EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Reducing urban traffic problems through clean vehicles

Reducing urban traffic problems through clean vehicles – Stockholm, SE

Introduction

Stockholm is one of the first European cities that has been successful in generating a market breakthrough for clean vehicles with biogas, ethanol, electric or electric-hybrid engines. Since 1994, the city has been actively promoting the use of clean vehicles in the city region. The Clean Vehicles project, which initially focused on greening the city-owned vehicles, now also targets private companies. The project approach has been tested over a longer period of time. It can in principle be applied in all European cities, provided there is a strong local political commitment to sustainable urban development.

Problem

Transportation and urban planners face the same problem throughout the world: cities need ever improving mobility to keep them functioning, but current transportation systems contribute to air pollution, congestion, and urban sprawl.

During 1996-2000, Stockholm and seven other European cities participated in the Zero and low Emission vehicles in Urban Society (ZEUS) project to promote greener fuels and vehicles. The experiences within ZEUS raised political interest in developing and implementing a long-term policy strategy for introducing clean vehicles in Stockholm as a financially viable alternative to vehicles running on fossil fuels.

Research on other new technologies, such as mobile phones, shows that at a market share of approximately 5 per cent the technology becomes financially self-sustaining. The main objective of Stockholm’s Clean Vehicles strategy was therefore set at achieving a 5 per cent share for clean vehicles in the city’s vehicle market. Stockholm’s definition of clean vehicles (vehicles running on biogas, ethanol, electric and electric-hybrid engines) excludes the more commonly available natural gas and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) vehicles.

Description

Over the past ten years, Stockholm has been implementing a strategy for increasing the use of Alternatively Fuelled Vehicles in the city region. Long-term objective is to establish clean vehicles as a financially self-sustaining technology in the vehicles market in Stockholm. The city’s strategy, including (financial) incentives and close cooperation with stakeholders, has led to considerable rise in the number of clean vehicles sold in Stockholm. Clean vehicles now constitute approximately 17 per cent of the city’s vehicle market.

The Clean Vehicles project has been selected for NICHES. This is a two-year project financed by the EU’s Directorate-General for Research, which aims to promote the most promising new concepts, initiatives and projects in urban transport.

Approach

The approach used in the Clean Vehicles project is focused on systematically tackling the main barriers for the successful insertion of clean vehicles in Stockholm’s vehicles market. An analysis of the market showed that these barriers were:

lack of suitable vehicle models
offered models and fuel were more expensive than conventional vehicles
lack of fuelling facilities
low public awareness
lack of incentives
legal barriers

The project initially focused on greening the city-owned vehicles, as it is crucial to set a good example when trying to convince other parties to also change to clean vehicles. The main target group now is private companies with an environmentally-friendly profile. New models are first tested in the city fleet before they are widely promoted to other potential stakeholders.

The city of Stockholm has used a variety of actions on both city and national level to increase the use of clean vehicles:

Stockholm joined forces with other cities and civil society organisations to lobby the Swedish national government for tax reductions on clean vehicles and fuels. After a successful trial period, these measures were incorporated in Sweden’s long-term sustainability policy.
Lobby for adapting national and EU legal provisions to take clean vehicles into account.
Bulk purchasing of clean vehicles with other cities lowered the price of existing models and stimulated vehicle manufacturers to develop new models.
The city subsidised the first fuelling stations, but it is now working together with a gas company which contributes to the cost of servicing and expanding the fuelling infrastructure.
Stockholm also closely cooperates with car dealers, who provide and service a test fleet of clean vehicles of different car brands. To promote the awareness and use of clean vehicles, the dealers organise seminars and campaigns, but they also offer interested companies the opportunity to test drive a vehicle for a week.
Clean vehicles are exempted from congestion charging.
Drivers of clean vehicles can park for free in their neighbourhood.
In cooperation with the Swedish cities of Göteborg and Malmö, Stockholm hosts a website which provides information on the available clean vehicles in Sweden. The website also contains lists and maps showing all fuelling stations for ethanol, biogas, natural gas and biodiesel in Sweden.

Results

Since Stockholm’s participation in the ZEUS project, the sale of clean vehicles has grown considerably. The original long-term objective of 5 per cent of vehicles sales being clean vehicles has already been surpassed. In 2006, 17 per cent of all vehicles sold in Stockholm were clean vehicles. This is 4 to 5 percentage points higher than the national average.
There are now 60 fuelling stations in Stockholm for ethanol and 13 for biogas.
More than 30 different clean vehicle models are available on the market.

These figures show that Stockholm has succeeded in firmly rooting clean vehicles in its vehicle market. The project approach has been tested and improved over a longer period of time. It can in principle be applied in all European cities with a strong political commitment to sustainable urban development.

Contact info

Miljöbilar (Clean Vehicles Unit), Stockholm Environment and Health Administration
Jonas Ericson, tel. +48 8 50828946

Project start date

//1994

Links

Clean Vehicles (in Swedish)NICHES project

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy > Transport and infrastructure > Roads and road transport

Keywords

Vehicles