideline centers on the following four tasks:

Planning

What is the best way for cities and municipalities to develop and introduce measures designed to promote the use of electric vehicles? What existing planning instruments and legal statutes can be applied to promote the use of electric vehicles? Possible measures include:

  • Defining a target position in the area of electric-vehicle technology
  • Drafting a concept for promoting greater use of electric vehicles
  • Taking account of electric-vehicle promotion in the context of transportation planning
  • Introducing appropriate provisions to development codes

Role modelling

What can local governments do to become effective role models? What local government agencies could make the switch to electric vehicles? Possible measures include:

  • Drafting and implementing a mobility concept for government agencies
  • Optimizing public-sector vehicle fleets and business transportation
  • Installing charging stations for employees, customers and visitors
  • Taking account of ecological criteria in the context of tendering

Information and consulting

What channels of communication are available to cities and municipalities to inform their residents and selected target groups about the importance of transitioning to electric vehicles? Possible measures include:

  • Acquiring the relevant knowledge by participating in networks
  • Making information about electric vehicles readily available
  • Organizing events and campaigns to raise public awareness
  • Incentivizing the use of electric vehicles (e.g. awards and contests)

Infrastructure and services

What infrastructure-development projects and mobility services can cities and municipalities manage on their own to promote the use of electric vehicles? What options are available for public-private partnerships? Possible measures include:

  • Analyzing future demand for charging stations
  • Installing publicly accessible charging stations
  • Supporting sharing services
  • Supporting innovative pilot projects

Practical examples are used to succinctly describe and illustrate all of the proposed measures.

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