Stockholm Invests in Small, Emission-Free Light Electric Vehicles - Another Step Towards the Clean Air Zone

Small electric vehicles account for a growing portion of deliveries and transport in the city, but the electrification of these vehicles poses different challenges than, for example, cars. There are no public chargers for these vehicles, and with the smaller batteries these vehicles have, more frequent charging is required.

Therefore, a new solution is being used with battery swapping, which allows for a smooth and safe exchange of a depleted battery for a charged one in 10 seconds. This takes place at stations located in all districts of Stockholm City. The solution comes from the Stockholm-based company GoCimo, which is building an infrastructure of battery swapping stations in the city, currently used for electric mopeds. Uniquely, another vehicle, the EVIG from Clean Motion, will be developed and tested with this battery swapping technology. This enables a vehicle that can handle more cargo and larger transports to use the same infrastructure and batteries as the electric mopeds.

'EVIG is already one of the most energy-efficient electric vehicles on the market, and with battery swapping, we're taking another step towards making urban transport even more efficient,' says William Collings, CTO at Clean Motion. 'EVIG is designed for adaptability, and we see great potential in developing EVIG with full support for battery swapping. The technology around modular battery systems has matured significantly, and the ecosystem for charging and swapping infrastructure has grown rapidly. Having small electric cargo vehicles in this infrastructure is an important step towards generalisation and broadened use of the infrastructure.'

'We constantly strive to make our delivery fleet more sustainable and efficient,' says Daniel Gustafsson Raba, Chief Operating Officer at foodora. 'Working with multiple types of electric vehicles that share the same battery solution gives us a clear advantage in our daily operations – both from a logistical and environmental perspective.'

New digital solutions to address safety and parking in locations other than the city's ground surfaces will also be demonstrated to promote a vibrant city.

'We've now had the infrastructure with battery swap stations in place for over a year and see that it works very well, so we really want to take the next step towards expanding the range so that more transports can be done with small electric vehicles,' says Mattias Tingvall, CEO of GoCimo.

The city's objective applies to all modes of transport, and small vehicles are the ones growing fastest in number, they also drive a lot per day and are therefore central to the transition. There are challenges, and that's why demonstrations with innovative system solutions are important.

This initiative is part of Stockholm's strategy to create a more sustainable, vibrant, and attractive urban environment. Through electrified and quiet transport, congestion, air pollution, and noise levels are reduced – while transport efficiency is maximised.

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