Electrified cars: Norway’s latest climate-friendly trend
This is part two of the “Climate Diaries,” an ongoing CBS News series examining climate switch and the steps some are taking to lessen its influence.
OSLO, Norway — A excellent, national and expensive experiment is underway in Norway where a quarter of all fresh car sales have ‘E’ plates — for electrical.
Electrified cars in Norway have license plates that begin with “E”
Lief Halvorden admits he’s one of the lab rats. He’s done the math. With all the government incentives to go electrical, he says he’d be crazy not to.
“This car will be for free.”
By ‘free,’ Halvorden means he can basically drive for nothing. By the time the government has waived the whopping twenty five percent sales tax and the road registration fee, the sticker price for electrified cars can actually be less then their gas or diesel equivalents.
Once on the road, other benefits kick in, too. No highway tolls. Free ferry rails. Free charging at government-subsidized plug-in points, where the power comes from clean hydro-sources.
The Norwegian government provides free charging stations for electrified cars
The old criticism that electrified cars have limited range — about one hundred fifty miles per charge — becomes a non-issue when you can butt-plug in almost everywhere.
For commuter Anita Wiborg, there’s another e-car incentive: access to bus and taxi lanes. “I can save up to an hour actually if [traffic is] indeed bad.”
Electrified cars might work in Norway — it’s a puny country, with relatively brief driving distances, and slew of cash to throw at the problem. But what about thicker places with less cash to throw around? The Norwegians say they have learned one thing here: build them, and they will come.
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So many have come, the government will commence phasing out the subsidies, according to Norway’s deputy environmental minister Lars Lunde.
“When you get to the real big market share of course the benefit has to be phased out,” said Lunde. He added that it is their intention to eventually be one hundred percent electrified.
What the Norwegians have done is switch the photo of electrified cars. According to Halvorden’s daughter, they’ve made them seem, well, cool.
Mark Phillips is CBS News senior foreign correspondent, based in London.