Elbilslandet 2.0

Gotland is well suited for electric vehicle launch and tests due to its geographically limited dimensions and to it being an island on which people travel car-less for vacation in summer-time.

The project Elbilslandet 2.0 evaluated rental EVs during the summertime in Gotland during 2015 and 2016 as a demonstration of rental EVs and as a means of researching customer behavior and decision-making with respect to the choice, and use of electric or traditional rental cars. In addition, the methods that are successful for the introduction of electric vehicles in society were evaluated and EVs were promoted for greater use in Gotland.

The project also enhanced charging infrastructure by establishing 20 smart chargers and providing information about charge infrastructure. A total of about 3 000 people used the 25 electric rental vehicles during the project's 2 demo-periods, the summers of 2015 and 2016. This helped to identify and overcome barriers and increase knowledge and acceptance of electric cars, facilitating the introduction of electric cars in society.

Research questions that KTH addressed:

• Survey from 2014 repeated, asking users of electric vehicles about their experiences, hopes and fears.
• Does travelling change when driving an electric vehicle instead of a traditional car?
• Where and how do you drive and charge your electric vehicle?
• How do we develop business models?

The project from 2014 demonstrated that electric vehicles show great prospect in replacing traditional vehicles. Even though the charging stations in 2014 were insufficient in some ways the survey showed 96% would consider hiring an electric vehicle again! And the number of resident electric vehicles rose from 8 to 25 in the year of 2014.

The project group consisted of representatives from: Solkompaniet, KTH, Vattenfall, Nissan, Europcar, Hertz och Visby Gästhamn.

Project Partners:
Nissan- Vattenfall-Europcar- Visby Gästhamn- RegionGotland- DestinationGotland- Gotlandsflyg- KTH- Statoil- Renault