Electric cars: They let strangers charge the car on their own lot

A few weeks ago, a strange electric car parked outside Amanda Andersson’s and Emil Eliasson’s villa in Nynäshamn and started charging in their outlet.

– I was at home but didn’t even notice that he had been here, Amanda Andersson says.

It’s not quite as strange as it sounds, but an example of how it can be done in the Facebook group “We who charge electric cars at each other†.

The group, with its associated app, gathers over 8,000 members who want to rent or lease chargers.

The man who visited the couple’s driveway called because he was going to a job interview in the hooks and needed to charge the car.

The users set the price themselves and Emil Eliasson emphasizes that he mainly joined with the aim of helping others and does not expect any bigger margins.

– If you want to make money, you are probably in the wrong place as you cannot compete with ordinary charging stations in the same way, he says.

The pair believe that the group is partly a reaction to the hassle they experienced with public chargers where the supply was limited by a multitude of performers and apps.

And the idea was born out of frustration, says KTH student Tomas Nordström, who started the venture at the end of last year with Gustav Ring and Christoffer Eriksson.

– Christoffer was in a hotel in Jönköping and had to go out on the E4 and charge the car for two hours in the evening even though there was a terraced house with a charger opposite the hotel. Why not use it? asks Tomas Nordström.

The idea is to create a network of private chargers to increase availability.

He believes that the group has been decisive in attracting users to the app, where over 1,000 charging stations have been registered, with varying price levels and strengths. While some state that they use the service extensively, it seems to be slower for others, and Tomas Nordström emphasizes the importance of getting many active users for it to flow ¥.

He describes the typical user as someone who lives near someone with a charger. Stations have also been registered on the map in neighboring countries and places such as Great Britain and Portugal.

– Our service is almost even more attractive in countries where the infrastructure is not as widespread as in Sweden.

The trio does not make any money at the moment, but does not rule out that it may become relevant in the future. Right now they are busy dealing with the rapid growth and the questions that arise.

Like that about whether whoever rents out their charger needs to pay tax on the income or not.

The answer is yes, according to the Swedish Tax Agency’s expert Pia Blank Thörnroos.

– If you have a charging box and charge for letting others charge the car, then it is basically a sales revenue that should be taxed as income in the income category capital, she says .

For many, it is likely to be small amounts, but it means that you could get a tax supplement.

One way could be to rent out a parking space for a longer time than it takes to charge the car.

– If the intention is to rent out the parking space and not to sell the lot, it is counted as renting a parking space, which means that it is permissible to make a deduction with the standard amount of SEK 40,000 if ¥ret, says Pia Blank Thörnroos.

The founders state that they have a discussion with the Swedish Tax Agency to understand how the product should be designed.

According to the Energy Agency, there are today around 5,000 public charging stations and 37,000 charging points for electric cars.

And Anders Lewald, senior advisor at the authority, is aware that the number of executors and apps has created some frustration.

– We have worked a lot on it and we share the view that it is very troublesome, he says.

At the same time, changes await. During April, a new EU regulation entered into force, which means that all new public charging stations with an output of at least 50 kW must be able to accept payment cards. Those already deployed around the trans-European transport network have until 2027 to update.

– Under 50 kW, you may have the payment card solution but also another form of secure payment, but you should not need to have a contract or register with your name to charge. It is not an immediate transition, but it is an attempt to steer it up here, says Anders Lewald.

To the villa in Nynäshamn has so far a person has come and says hello, but Emil Eliasson thinks it will loosen up soon and describes the supply of charging stations in the vicinity as rubbish.

– In my perspective, Nynäshamn is a bit outside, except during the summer half when it comes alive and then I think you can benefit from it, he says.

He also does not see any direct risks with the arrangement.

– That someone comes here and charges their electric car feels relatively risk-free.