Finland & Sweden — A View from Inside the EV Revolution

Tom Sjolund has simply returned from a visit to go to his household in Finland and Sweden, and he agreed to share his expertise with CleanTechnica readers. You might bear in mind Tom from this text. In Australia, he drives a Volvo EX30. Since we don’t hear a lot about Finland, and the primary factor we hear about Sweden is the continued IG Metall union strike towards Tesla, we thought it price an article. CleanTechnica stories that Sweden has achieved over 65% penetration of plugs-ins within the new automobile market. I used to be wanting ahead to listening to Tom’s expertise first-hand.

Tom tells me that EVs are all over the place. Even the taxi that picked him and his household up from airport in Helsinki (Finland) was battery electrical. A Mercedes no much less. “In truth, I might say half of the taxis had been EVs, with many being Teslas.” On the drive to the lodge, he took notice of the electrified transport — trams and buses. In each Finland and Sweden, he travelled by quick electrical trains (Snabb Tag), reaching speeds as much as 200 km/hour.

In conversations with one taxi driver, Tom was advised, “one driver had a Tesla and an EX40, sorry to say he most well-liked the Volvo and let his different driver have the Tesla. Our AirBnB host in Stockholm had a Tesla S efficiency which he liked, our AirBnB host up within the north had a Kia EV which he charged at house (energy is free in the course of the day there). He took us for a 2-hour vacationer drive across the space, lakes and conservation parks.”

Did he discover any variations between EVs in Sweden and Finland? “Sweden and Finland have related uptake of EVs. It appears lots of people in Finland go over to among the Baltic nations to purchase their EVs (much less tax I believe). I might say Teslas had been hottest, adopted by German & Swedish manufacturers. Volvo may be very well-liked, notably the EX30 and EX40.”

In his “hometown” of Ostersund in Sweden, he discovered that each one the bus companies within the space are battery electrical and run practically 24/7 at 20-minute intervals. “I noticed a variety of busses branded Volvo, however it seems Scania has entered the market now.”

“Throughout a stroll alongside the strand of the lake there are a variety of cafes and eateries. I noticed a supply truck there, which had an enormous signal saying 100% electrical. I requested the motive force in regards to the truck. He stated, I find it irresistible, so quiet, vibration free and really easy to drive, I simply find it irresistible!” Tom isn’t certain, however thought the van was a BYD.

Tom’s subsequent keep was at “Gavle” on the Baltic coast, close to the well-known metropolis of Uppsala. “We stayed at an Airbnb in a small conventional cabin subsequent to a small river. This river begins within the mountains some 125 km away. Alongside its manner are quite a lot of weirs with connected small energy stations. In the course of the snow soften in spring, the lakes/river programs launch water which powers small mills, which provides to {the electrical} energy for every group alongside its course. In whole, it produces 63 GWh of energy in the course of the 12 months, an enormous quantity.”

“Right here I additionally met a supply van driver for DHL with an EV van. He was so keen about it and stated the native firm hoped to be absolutely electrical within the subsequent couple of years. Finest van he had ever pushed.”

Whereas staying in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, Tom famous that after once more the buses had been BEVs. “It was so good to have the ability to stroll down streets in the midst of town with out automobiles and noise and with simply clear air, which is loads completely different from going into Brisbane metropolis centre the place you choke on all of the diesel fumes and your ears harm from all of the site visitors noise.”

“In Sweden all meals scraps go into assortment bins and get delivered to a biodigester together with different natural materials. This produces methane which is compressed and used for gas for the busses.”

Uppsala was very like Stockholm, hardly any automobiles in metropolis streets, quiet and peaceable.

On the journey house, Tom engaged in dialog with some executives from the Scania truck firm who had been attending a sustainability convention on the lodge the place Tom was staying. Scania has each short-haul and long-distance electrical fashions. They advised him that Scania is planning for 50% of their manufacturing to be battery electrical vehicles within the close to future.

Being the curious type, I did some googling and located this nice article on the progress of the rEVolution in Finland from the Helsinki Occasions. I used to be excited to search out that over 50% of latest automobile gross sales in Finland now include plug! And that whole fleet penetration has reached 11% of Finland’s fleet. As of April 2025, 33.8% of latest automobiles are BEVs and 21.6% are PHEVs, a major enchancment over 2024. There are actually greater than 300,000 plugin autos on Finnish roads. “Regardless of ongoing financial uncertainty, gross sales of electrified autos have remained resilient.”

“Finnish customers are doing the maths,” stated Tuukka Heikkilä, skilled on electrical transport at Vitality Trade Finland. “With Finland having the third-cheapest electrical energy in Europe, switching to electrical driving makes each local weather and monetary sense. In 2024, the common value of taxed electrical energy between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. was below three cents per kilowatt hour.”

Ninety-five % of Finland’s home electrical energy manufacturing is carbon impartial. The nation is aiming for a speedy electrification of street transport to scale back greenhouse fuel emissions and native air pollution. Vitality Trade Finland expects continued robust curiosity in electrical autos all through 2025 as a number of producers supply new BEV autos for below 30,000 euros. That is lower than the price of imported used automobiles. Charging infrastructure continues to develop.

In response to Dr Google, in 2023, nuclear power supplied 42% of the nation’s whole electrical energy era, adopted by hydropower at 19% and wind energy at 18%. That’s in keeping with the IEA (Worldwide Vitality Company). Biofuels and waste additionally contribute considerably, making up 13%. That’s virtually 100%!

Tom noticed a lot of public charging in Finland. “Not stunning, as, in spite of everything, they make the second-best chargers on the planet and it appears they’re being exported to Australia as nicely. Sweden is rolling out extra quick chargers, loads are in service stations, 20kW chargers are widespread at lodging websites.” He was referring after all to Kempower.

Tom and his household are actually planning a visit from Rockhampton to Kangaroo Island in Victoria in his EX30 towing a bit of caravan. It’s a mere 5,000 km spherical journey. He began planning earlier than he went to Sweden (5 months in the past), and checking the route now, he’s amazed at what number of extra choices there are as a result of enhance within the variety of quick chargers on the inland route he plans to take. Issues are altering quickly on the house entrance. It gained’t be lengthy and we will likely be on par with Finland in a vivid and electrical future.