Norway leads in large EVs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT9G6uVsuUQ

(Won't properly embed, but viewable in the US at youtube :? )

Living in Norway, electric cars have seen a boost in sales the last years yes. The problem is in the vinter when we often see temperatures of under 15 degrees celsius, making a "non heat producing" EV rather cold. Some are outfitted with gas burners to counter the problem, but it's just a temporary fix as the batteries don't handle the cold climate too well.

I'd never buy one though. Crashing with one of these cars, weighing in at around 5-600 kg, against normal cars in the 1200-1600 range - is certain death. The tax-free situation (making a EV-purchase defendable) is, if I know my own government, prone to change at any time. Tbh, a hybrid polluting under 100g Co2/km is a better purchase - and should have had equal tax-reliefs as the fully electric cars. Looking at life cycle emissions, "green" cars aren't spectacularly green.

That being said, I'd never buy a Volt.

Teh Stork said:

I'd never buy one though. Crashing with one of these cars, weighing in at around 5-600 kg, against normal cars in the 1200-1600 range - is certain death.

Click to expand...

Buying a car to drive it or crash it? I don't know about Norway, but here we have a whole load of motorcycles and bicycles that share the road with vehicles much lighter and less protected, and they aren't stopped by fear.

Teh Stork said:

The tax-free situation (making a EV-purchase defendable) is, if I know my own government, prone to change at any time.

Click to expand...

It's only gotta exist when you buy it right?

Teh Stork said:

Tbh, a hybrid polluting under 100g Co2/km is a better purchase - and should have had equal tax-reliefs as the fully electric cars. Looking at life cycle emissions, "green" cars aren't spectacularly green.

Click to expand...

In the days of Nickel and lead based battery chemistries, this was true. With modern Lithium battery chemistries and vastly improved manufacturing, along with many EV cell options in the 5,000-15,000 cycle life range (meaning the battery will last the whole life of the vehicle needing nothing), and a EV makes a massive improvement in "green" vs the best gasoline, diesel, or hybrids of either. Generally, the difference in energy (and pollution) to manufacture an electric vs a gasoline car is balanced in the first 10-20 tanks of fuel used by the gasoline car. From there out, your environmental impact is only from the source of the energy you charge with, which is easy enough to get hydro/solar/wind/tidal etc.

But none of those things are what matters to me. It's that an electric car doesn't requiring mailing of a piece of your countries economy to the sand-folks to put another layer of gold plating on the sand dunes. Electrics let transportation energy come from your local economy and hopefully local renewable resources, so it's not just bleeding out a country the way oil does.

Teh Stork said:

That being said, I'd never buy a Volt.

Click to expand...

[/quote]

That makes two of us. Anyone purchasing a product from GM/Mopar/FoMoCo likely has down-syndrome.