Sweden

Major Developments in 2022

The 2022 automotive year has been characterized by several external factors. The aftermath of the pandemic and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine have resulted in component shortages and long delivery times, as well as price increases as well as uncertainty for both consumers and companies. Political reforms such as the changes in the bonus-malus system that took place in several stages and by different governments during the year have also had an effect. A total of 288,000 new passenger cars were registered in 2022, compared to 301,006 in 2021. The share of newly registered rechargeable passenger cars increased from 45 percent in 2021 to 56 percent in 2022. At the same time, the mix of electrified vehicle types has changed, where the number of electric cars has increased by 65 percent, while the number of plug-in hybrids has decreased by almost 15 percent.

New policies, legislation, incentives, funding, research, and taxation

Sweden's new government announces on November 7, 2022, that the so-called climate bonus for cars with low or no emissions will cease after November 8, 2022. The Swedish bonus-malus scheme was introduced in July 2018 and replaced a purchase rebate scheme. The bonus-malus scheme included elements of decreasing the purchase cost of a vehicle, as well as the vehicle tax. In 2022, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cell vehicles (FCV) were eligible for the maximum bonus, which was about €6,000. For plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs), the bonus decreased down to 60gCO2/km (based on the WLTP).

Outlook

The development of the market share for plug-in electric passenger cars, city buses, and distribution trucks looks very positive in Sweden. One major driver for this development is the EU CO2 reduction requirements for new vehicles. The Swedish policy framework has accomplished a high allocation compared to other EU markets. Future developments in Sweden depend on Swedish policy frameworks, as well as other EU countries, which could influence the allocations of vehicles to Sweden. Major efforts are now being made to enable public fast charging for heavy vehicles. Continuous charging, so-called electric roads systems, are being explored more widely on public roads.