Buy the right charging boxes and charging poles with our complete guide. Get step-by-step advice on costs, installation, grants up to SEK 50,000 and smart load balancing.
Choose smart charging boxes with load balancing for your home or business in Gothenburg. Green Technology grants provide 50% deduction up to SEK 50,000, total cost SEK 12,000-25,000 after support. ChargeNode offers 99% uptime, 60,000 points and departure time optimization. Build scalable to lower electricity costs and maximize ROI over the long term.
Do you find it difficult to choose the right charging box or charging post for your home or business in Gothenburg, with all the costs, installations and compatibility issues? It's easy to fall for expensive mistakes that put the brakes on your electric car venture. This complete guide will give you step-by-step everything you need to know to buy, install and maximize value. With ChargeNodes over 60,000 charging points and 99 percent uptime in Sweden, you get reliable insights.
The market for electric cars is exploding right now. From being a niche product, the electric car is now the obvious choice for many Swedish households and companies. But with the car comes the need for recharging, and here the questions often arise. Should you choose a single box or a whole system? What is required of the property?
Buying charging boxes and charging poles is not just about getting power to the battery. It's about future-proofing your property, keeping electricity costs down and ensuring that everyday life flows smoothly. In Sweden, we are seeing a huge expansion, with the number of rechargeable passenger cars increasing to around 600,000 by mid-year 2024 (Traffic analysis). Whether you are a homeowner in Gothenburg or sit on the board of a housing association, the choice of charging solution is crucial for both economy and convenience.
Many people think that a charging box is just a high-end electrical outlet, but it is significantly more than that. A charging box (or charging pole if it is standing on the ground) is a safety device that communicates with your car. It ensures that the power is turned on only when everything is properly plugged in and turns it off immediately should any malfunction occur.
In addition to safety, today's chargers are often “smart”. That is, they consist of two parts: hardware (the box itself) and the software (charging service). The hardware supplies the electricity, while the software controls when and how fast it should happen. For businesses and housing associations, this is critical. Without smart control, you run the risk of plugs going off or power charges slipping away when everyone wants to charge at the same time.
Basically, the charging box converts alternating current (AC) from the mains into the power your car can receive. But it's the governance that makes the difference. A modern charging station is connected to the internet, often via 4G or WiFi, which allows you to control it via an app.
The system monitors the total electricity consumption of the property in real time. If the house uses a lot of electricity (for example, when the stove and washing machine are running), the charging box draws down power to the car. When other consumption drops, the charge increases again. This protects the main fuse and optimizes the use of available power.
At home, most often it's all about convenience and night charging. You plug the car in when you get home, and the box makes sure it's fully charged in the morning. A standard 11 kW home charging box is highly efficient and can charge about 50—60 km range per hour, covering the daily needs of most people in just a few hours (Meter energy).
Here the requirements are higher. It's about scalability and fair payment. The facility owner uses a portal to monitor all charging points, set prices and view statistics. Users — whether employees or residents — manage their charging via an app or RFID tag. The system then charges the user automatically, often via so-called self-invoicing, so that the association or company avoids administrative hassle.
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This is the brain of the system. Smart load balancing distributes power fairly. If ten cars are plugged in at the same time, the system ensures that everyone gets a charge without overloading the grid. In leading players such as ChargeNode, the system can also prioritize based on Departure time. The one who is going to ride first gets more power, while the one who is parked all night charges more slowly.
The market offers a plethora of options, and it's easy to get lost. Roughly speaking, one can divide them into three categories based on location and power needs. The choice depends entirely on whether you are going to charge a single car in the garage or build a large charging park for an entire condominium association.
Here is a simple overview of the most common types:
Type: Wall Mounted Charging Box
Power: 7.4—11 kW
Usage: Home and Garage
Type: Freestanding Charging Post
Effect: Variable
Usage: Outdoor car parks
Type: DC Fast Charger
Power: 50—350 kW
UsagePublic fast charging
These are most often mounted on the wall in the garage or on the facade of the house. They are compact and designed to be discreet. Most home chargers deliver between 3.7 kW and 11 kW, which is good enough for night charging. The focus here is on ease of use and a stylish design that blends into the home environment.
These are built for tougher times. They often stand outdoors and are exposed to weather, wind and wear and tear. The choice of material is important — aluminium, for example, is an excellent choice for our Nordic climate as it tolerates moisture and cold well. These poles often have dual outlets to maximize the number of charging locations on a limited area.
Buying the wrong equipment can be expensive in the long run. The most common mistake is to look only at the price tag of the hardware and forget about the operating costs and future needs. For a condominium association or a company, it is important to think about the big picture: installation, operation, support and payment solutions.
Here are three crucial factors to review before you strike:
Do you really need 22 kW? For most people, 11 kW is a long way, as the car is often parked for many hours. What matters is not the maximum speed of an individual box, but how the system handles many cars at once. A system that can distribute power smartly is worth more than high theoretical maximum power.
Make sure that the equipment is CE marked and adapted to the Swedish climate. Also look at the material choices. Recycled aluminum, for example, is a sustainable choice that reduces the climate footprint. Safety features such as built-in circuit breaker (DC protection) are standard today, but always double-check this to avoid expensive add-ons during installation.
In Europe, Type 2 socket standard for AC charging, and it fits basically all modern electric cars. Also check how the system talks to the outside world. Open standards (such as OCPP) are good, but even more important is a reliable connection and software that is updated on an ongoing basis to work with new car models.
The investment in charging infrastructure may seem large, but the calculus often looks bright thanks to government subsidies and reduced fuel costs. For private individuals, there is a generous contribution Green Technology, which works similar to the ROT deduction. This gives you a 50% deduction on the cost of both materials and work directly on the invoice, up to SEK 50,000 per year.
For companies and housing associations, ROI (Return on Investment) is often about raising property values and attracting tenants. The cost of installing a charging box at home often lands at 12,000—25,000 SEK including installation after deduction (KVD). By charging for the charging through a smart charging service, the association can cover its operating costs and, in the long run, recoup the investment.
Installing charging boxes is not a do-it-yourself project. It takes competent electricians and careful planning to make it safe and sound. An incorrect installation can be fatal and lead to a fire. Therefore, it is important to follow a clear process.
Here are the steps you need to go through:
Start by identifying the need. How many cars do you have today, and how many do you think you will have in five years? Choose a location that is easily accessible and where it is easy to draw electricity. For larger installations, a review of the property's electrical switchboard may be required to see if the main fuse needs to be secured up.
Once the plan is set, the electrician takes over. Cables are pulled, earthworks are carried out if necessary, and the charging boxes are assembled. It is important that the installation complies with all the rules and that the correct protective devices are installed. After assembly, the system is tested to ensure that everything is working properly before the power is turned on permanently.
Now the system is connected to the network. The charging points are recorded in the portal and configured with the correct power settings. Users are invited to download the app. This is also where you set up support agreements. A provider with round-the-clock support is worth gold when technology scrambles on a Sunday night.
In order to succeed with your charging infrastructure, you should think long term. The most common advice from experts is to prepare for more seats than you need right now. Pulling cable and doing ground work is the expensive part — you can click the boxes themselves afterwards when the need arises. This is called building a scalable solution.
Another important practice is to choose a provider who takes overall responsibility. It's easier to have a point of contact for both hardware, software and support than to ball between three different companies if something goes wrong. Also, make sure that the payment solution is smooth. Users expect to be able to pay via app or card, and property owners want automated disbursement without manual hand-cashing.
There are some pitfalls that many people fall into when buying charging poles. Perhaps the biggest mistake is underestimating power requirements and ignoring load balancing. Without smart governance, you risk expensive power peaks that can cost the property owner tens of thousands of kronor extra each year in network tariffs.
Other common errors include:
When it comes to end-to-end solutions, we stand out in the market. ChargeNode offers not only recycled aluminum hardware, but a complete charging service that connects charging points, payment flows and users in a single system.
What really makes a difference is the smart software. By allowing users to specify their Departure time in the app, the system can optimize charging so that all cars are ready on time, without overloading the mains. This cuts power peaks and significantly lowers costs. In addition, we boast 99.7% uptime and a 24/7 customer service. Major players such as HSB, JULA and DHL already rely on this technology for their properties.
Investing in charging boxes and charging poles is a big step towards a more sustainable future, but it requires the right planning. By focusing on smart technology, scalability and a trusted partner, you can create a charging solution that works painlessly for years to come. Whether it's the villa, the company or the condominium association, the key is to choose a system that grows with your needs and that takes care of itself. The right choice today will save both money and headaches tomorrow.
Contact a qualified electrician who has registered with the Swedish Tax Agency. They apply for you and deduct 50% directly on the invoice up to 50 000 SEK per person per year.
For an 11 kW charging box, a minimum of 20A main fuse is recommended, but load balancing allows 16A.
Installation usually takes 1-3 days depending on electrical wiring. In Gothenburg BRFs such as Hisingen, an electrical safety inspection is required afterwards, a total of 2-4 weeks including approval from the Board of Directors and the Swedish Electric Safety Authority.
Charging box mounted on wall, charging post freestanding for ground. Both must be IP65 rated against rain and snow in Gothenburg's climate, choose aluminum for rust protection according to the SS 4364006 standard.
Users pay via debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay in the app and with self-billing for businesses and organizations. Customers receive monthly payments (28th of each month), handle VAT automatically via Skatteverket rules.
Charge Node Europe AB
Neongatan 4B
431 53 Molndal
