A three-dimensional view of charging infrastructure equity

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute uses Sweden as a case study to examine equity in electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. It argues that focusing solely on public charging as a metric for success is contradictory, as private charging is the dominant strategy for cost and grid flexibility. The analysis reveals a correlation between higher disposable income and higher private charger density, particularly in urban areas, while car density is higher in regions where charger access remains low. The authors recommend systematic data collection at the postcode level to identify and address structural inequalities in infrastructure deployment.

• There is a significant data gap regarding private charging infrastructure, which hinders informed policy-making. While public charging targets exist, such as those in the European Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation, there are no official data on the location or capacity of private chargers in Sweden.
• Private charger density in Sweden is positively correlated with disposable income and population density, appearing most frequently in wealthy urban centers like Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. Conversely, car density is higher in areas with lower disposable income and lower charger density.
• Aggregated municipal data can mask significant internal disparities in charging access. For example, although Gothenburg's mean private charger density is 58% above the national mean, 69% of its postcodes actually fall below that national mean. Similar patterns were found in Stockholm (71% of postcodes below mean) and Umeå (77% of postcodes below mean).
• Private charging is essential for equitable transition because it is significantly cheaper and more flexible for the electricity grid than public charging. Slow charging at home is estimated at 1.5 SEK/kWh, whereas slow charging at a fuel station is 117% more expensive (3.5 SEK/kWh) and fast charging (150 kW) is 299% more expensive (5.99 SEK/kWh).
• Transformation costs for fossil-free transport vary by region; they are lowest in high-density areas like Stockholm and highest in low-population regions such as Gislaved and Arvidsjaur. Residents in rural areas face higher costs and limited public transport options, making access to private charging more critical.

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} }