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Federal Councillor Albert Rösti wants to make driving electric cars more expensive.
KEYSTONE
Electric cars are booming, but this is exactly what is putting the road fund in difficulties. Energy Minister Albert Rösti therefore wants to make electric car drivers pay in future.
The federal government is working on a new tax for electric cars. SVP Energy Minister Albert Rösti wants to use it to restructure the NAF road fund, as reported by the "Aargauer Zeitung" newspaper.
The fund is currently financed primarily by levies on petrol and diesel. Because e-cars do not pay these levies, there is a threat of a billion-euro shortfall by 2028. The reserves have already fallen for the first time, from CHF 3.83 billion to CHF 3.67 billion.
Since the beginning of 2024, buyers of electric cars such as Tesla or Audi have already been paying import taxes, similar to those for petrol cars. But that is not enough. The Federal Council is now planning to open a consultation in mid-September.
The tax is to be introduced in 2030. Two models are under discussion: either drivers will report their mileage themselves, or technical meters will be installed to record electricity consumption.
Rösti's predecessor Doris Leuthard had a Tesla as her Federal Council limousine.
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Both options raise questions. In the case of self-declaration, it is unclear how journeys abroad or transit traffic are taken into account. With technical meters, the question arises as to how to integrate private charging stations. Civic circles also fear that the tax will introduce road pricing through the back door.
A figure that is already being circulated in the federal parliament is attracting particular criticism: six francs per 100 kilometers. This would correspond to around 35 centimes per kilowatt hour and could put e-cars on an equal footing with petrol cars in terms of tax.
The Swiss Automobile Industry Association warns against this. Its director Thomas Rücker told the "Aargauer Zeitung" newspaper that such a tax would come too soon: "If tax equality between e-cars and petrol cars is introduced prematurely, the delicate seedling of electromobility could quickly die."
In fact, e-cars are still a minority despite increasing new registrations: their share of the total fleet is only 4.2 percent. Rücker is therefore calling for a graduated model that links the tax rate to market share.
Politicians such as FDP National Councillor Christian Wasserfallen, on the other hand, are pushing for speed. Rösti needs a constitutional amendment for the tax - and therefore the people. New taxes will have a hard time at the ballot box, especially if more voters drive electric cars themselves. The decisive factor will be whether the Federal Council finds the right moment for the vote.
