Norway has fallen in love with electric cars
but how long will the incentives last?
Electric cars started as an Oslo phenomenom but they are now selling all over Norway. By the end of Ferbruary we expect to be the first country in the world where 1 in 100 cars on the road are electric," said Sletvold. Incentives include public charging stations, affordability, and access to bus lanes.
The Norwegian love affair with electric cars may end sooner than expected. Incentives will be withdrawn, or reconsidered, when 50,000 zero emission cars have been registered or come 2018, whichever is the earliest. At the current rate of sales, the 50,000 figure could be reached within 18 months.
The vehicles are now so popular that they dominate the bus lanes into Oslo, making up to 75% of the vehicles alowed in them. In addition, it's getting harder and harder to find unoccupied public charging facilities.
Will the government have to remove incentives? How will drivers and owners in Norway feel about this potential change and removal of incentives the peak is reached? All stuff to consider in terms of the future regarding Norway's technology and transportation.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/29/norway-electric-cars-sale
Although the government is set to remove incentives, it seems to me like Norway is the type of country to take an idea like this and run with it. Once everybody starts buying these cars, there will be no choice but for the government to outfit the country accordingly (i.e. more charging stations). Then hopefully the rest of the world will follow in their footsteps. Plus, perhaps with the knowledge that the incentives will be ending soon, that will push the Norwegian people to buy more of these cars anyways.
ReplyDeleteI adore the fact that the people of Norway found our environment important enough to be worth preserving by seeking alternative energies. In my opinion, this can be used as a model for other countries; in the U.S.'s case, scaled up with the government subsidizing electric car manufacturing so it would be easier for the average citizen to purchase. Sadly, I do not think that Slovakia would be able to implement a policy as capacious as this due to its fragile economy and current extensive housing issues.
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