Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden are the vanguards for 100% adaptation to green energy in order to lessen carbon emissions that account for global warming. The Nordic governments are working together to create policies that support green energy while maintaining sustainable economic growth. As a result, Norway, the poster child for electric vehicle adoption, is the global leader in the adoption of electric vehicles (EV).
Take a peek at how Norway came to be at the forefront of EVs and examples everyone can learn from.
How Norway Did It
Norway is the biggest oil producer in Western Europe and yet its government has made it a goal that all cars must be “zero-emission” by 2025. As of March 2020, close to 60% of new cars bought were fully electric and over 15% were hybrid cars. This means that Norway is on its way to achieving that goal. The Norwegian government imposes lower taxes on EV cars while levying higher taxes on traditional cars.
Added incentives for EVs are free road tolls and public ferries, free parking in some municipal car parks, and the use of public transport lanes. EV cars are affordable in Norway and together with the incentives given by the government, owning an EV will also be less expensive in the long run. Another advantage that Norway has is its abundant supply of renewable energy making electricity rates one of the cheapest in the world. Its distribution of electricity has excellent infrastructure making transmission very efficient.
Totally Eco-Friendly
As Norway approaches its lofty goal and EVs become an expectation rather than a trendy innovation, the government and consumers will want other parts of the cars such as batteries and tires to be eco-friendly as well. A working paper prepared by the Nordic Council of Ministers recommends that strategies be put in place to reduce the emission of microplastics from tire wear and the Nordic nations including Norway are rising to be the new EV battery manufacturing group in Europe.
It is no surprise that Norway and the other Nordic nations are very environmentally conscious. The geographical location of the Nordics makes them the most exposed to the impact of climate change.
Can Other Countries Do It?
Christina Bu who is the Secretary-General of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association says that other countries will find it difficult to exactly duplicate what Norway did to make EV adoption successful. She said, “I think we will see different countries following faster than the others, but interest is growing. We definitely will start seeing the same development in country after country.” Sweden, Germany, and Costa Rica have given subsidies or tax exemptions to EV owners.
Some countries may be slower in adoption due to lack of proper infrastructure and supply of energy, geographical size, and government policy, among others. This is not to say that they aren’t interested in adopting green car tech. For most, it will take a longer time to plan for incentives and subsidies, reach political consensus, and for the automotive industry to step up, but they ARE aware that the EV revolution is here to stay.
Norway – The Poster Child For Electric Vehicle Adoption is written exclusively for Daily Scandinavian by Karoline Gore. Karoline is a freelance writer from Stoke on Trent in the UK who left the corporate grind when she started a family and has never looked back. She enjoys contributing to a range of online publications on the topics that are important to her.
Feature image (on top): Photo by Possessed Photography/Unsplash