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Why do they love electric cars in Norway?

bbc.co.uk

21–30 of 80 posts

Re: Why do they love electric cars in Norway?

#21
post #8
post #4

I wonder how well EV's cope with arctic conditions. In areas near the ocean temperatures generally don't get too extreme (e.g. Anchorage), but inland they can easily get into ranges that must be challenging for batteries to cope with.

Anecdotal, but I was speaking with a friend from Norway about 18 months ago, and he mentioned how you see Teslas everywhere because they are heavily subsidized and gas is ridiculously expensive. However, he said everyone also has a winter car, a Subaru or similar, because the electric range is so severely limited by the cold.

Not mentioned in the article, but hybrid vehicles are also quite popular in Norway - as they blend some of the benefits of gasoline and pure electric cars.

My tounge-in-cheek take on it is that people that shouldn't really need to own a car, because they're living in an urban area and should be able to use public transport, will buy a Tesla. People that live eg. a few hours outside of Tromsø, will generally buy a four wheel drive gasoline car. But some of these can be served well by hybrids too.

Re: Why do they love electric cars in Norway?

#22

So basically it's incentives, inventives and incentives on top of incentives. Wouldn't call that love but hey whatever it's still a good result, right?

In 2012 someone made a great overview of EV history and incentives in Norway http://www.evnorway.no

Too bad it's not beeing updated any more.

Re: Why do they love electric cars in Norway?

#23
Look up 'bjørn nyland tesla'.

It's most watched vlog about Tesla S by someone who lives in Norway. He used to live in Oslo but also lived in the very far northern part of Norway. He offers very detailed reviews of Tesla. Beautiful winter scenery of Norway is a bonus.

Re: Why do they love electric cars in Norway?

#24

I was feeling all good for Norway, till I read this: > It helps that Norway is also the biggest oil producer in Western Europe and the world's third largest exporter of natural gas. Hmmm.... You know what would really help the environment, Norway? If you stopped drilling all that oil and gas. Your measly consumption of gas isn't the problem; your mega export of oil is.

Imagine what would happen if they (we, I guess, since I live here).

The world is pretty connected - that is more obvious here than when I lived in the states. And most of the world's shipping, transport, etc runs on that. Simply stopping the drilling would cause disruption and aggression. It could easily fuel more fracking, for example, or more places using unsavory means to get the oil (My understanding is that they try to be as environmentally friendly as possible while drilling). In addition, it would, at this point, cause local harm to the folks living here and elsewhere. The oil profits are redirected to the oil fund, which are invested in different sorts of companies and helps others out as well as Norwegians, who use the interest from the fund to pay for various things.

To stop drilling, the gas consumption really needs to be attacked on a global scale. Renewable energies, electric cars, and such things everywhere - affordable to everyone.

In addition, 14 other countries produce more oil. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_oil_produ...

5 others produce more natural gas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_natural_g...

At least some sort of effort is being made. Which is more than I can say for the US, which tops both lists.

Re: Why do they love electric cars in Norway?

#25
The oil age is ending in Norway. It's considered a fact of life.

You all have heard of the petroleum fund. That money is going towards pensions. Of course it's easier to buy an electric car if you're used to thinkinf of the oil age that something that ends within your own working life.

Re: Why do they love electric cars in Norway?

#26
post #23

Look up 'bjørn nyland tesla'. It's most watched vlog about Tesla S by someone who lives in Norway. He used to live in Oslo but also lived in the very far northern part of Norway. He offers very detailed reviews of Tesla. Beautiful winter scenery of Norway is a bonus.

It's beautiful when you don't have to live it.

Re: Why do they love electric cars in Norway?

#28
post #23

Look up 'bjørn nyland tesla'. It's most watched vlog about Tesla S by someone who lives in Norway. He used to live in Oslo but also lived in the very far northern part of Norway. He offers very detailed reviews of Tesla. Beautiful winter scenery of Norway is a bonus.

It's beautiful when you don't have to live it.

I live here and it is still beautiful. From May to early September it almost isn't dark at night and depending on where in the country you live it sometimes seems like living in a postcard ;-) (FTR, Norway is long, if you turned it upside down it would stretch far into Italy they say, driving from my place to the artic circle would be about 17 hours non-stop and then you still have a full working day left to drive to the nortmost point or the Russian border.)

I have lived for months as far as beyond the artic circle and have worked on the very northermost parts for shorter trips and I loved it all the way. (Although ski goggles and warm clothes are recommended to get anything done outside on a windy day in the winter.)

Re: Why do they love electric cars in Norway?

#29

I was feeling all good for Norway, till I read this: > It helps that Norway is also the biggest oil producer in Western Europe and the world's third largest exporter of natural gas. Hmmm.... You know what would really help the environment, Norway? If you stopped drilling all that oil and gas. Your measly consumption of gas isn't the problem; your mega export of oil is.

Bit harsh, no? They have every right to participate in the global market and it sounds like they're rather forward looking.

Re: Why do they love electric cars in Norway?

#30
Live here. My brother-in-law just bought the Leaf. From the people I talk to it is always the same reasons:

* price (leaf, vw etc)

and/or

* love Tesla: compared to any other new 400+ hp luxury car the Tesla is a steal for the moment both because of buying price (around 600' NOK for the entry level Model S is cheap compared to any other new sports car around here.)

and/or

* being allowed to drive in the bus lane

On top of this you save fuel, toll roads, park for free in a lot of places, get free ferry tickets etc etc. My former neighbours who drive for 40 minutes to and from work said not buying the Leaf would be failing basic math.

Edit: and lets not forget being allowed to drive in the bus lane.

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