What’s blue and white with a red flash?

Answer: The newest Swedish road sign, which was introduced on February 15. The sign explains where you can charge electric cars. 

  • The newest Swedish road sign shows where you can charge your electric car.
  • Until now there have been official charging stations where all sorts of cars have been allowed, but with new rules from the Swedish government via Transportstyrelsen (Swedish Transport Agency), electric and hybrid cars are being better targeted.

  • Only electric vehicles are allowed to park at this sign.
  • Regular cars aren’t allowed to park at these stations.

  • All of the EU nations have earlier agreed on the need to develop a standardised system for recharging electric cars throughout Europe. Harmonisation across Europe is of "key importance in order to ensure that electric vehicles can be recharged, domestically or at public station points without difficulty within the territory of the EU and with the use of any electric vehicle charger" by mid-2011, a joint agreement stressed in May of 2010.

  • The Union's 27 ministers of Industry at the time agreed that while regular petrol and diesel engines "will remain dominant in the short and medium term perspective", electric and future hydrogen vehicles were a "highly promising ultra-low-carbon" technology.

  • A Dutch company launched the first fast charging EV (Electric Vehicle) stations around the same time: Epyon

  • For more info on Swedish road signs, see Transportstyrelsen