A three-dimensional view of charging infrastructure equity

Using Sweden as a case study, the document examines three dimensions of charging infrastructure equity: data transparency, local accessibility, and demand flexibility. It finds that private charger density is positively correlated with disposable income and concentrated in urban areas, while car density is higher in regions where charger access is lower. The authors argue that private charging is essential for cost-effective, flexible energy use and recommend that municipalities monitor infrastructure at the postcode level to address structural inequalities.

• There is a significant lack of official data on private charging infrastructure, which hinders the ability of policymakers to set informed targets. While the European Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation sets targets for public charging, it overlooks private charging despite it being the dominant strategy, with estimates suggesting 50% to 80% of charging occurs at private locations.
• Analysis of Swedish data reveals that private charger density is higher in urban areas with higher disposable income, whereas car density is higher in other parts of the country where charger access remains low.
• Aggregated municipal data can mask significant internal disparities; cities with a mean private charger density above the national average still contain many areas with below-average density. For example, in Gothenburg, 69% of postcodes have charger densities below the national mean despite the city's overall mean being 58% above that national average.
• Private charging is critical for achieving 'demand flexibility,' allowing for lower costs for owners and reduced peak loads for the grid. Public charging is significantly more expensive; slow charging at home is estimated at 1.5 SEK/kWh, while slow charging at a fuel station is 117% more expensive (3.5 SEK/kWh) and fast charging is 299% more expensive (5.99 SEK/kWh).
• The transition to fossil-free transport involves different costs based on geography. Households in central city areas have lower transformation costs due to better public transport and shorter distances, whereas those in rural municipalities face higher costs and limited mobility options beyond private cars.

APA

Xylia, M., & Joshi, S. (2022). A three-dimensional view of charging infrastructure equity. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/3d-charging-infrastructure-sei2022.020.pdf

Chicago

Xylia, Maria, and Somya Joshi. A three-dimensional view of charging infrastructure equity. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2022. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/3d-charging-infrastructure-sei2022.020.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Xylia |first1=Maria |last2=Joshi |first2=Somya |title=A three-dimensional view of charging infrastructure equity |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=June 2022 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/3d-charging-infrastructure-sei2022.020.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{xylia2022threedimensional, author = {Xylia, Maria and Joshi, Somya}, title = {{A three-dimensional view of charging infrastructure equity}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/3d-charging-infrastructure-sei2022.020.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }