Norway is on the right way

This year, I spent my summer vacations in Norway. When you arrive in Norway you are immediately taken away by its breathtaking nature. The Norwegian landscape is so overwhelming that sometimes you can't believe your own eyes! It is as if, the background on your monitor has come to life.

Norwegians are aware of their amazing nature and they are taking numerous measures in order to preserve this wonderful treasure.

One of the first things you notice in Norway, is the abundance of charging stations for electric vehicles even in the small towns and villages. Villages with the population of just 250 people are equipped with charging stations throughout the village.

This makes travelling with electric cars through out Norway much easier and even villagers can use electric vehicles and keep the air of their communities clean and fresh. I remember the sight of a farmer in the village of Geiranger, with his tractor parked next to his Tesla.

The Norwegian government has set a very ambitious goal of abolishing the use of any gasoline and diesel cars by the year 2025. In 2018, 45% of cars in Norway were all electric, which puts Norway on top of the list of electric car users per capita in the world.

The government has been giving many generous incentives, in order to encourage people to use and buy electric vehicles. Incentives such as, no sales tax, no VAT, free parking, lower yearly fee, no tolls for the roads, availability of fast charging stations throughout the country and in addition to those, the electric cars users can use the bus lane in some areas of the cities, in order to drive around the city much faster.

Even though Norway has one the largest oil reserves in the world, the government is thinking about the future. Future with less pollution and a healthier environment for the citizens. Therefore 98% of Norwegian power comes from hydroelectricity rather than oil. Due to the production and extraction of oil, Norway has a very high Green House Gas emission, but they are planning to reduce that by using less oil and preserve their beautiful nature by moving towards energies of the future. Energies that are less pollutant and more sustainable.

Many governments talk about sustainability, clean environment and green policies, but Norwegian government has shown that instead of talks it has acted. It has provided the incentives and the infrastructure, so that every citizen throughout the country can help implementing green policies. Every citizen can enjoy using electric cars without any obstacles, and you can enjoy a ride with your electric vehicle while you are travelling through the breathtaking Norwegian landscape.

Perhaps every government that talks about sustainability and green agendas, can learn from their Norwegian counterparts and take actions.