All electric pledge by Swiss car-sharing firm

Car-sharing company Mobility says it will electrify its entire fleet of 3,000 vehicles and build a network of e-charging stations by 2030.

On Thursday, the company said its first 300 e-charging stations should be operational within three years. Mobility, which is aims to be climate neutral as a company by 2040, has pledged that its fleet will in future run on electricity from 100% renewable sources.

The rate of further expansion at Mobility’s 1,500 locations across the country depends on landlords agreeing to the structural overhaul. Swiss Federal Railways has agreed to electrify Mobility service points at railway stations.

“We want as many charging stations as possible, as quickly as possible. The future belongs to e-mobility – and we want to lead the way,” said CEO Roland Lötscher.

Mobility formed in 1997 as a cooperative, providing a pool of vehicles for people who do not own their own cars. It currently has some 224,000 customers using its service.

In its “Roadmap for Electric Mobility”, the Swiss government had set the target of increasing the share of new rechargeable vehicles on Swiss roads to 15% by 2022. That target was surpassed earlier this year, but Switzerland is still behind countries like Norway, where 54% of all new cars are electric.

A limited electric car charging infrastructure is regularly cited as Switzerland’s Achilles heel. 

The country has just 5,700 public charging points dotted around cities, towns and villages. By the end of 2021, fast-charging stations should be set up at 50 motorway rest areas and at most gas stations.

But experts warn that there are too few charging options at people’s homes.