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33 reasons to choose an electric car
We asked electric car drivers what they think are the best reasons to drive an electric car rather than a petrol or diesel-powered car.
There are many good reasons to choose to drive electric. Some of them are benefits that the Norwegian authorities have adopted to get more people to choose a more climate- and environmentally-friendly means of transport. But the vast majority of the benefits come from the fact that electric cars are simply very good vehicles.
Let’s start with the benefits deriving from policy:
Low purchase price: When you buy an electric car, you do not pay VAT on the first NOK 500,000 of the purchase amount. This means that many electric cars are completely VAT-free, and all electric cars have less VAT than similarly priced petrol and diesel cars.
No one-off tax: When buying an electric car, you also do not pay a one-off tax. From 2023, a weight tax will be introduced, which entails approx. NOK 20-30,000 higher fee depending on the weight of the car.
Cheaper parking: In many municipalities, electric cars can park at a reduced price in municipal car parks. There may be zones where electric cars also have to pay the normal fee.
Cheaper toll charges: Electric cars pay a reduced charge when passing through toll barriers. The Norwegian parliament has decided that electric car drivers should never pay over 70% of the toll charged to petrol and diesel drivers.
Drive in the public transport lane: The electric car saves you time on the way to work as you can speed past the queue in the public transport lane in many places. Remember that there is often a requirement for at least one passenger in the car.
Cheaper ferry crossings: The Norwegian Parliament has decided that electric motorists must must pay a maximum of half of what petrol and diesel motorists pay on ferries.
Then come the advantages that the electric car has anyway, even without the political incentives:
There are many cool electric cars to choose from. The choice has skyrocketed and cars that run on clean electricity now dominate the sales charts.
Low fuel costs: Charging the electric car at home costs approximately NOK 2 - 4 per 10 km. For a petrol or diesel car, this often costs four times as much. You quickly save 50% or more per 10 km. If you also charge smart with Smart Charging from Fortum, you can save even more. You will have full control and visibility over charging and electricity prices in the My Fortum app, and a 15% discount when you use Fortum Charge & Drive at charging stations in Norway.
You help to reduce local pollution: An electric car has no local emissions. Diesel exhaust is really bad for asthmatics.
You help to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions: When you drive an electric car in Norway, you charge it almost exclusively with electricity from renewable energy sources. Even with the power mix used in the rest of Europe, the electric car is better for the climate than petrol and diesel cars. All over the world, more and more renewable energy production is being developed.
The fuel gives you more energy for your money: The efficiency of an electric car engine (the proportion of the energy in the fuel that the motor can use) is between 60 and 85%. At best, the efficiency of a petrol engine is below 30%. That means that 70% of the energy you put into a petrol car is lost as heat. Or to put it another way: If you fill up with petrol for NOK 500, NOK 350 just vanishes.
Less noise: In a petrol car, a flammable liquid is pumped through a pipe and injected into a cylinder where it is mixed with air, compressed and ignited to make the car move forward. That process does not occur in an electric car, so it produces less noise, which is good for you and for your surroundings.
Cheaper servicing: As the motor in an electric car is a simpler design than a petrol or diesel engine, the servicing costs are lower.
Fewer things to break: With a simpler engine with fewer moving parts, there are also fewer things that can break. No exhaust system, fan belt, antifreeze, radiator etc.
No more scraping ice off: You can use an app to ensure that the electric car is always warm when you get in, wherever you are parked.
You wake up to a fully charged car every morning. Plug the electric car into the home charging station before you go to bed and wake up to a fully charged car every day.
Safe idling: You don’t harm anyone when you leave your car idling while you sit and wait for someone.
You recover energy as you coast: Electric cars have a built-in “dynamo” which puts energy back into the battery when you take your foot off the accelerator and let the car coast.
Quick response: An electric car reacts very quickly when you step on the accelerator. You are through the traffic lights before the car behind you is in gear.
Great for learning: Something as easy to use as an electric car is perfect for learning to drive.
You don’t have to look out for when petrol and diesel prices are at their lowest. The electricity price varies so little that it hardly affects the price of charging the car.
No need to change the oil: The electric motor runs just fine without any oil.
You can sneak home late at night without waking anyone in the house
A warm car every morning: You can set a timer to ensure that the car is warm every time you set off for work. If the car is connected to the home charging station, the battery will also be fully charged.
Cheap insurance: Many electric cars are cheap to insure.
Early adopter of new technology: It’s fun and useful to be among the first to learn new technology. As an electric car owner, you contribute to the continuing development of emission-free cars.
Less worry about starting problems in the cold. Many of the problems that make petrol and diesel cars difficult to start when it is very cold do not apply to electric cars.
No more changing gear: An electric car goes forwards and backwards. That’s it.
You can produce your own fuel: With solar panels on the roof, you can produce the electricity that charges your car yourself.
The car warms up quickly: A heating element and heat pump provide heat in the car without having to warm up a cold engine first.
You become a more careful driver: The range and its sensitivity to your driving style are an education in the traffic. You get an immediate reward for driving nicely in the form of increased range.
Comfort: Electric cars are comfortable cars. Gone are the days when electric cars were just little tin cans on wheels.
Charge the car anywhere: New charging stations for electric cars are being built all the time. Shopping malls and other stores are also upgrading their car parks with charging facilities. That means you can charge your car while you do something else, such as grocery shopping or eating a meal. With the Fortum Charge & Drive app, you can quickly find the nearest charging station when you need a top-up on the road.
