Photo: DETEC
The Swiss federal government aims to become a role model and will only buy electric vehicles. According to the plan, the car fleet should be switched to electric within ten years, and Tesla becomes one of the most likely contenders for the purchase.
Swiss Energy Minister Doris Leuthard was the first member of the Federal Council to buy an electric car. She chose the Tesla Model S 85 in 2014, which attracted media attention around the world. Leuthard was keen to set an example and get other politicians to pay attention to electric vehicles as well. Leuthard's successor in the energy department, Simonetta Sommaruga, has adopted the Model S, although the other six members of the Federal Council currently still drive a diesel Mercedes S 350.
Simonetta Sommaruga
However, this will change in the coming years as, starting in 2021, the federal government will only buy electric vehicles, reported nzz.ch. Once a vehicle is old enough, it will be replaced with electric. There is ample selection in this category at the moment, and Tesla's performance-to-price ratio makes it a suitable vehicle for executive purposes.
Swiss Defense Minister Viola Amherd has also decided to switch to electric vehicles. The Federal Armaments Office (Armasuisse), under their agency, purchases civilian vehicles for the entire federal administration. The aim is to gradually reduce CO2 emissions from the vehicle fleet. The instructions will apply to all vehicles, and the only exception will be those cases whereby electric vehicles that meet the requirements do not yet exist.
The Swiss federal administration has a total of 1,500 civilian vehicles. Today, only 40 of them run purely on electricity. At the moment, from 150 to 200 new administrative vehicles are purchased annually.
H/T @alex_avoigt/Twitter
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About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
