Norway still considering a ban on all cars powered by fossil fuels
We first heard about a proposal to ban cars powered solely by fossil fuels way back in 2007. According to Finance Minister Kristin Halvorsen, the plan "is much more realistic than people think when they first hear about" it and is still very much in the works. Still, it's highly unlikely that the proposal would come to fruition due to opposition from current Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.Under the proposal, no automaker could sell a new vehicle from 2015 onward in Norway that has no provisions for the use of biofuels, electricity or hydrogen. Hybrid vehicles that share propulsion duties between an electric motor and a gasoline or diesel engine would be allowed, as would flex-fuel vehicles. Older cars and trucks that were sold prior to 2015 wouldn't be affected by this legislation.
Interestingly, Norway is the world's sixth-largest producer of oil. Halvorsen said, "We know that the world will be dependent on oil and gas for many decades ahead, but we have to introduce new technologies and this is a proposal to support that."
[Source: Reuters]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Hank 1:43PM (4/27/2009)
So, they are setting things up so that all that oil revenue will be foreign money coming into Norway, boosting their economy, instead of simply swapping pockets within their borders?
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Andrew 3:53PM (4/28/2009)
We already do that. The oil and gas income is not even spent locally, it's invested abroad by one huge sovereign fund managed by the national bank.
The money is saved for future generations, only the surplus is used in the domestic economy (by law).
With a mere 4.6 million people we don't need much oil. 99% of our energy needs are met by our own hydroelectric power plants.
We export practically all of our oil and gas, and what's used domestically is tax HEAVILY.
We pay the highest price gasoline anywhere in the world! We pay something like $6 per gallon (11 NOK / liter).
win39 2:24PM (4/27/2009)
It seems to me that specifying hardware is always a mistake. It requires you to predict the future of technology. A simple and stringent carbon tax would accomplish the same goal without specifying the technology mix that does it. A performance standard like carbon emissions also prevents the addition of "show hardware" that does little to improve emissions just to satisfy the hardware requirement. No one could have predicted the CVCC design by Honda. Hardware regulation would have locked us into 1970s emissions levels.
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Stan Wellaway 2:35PM (4/27/2009)
The International Battery, Hybrid & Fuellcell Electric Vehicle Symposium & Exhibition is held every 18 months. The last one, EVS-23, was in California (December 2007). The next one, EVS-24, is being held next month in.... Norway.
So this proposal is nicely timed to stir up discussion and debate ahead of that event.
Website http://www.evs24.org/
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Carney 9:43AM (4/28/2009)
I note that conspicuous by its glaring absence in this Expo is alcohol fuel and flex-fuel, which is THE most practical and affordable solution for the short and mid-term.
Carney 3:05PM (4/27/2009)
I'm very happy about this. I hadn't thought of a more broadly sweeping "no petroleum-only" approach, but that's what I support.
Of a necessity in such a case, flex-fuel cars would win since dedicated hybrids are extremely limited in selection, EVs are expensive and/or small, hybrid versions of existing models are much more expensive, and other alt-fuels are either awkward or wholly impractical.
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TopaZ 4:13PM (4/27/2009)
@Win39
Although no matter how stringent, doesn't the carbon tax allow wealthy companies to "pay to pollute" as is going on in the States?
I guess i'm proposing an even stricter guideline: No petroleum cars...period. (Hybrid or otherwise). We've proven they harm the air we breathe, and of innocent people who don't even use petroleum but live under its spectre.
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Seth 4:22PM (4/27/2009)
"no petroleum only" is what should be done. You can still use petroleum, or not, but at least you are given the choice.
Chris M 2:55AM (4/28/2009)
Well, it appears there is a huge loophole in that law - just add any sort of "hybrid" or "flex-fuel" capability and they are set. Not only that, but there will be lots of plug-ins and flex-fuels available long before 2015, so this law won't really do much that wouldn't happen anyway.
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Carney 9:49AM (4/28/2009)
I don't permitting continued gasoline compatibility in alt-fuel cars as a "loophole", rather as a concession to realism and a desire to actually pass and implement the proposal. Once most cars out there are alternative compatible, you can start to ban or effectively ban petroleum fuel.
What I do object to is the timeline. It's practical and possible to simply mandate 100% alternative compatibility in all new cars by the next model year, since it only costs automakers $100 to add ethanol and $130 for ethanol / methanol / any alcohol compatibility. There's really no excuse not to do that immediately.
MikeW 4:40PM (4/28/2009)
Good thing that oil isn't a fossil fuel.
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David McKay 8:40PM (4/28/2009)
If they really want to make a point, if they really want to take a stand against fossil fuels, then they should apply this to ships, boats, and heating fuels....... that should focus the debate for the people of Norway.
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Stan Wellaway 5:28AM (4/29/2009)
Norway is not alone. Ireland has already declared ambitious targets for EV use - and in today's Irish Times there is talk of even bigger targets -
...A new report from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security recommends targets whereby all new cars on sale by 2020 would have electric engines, with at least 350,000 electric vehicles in use by that year, 100,000 more than the target already set by the Government....
...By 2016, the committee wants 100,000 privately-operated battery electric vehicles on Irish roads. No petrol or diesel engines will be sold as new cars by 2020 – the difference between running them and running electric vehicles will be so vast there will be no demand, said the report’s author...
....“This is the biggest carbon-reduction initiative under consideration by Government, bar none..."
...The committee pointed out that Ireland is suited to the rollout of electric vehicles by virtue of its size, the fact that it is an island nation and the potential of wind energy....
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/motors/2009/0429/1224245586879.html
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eric 5:34AM (5/12/2009)
Norway should do something about thier roads.
Check this out and you'll see what I mean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEE4sHyocI0
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