It is Skellefteå kraft who built a charging station for electric cars in Malå during the autumn. The company has about 15 pieces in the county so far, but the plan is to build significantly more next year.

- Then we increase many times, but it is not only us but also the competitors that build, says Åke Persson, business developer of sustainable vehicles at Skellefteå kraft.

The charging infrastructure currently being built around the country will become an important puzzle piece in the transition to an increasingly fossil-free vehicle fleet. In Malå, the municipality's short-term goal is that ten percent of the municipal council's vehicle fleet will be fossil-free next year, ie 2020.

- We all have a responsibility to manage a transition where we have to become climate smart and part of it is to gradually get away from fossil dependence, says Lennart Gustavsson (V), municipal council.

The first electric car in Malå rolls in January

First out in Malå by electric car will be the municipal housing company Malåbostaden, which is expected to start driving a car on electricity as early as January. The decision to buy it is based on a purely environmental approach, according to CEO Daniel Risberg.

Is it cost effective?

- We have not looked into it, but our intention is to join the public utility's climate initiative and be fossil-free by the year 2030. It is with this background that we choose to buy an electric car.

He also points out that the operation of an electric car is cheaper and with the new taxes coming in 2020, the tax on an electric car will be significantly lower compared to a diesel car. But they are more expensive to buy.

Believe in several alternatives to electric cars

The municipal council does not see electric cars as the only future transport alternative in sparsely populated municipalities such as Malå. According to him, different solutions are needed in different parts of the country.

- We may have to combine, review the alternatives with hydrogen, biogas and other things. There is a risk in saying that one thing will be the solution, says Lennart Gustavsson (V).

Several municipalities are also looking at the possibility of holding more meetings via video link to reduce the number of transports.