Norway’s Socialist Left Party has proposed a radical plan to outlaw all new sales of petrol-powered vehicles by 2015. But don’t run out and sell your car just yet because the ban is still just a proposal, and not a particularly popular one at that.
However, should the government jump onboard, Norway’s streets could be filled with Priuses, Volts and other electric, hybrid or biodiesel cars within six years. Debate is currently focused on how involved the Norwegian government should become in promoting such a landmark transition.
Industry analysts point to the 1970s, which saw major debates over the forced increase of environmental and safety measures in the United States. Once in place, those revolutionary regulations proved to be insightful and successful. Pundits are now wondering whether Norway’s government might be wise to insist on a similar changeover to cleaner vehicles.
The ban on fossil fuel-powered vehicles may appear a strange idea coming from the world’s sixth biggest exporter of oil, but Scandinavia often leads the way in earth-friendly global initiatives. The ban would not force existing petrol-powered cars off Norway’s roads, but it would outlaw the purchase of any new cars that aren’t at least hybrids. Diehard fossil-fuel burners don’t have to worry if the ban is passed, however, because they can always stick with used cars.
wanna ride an eletric car in the nearest future ?
read this first, then move there: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/engineering/article6122359.ece
NIKOS, I DON´T THINK ICELANDERS CAN AFFORD TO BUY CARS LIKE THAT ANYMORE. THEY ARE ALREADY TRYING TO GET RID OF WHAT THEY HAVE SO THEY CAN GET RID OF THE LOANS THEY HAVE TO PAY. HOW MANY CARS HAVE BEEN SHIPED FROM ICELAND ABROAD??
AXEL, THE UNDERWATER CAR IS JUST GREAT, THE PROBLEM IS THAT IT IS TOO SLOW AND YOU GET WET… AND I DON´T THINK ANYONE WOULD TRY THAT CAR IN THE VERY COLD ICED NORDIC WATERS… HEHEHE, MAYBE IN IBIZA ??
OYSTEN, THE THINK COMPANY HAS ITS MAJOR BUSINESS LAUNCHING PROJECT WITH SPAIN…
“Spain’s Industry Ministry is enthusiastically supporting the introduction of EVs in Spain, and they are aiming to install electric car infrastructure in several cities as well as subsidizing the government, municipal and private purchase of smaller EV fleets.
“The Spanish government is providing 10 million Euros to support the early introduction of electric vehicles. I am delighted to see that Think’s cars are being delivered already this year, so we can prepare the ground for a fast transition to clean vehicles, said Mr. Juan Luis Pla, Manager of Transport – IDAE- Ministry of Industry.”
AND BALKANSON, THIS IS HOW BAD SPAIN IS DOING IN COMPARISON TO ICELAND:
“Innovation in Motion
Spain is now the world’s eighth-largest economy and the fastest
growing in the European Union. It represents more than 2.5%
of the world’s total GDP and a third of all new jobs created in
the Eurozone last year. Spain is fast becoming a leader in in-
novation and generating advanced solutions in the industries of
aerospace, renewable energies, water treatment, rail, biotechnol-
ogy, industrial machinery and civil engineering. Spanish firms are
innovators in the field of public-works finance and management,
where six of the world’s top ten companies are from Spain. Where
innovation thrives, so will the successful global enterprises of the
21st century.
To find out more about technology opportunities in Spain, visit:
http://www.spainbusiness.com
To find out more about New Technologies in Spain, visit:
http://www.technologyreview.com/spain/solar
BALKANSON, NOTHING WORSE THAN A MISINFORMED PERSON POSTING COMMENTS THAT ARE NOT BASED IN FACTS BUT IN “OLD” AND “OBSOLETE” IDEAS ABOUT OTHER COUNTRIES. SPAIN HAS CHANGED A LOT, AND NO DOUBT THAT ITS EU MEMBERSHIP IS PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE. WE HAVE MADE THE TRANSITION FROM THE “FISH” TO POSTMODERNITY…
ICELAND SEEMS TO BE WILLING TO KEEP GOING ON JUST ON FISH…
Øystein,
In Holland you are considered a pussy when you wear a helmet, riding a bike. :-)
The one guy with a helmet you saw was probably a foreigner.
There are quite some accidents with bikes off course (in fact I saw one, just in front of my own car, 2 weeks ago) but less than you would expect since car and bike traffic are very much seperated (there are special lanes for bikes).
Hopeyu had a nice time. Unfortunately the weather was not so great last weekend :-(
OYSTEN, I CANT WAIT TO GET MY ELECTRIC CAR, BUT MY DREAM CAR IS AN ELECTRIC VOLVO OR AT LEAST HYBRID VOLVO
DO THEY MAKE HYBRID OR ELECTRIC VOLVOS?
>AE – I don´t look at it as a problem if I was able to fill my car in my own garage. I have never enjoyed filling stations.
Freedom of choice is when thing is made possible. Most people live in populated areas – a traditional car does not give the same freedom in a big city as other kind of public transportation. Remember, cars need space, which is expensive in the cities.
I was in Amsterdam last weekend. There was a lot of people, bikes, trams/trains. The strangest thing I saw was probably a Hummer in one of the small streets.
Niels: How many bike accidents are there in Amsterdam each year? ;-) – I saw only one biker with a helmet.
Check this out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR2sb1wchXQ&feature=related
We don’t have a lot of Porsche hybrids here,
lots of Lexus 400 and Prius,
This Buddy thing is so ugly and small it will never sell, the only small cars that actually have been successful are Mini and Smart, for 4 reasons,
1. being cost effective
2. look
3. reliable
4. survives a crash test (can be sold in country’s that have safety standards)
The Buddy could sell in India or similar places if its very cheap and no alternatives are offered.
the Chinese will dominate this market.
this idea of a fossil fuel ban is a joke,
there is no chance of this happening in Norway
its a nice fairy tail, but you have to be really childish to believe this.
This will be legal – perfect for Icelanders :-)
http://www.porsche.com/usa/aboutporsche/porscheandenvironment/hybrid/
LMAO :D
Agree. And you don’t need Porshe either.
But my point is not about cars – as I said it was stupid invention.
My point is about politicians. They think they can solve problems with just “one more law” and few “good” bans….
You can drive Buddy in Oslo. But all over Norway you need a reliable car. Socialists are all the same. One should not forget that exactly the Western socialists legalized the former East European communistic parties are socialistic and social-democratic.
Øystein,
The porsche Cayenne is very popular in Moscow.
In this vid russian cops are waiting for some criminals who will pass by….in a black porsche cayenne.
One problem: there are 1000’s of such cars in Moscow and the first car they attack…is the wrong one.
http://www.dumpert.nl/mediabase/479811/205fb1c8/oeps_verkeerde_porsche_cayenne.html
This will be legal – perfect for Icelanders :-)
http://www.porsche.com/usa/aboutporsche/porscheandenvironment/hybrid/
AE – there is a liberal party that has claimed the same ;-). There will for sure be focus on cars and energy in the future. You don´t need a Hummer for some few km of driving.
Next week will Icelands president, Albert of Monaco and many others come here and look at these new cars. We do at least produce two kind of electric city cars here – and an Indian manufactur wil start the third! The big brands are working hard on this.
“Think” perhaps the most well known:
http://www.think.no/think/Press-Pictures/Press-releases
Buddy has in fact been more succesfull, and have now started a second factory in Portugal.
http://www.elbilnorge.no/
But you need to look at cars in a new way.
“Norway’s Socialist Left Party “…. sounds familiar.
There are always guys who knows what’s better for you. There is slight difference among them only in the methods of “making” people happy. But don’t worry – they will make you to be happy (no matter you want it or not). :-)
Personally, for the record, I consider the invention of the cars (and American model of “car for every person” in particular) as one of the worst in human history. In fact since WW2 number of people killed on roads is comparable with WW2 casualties :-( BUT!
But forcing people is not the way. Let’s say Left guys passes the law – then loose next election – next guys drops the law. So what?
People were not forced by the law to buy and drive fossil fuel cars. So they will drop them as soon as there will be better option. Is somewhere there better option?