How a city prepares to e-mobility in terms of public charging infrastructure case study — The city of Zurich

This study has been developed on behalf of ewz, Zurich Municipal Electric Utility. The study estimates the charging infrastructure that will be necessary to meet the needs of the electric mobility in the city. In order to estimate the required charging stations, the number of electric vehicles (xEVs)¹ circulating in 2020 in Zurich have been defined taking into account the specific characteristics of the city. The study rated the city of Zurich more likely to introduce xEVs, compared to the Swiss average (100%): 2.5% in 2012 and 7.9% in 2020. These results have been applied to three scenarios that outline the number of xEVs in Switzerland. The expected market penetration for the city of Zurich results 16.3% in the maximum scenario, 8.1% in the medium scenario and 2.4% in the minimum scenario. In terms of charging infrastructure the following results arise: The maximum scenario expects 22,700 xEVs; 40,000 private power outlets; 1,500 public charging stations; and 10 public fast chargers. The medium scenario expects 11,200 xEVs; 20,000 private power outlets; 750 public charging stations; and 10 public fast chargers. The minimum scenario expects 3,300 xEVs; 6,000 private power outlets; 250 public charging stations; and 5 public fast chargers.