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posted by takyon on Tuesday July 09 2019, @01:02AM   Printer-friendly
from the just-looking dept.

Already about half the cars being sold in Norway are electric. The country is so well-stocked with charging stations that it is promoting tourism opportunities to electric vehicle owners (archive). The Norwegian Automotive Association even has an electric vehicle tourist guide for the country. Some toll roads and the ubiquitous ferries there give discounts to electric cars. Depending on the region, parking may even be free of charge.

From Wired:

Norway's forward-thinking approach to transportation has become not just a point of pride for the country but a bona fide means of attracting tourism. The Norwegian government even maintains a website dedicated to encouraging EV aficionados to visit. That's not crazy: Ecotourism and sustainable travel of this type have grown significantly in recent years. So just like you might go to Botswana for an ethical safari, or to British Columbia for the legal weed and immense preserves of old growth redwoods, you can head to Norway to immerse yourself in a unique landscape and culture, and simultaneously experience what the world can be like when people work together to solve big problems.


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  • (Score: 4, Informative) by bzipitidoo on Tuesday July 09 2019, @04:59AM

    by bzipitidoo (4388) on Tuesday July 09 2019, @04:59AM (#864859) Journal

    As an owner of an electric car, I have found charging stations such a problem that I stopped even trying to use them. There aren't enough. The existing stations may not be working. If they are working, there could still be technical difficulties that prevent recharging. Pay stations are especially bad that way. To pay, need a smartphone, with cellular Internet, the appropriate app installed, and you need an account set up. There are several networks, and you need a different app and account for each one. Can't just swipe a credit card like you can at almost any gas pump. Even when I have all that, the station might still refuse to work. Finally, the station might be occupied, and if it is, it may be hours before it's free again since recharging takes such a long time. It could also be blocked (ICEd as they call it) by a gas vehicle. Sometimes the driver was simply oblivious, but sometimes, it's a deliberate act of malice.

    Even if you get past all that, it takes hours to recharge an appreciable amount. Which means, unlike gas stations along your route, charging stations along your route are impractical. Have to have a charging station close to your destination. And by close, I'd say no more than 1 km, unless you have an hour or more to spend on walking after your outbound drive and again before your return trip.

    So I decided the hell with all that, and only recharge at home. If the car doesn't have the range to make a round trip, then I take a gas burner.

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