{"id":834,"date":"2017-03-11T15:53:47","date_gmt":"2017-03-11T20:53:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/l-stires.com\/thinking-slowly\/?p=834"},"modified":"2017-03-11T15:55:07","modified_gmt":"2017-03-11T20:55:07","slug":"norway-on-the-right-track","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/l-stires.com\/thinking-slowly\/norway-on-the-right-track\/","title":{"rendered":"Norway: On the Right Track"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>Norway is the world\u2019s leader<\/a> in use of zero-emission, fully electric vehicles (EVs). They have 100,000 EVs on the road, over 5% of Norway\u2019s cars. Thirty-seven percent of the new cars purchased in Norway last year were EVs. Norway\u2019s transportation minister anticipates that the number of EVs on the road will rise to 400,000 in 2020, and that the sale of fuel burning cars will end by 2025.\n

Chevrolet Bolt<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s a good reason for these trends\u2014incentives<\/a>. EVs are exempt from Norway\u2019s value-added tax, which adds 50% to the cost of a new vehicle. They are also exempt from road tolls and tunnel and ferry charges. And they get free parking, free charging and the freedom to use bus lanes. These incentives have been so successful that Norwegian politicians are rolling them back. The value-added tax will soon be replaced by a subsidy, which may eventually be phased out. EV owners will have to start paying 50% of the state road charges in 2018, and local authorities are now free to curtail free parking, local tolls, and the use of bus lanes.<\/p>\n

Norway isn\u2019t the only place where EV sales are booming. There were over two million electric cars<\/a> on the road by the end of last year. Here\u2019s the world-wide trend.<\/a>How good are all-electric vehicles for the environment? Very. This video reports the results of a recent analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists<\/a>.<\/p>\n