Sweden mobilises to electrify regional freight transport
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Sweden’s target is net zero emissions by 2045, at the latest, and negative emissions thereafter. The net zero target means that, in principle, greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector need to be zero by 2045. Greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector account for about one-third of emissions in Sweden, and road transport is the main source of these emissions.
Emissions reductions in the transport sector need to accelerate, and electrification is a crucial part of the solution. For electrification to be successful, collaboration is decisive. Three-quarters of domestic road freight transport in Sweden is within one county. Electric trucks suitable for regional freight transport are already on the market and therefore the potential for electrification of regional freight transport is great.
Electrification pledge for regional freight transport
The Government has tasked the Commission for Electrification with presenting how society, jointly and in the near future, can accelerate electrification of regional freight transport. On 31 May 2021, the Electrification Commission presented Electrification Pledges made by 252 public and private actors dedicated to accelerating the electrification of regional freight transport.
In total, 16 regional electrification pledges have been presented. Regional electrification pledges are coordinated by the county council and/or the county administrative board, with the regional conditions and the contributing actors’ undertakings constituting the pledge. Therefore, each electrification pledge is unique. However, all electrification pledges have one thing in common: they all raise the level of ambition regarding the electrification of regional freight transport.
The following regions/counties in Sweden have presented an electrification pledge: Dalarna, Gävleborg, Gotland, Halland, Jämtland Härjedalen, Jönköping, Kronoberg, Norrbotten, Skåne, Stockholm, Uppsala, Värmland, Västerbotten, Västernorrland, Västmanland, Västra Götaland and Östergötland.
Market actors committed to accelerating the electrification of regional freight transport, operating in several regions and/or nationally, have been invited to take part in a national stakeholder group. Together, the national stakeholder group has presented its electrification pledge to speed up the transition.
Electrification pledges have been made by a total of 252 public and private actors, committed to decarbonising the transport sector, with each of them presenting their concrete actions to accelerate the electrification of road freight transport.
About the Commission for Electrification
The Government has set up a Commission for Electrification to speed up the electrification of the transport sector. The Commission for Electrification is an advisory body chaired by the Minister for Infrastructure and composed of 16 members from business, the public sector and the research community. The Commission for Electrification’s mandate is to work on the electrification of all modes of passenger and freight transport. Electrification here refers to electrification with all relevant technologies, including hydrogen technology.
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