Wherever I travel one of my favorite things to do is make note of which are the regional cars of choice.
I don't allocate time for this specific activity or use an actual notebook of course. It's easy to do while on the road whether driving in my own hire car, biking, walking or on a bus.
What Do Norwegians Drive?
In Norway I recently had the chance to see what Norwegians drive. As expected there were many Teslas and Volvos. I had read that Teslas were popular in Norway due to government incentives that make the powerful but drive-range challenged EVs more attractive than they otherwise would be.
With it's 500,000 plus units, Norway is 2nd only to China when it comes to the number of electric cars on the road. Free charging, exemption from the standard 25% sales tax and other incentives will artificially inflate demand for EVs like that.
With Sweden as a neighbor it was also natural to expect many Volvos on the roads and I was able to drive a V60 with the D2 diesel power plant around the fjords of Hordaland. I found it a attractive and efficient wagon but a bit low on power (should have been a D4 or D5).
More Than Just Teslas
Teslas don't have free reign over the charging stations of Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger and other Norwegian cities though. The American EVs are popular but so are three other smaller, more affordable battery powered vehicles:
Nissan Leaf
BMW i3
VW e-Golf
Since I spent all my time around the cities of Bergen and Oslo -other than the drive about the fjords- it would be interesting to see if the popularity of these models persist throughout Norway into the more Northern and more remote areas where I presume charging stations are fewer and traveling distances more expansive.
The Tesla Model S 100D has the best operational range by far at roughly 324 miles (full charge, 65 MPH, 50 degrees F, heat on) but spending much, much less on a smaller electric car like the 2018 Nissan Leaf would still get you 150 miles in operational range.
Nevertheless, only top-level Model S would have the ability to drive from Oslo to other major regional cities like Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim or Sweden's Stockholm without a recharge en route.
Personally I think I'd prefer one of the popular Europe market VW Passats with a powerful twin-turbo diesel capable of 42 MPG and a much longer driving range between fill ups. I do however see the attractiveness of a small, efficient EV for living in a urban environment especially when making purchasing decisions under the current market conditions.
While I would prefer to see zero government incentives shaping the car industry in any country, Norway might be the best candidate for EV heaven on earth given it's hydro-electric power and massive state sovereign wealth fund.
What Do You Think?
- Are you Norwegian or have you visited Norway?
- What's your opinion of the Norwegian government's incentives to promote EV adoption?
- What is your favorite electric car available today?