'There are just too many electric cars'
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304101504579545760417742286 In Oslo, Electric Cars Drive Bus Operators Crazy By Ellen Emmerentze Jervell and John D. Stoll connect May 20, 2014 [video flash Electric vehicles are on the rise in the Norwegian capital, but should they be allowed to drive in the bus lane? ] Government Incentives Fuel Sales of EVs in Norway, but Transit Workers Gripe About Vehicles in Their Lane OSLO—The rise of the electric vehicle may be working to chip away at emissions here in oil-rich Norway, but it is creating an unexpected headache for some of the most important people in the nation's big city—bus drivers. In the capital, Oslo, sales of electric vehicles have ballooned as well-heeled Norwegians take advantage of generous government incentives aimed at juicing sales of cars that run on batteries. Incentives include a number of tax breaks, free car-charging stations in municipal parking lots and exemptions from certain tolls. But the biggest prize may be the unfettered access electric cars have to bus lanes. Oslo's traffic can be gnarly during rush hour, and people are increasingly turning to the Tesla Model S, Nissan Leaf and Peugeot iOn, vehicles that qualify them to take the faster track without worries about fines. This is good for the environment, but bad for drivers of buses who are trying to stay on schedule. "The EVs have to get out of the bus lane," Erik Haugstad said in an interview while driving one of Oslo's red buses on a sunny spring morning. Mr. Haugstad's eyes darted between the road ahead, his rearview mirror and a little screen outlining the day's timetable. Too often, his bus runs behind. And he knows why. "I know you're upset because the bus is delayed," Mr. Haugstad said over the intercom. "Again, I'm sorry, but there's not much I can do." He pauses, pointing at all the battery-powered automobiles darting in and out of the lane ahead. "There are too many electric cars." Not all the onboard complaints come from professionals on their way to work or parents trying to get their children to school. At one point, an elderly woman confronted the driver because he was several minutes behind and she was in danger of missing her connection. "I'm missing my train now, you know," she scolded. Under normal circumstances, the bus driver thinks of himself as mild-mannered, and his mood has been cheered by an unseasonably warm spring. He likes to use the onboard microphone greeting passengers as if he is Exhibit A for the many polls and studies that suggest Norway is one of the happiest places on Earth. As of April, about 27,500 EVs were on the road in this nation of five million and now represent about 10% of vehicle sales. The bulk of those cars are in the greater Oslo region. In March, Tesla's new Model S sedan set a sales record in Norway for most cars sold in a single month. For Tesla, this small Scandinavian nation is the largest market in the world, after the U.S. Other car companies, including Nissan Motor Corp., have for years seen Norway as a key market and Volkswagen AG is now launching an electric version of the popular Golf that is expected to further expand the appetite. Norway actually has enjoyed a long love affair with EVs. The "Buddy," a tiny car created in the 1990s that weighs about 900 pounds without the battery, can still be seen plying Oslo streets. The clutter in the bus lane has tarnished a trend that otherwise has been a point of pride in this oil-rich nation. This turned men like Frederic Hauge, who heads a nongovernmental organization called Bellona known for combating climate change and aggressively advocating EV incentives, into punching bags. Recently, while driving his Tesla, Mr. Hauge fielded a stream of emailed bus-lane-related complaints from people asking him to intervene. While he understands the debate and believes "buses should continue to have first priority," he insists "not much data has been collected on the issue." Currently, the city and other organizations are locked in debate over what to do. No decisions have been made, and Mr. Hauge argues that before EVs are excluded from the bus lane, less dramatic approaches should be sought. Electric-car owners sense a change is coming. "When something sounds too good to be true, it usually is," Erling Kagge said while driving his Tesla through Oslo the day before Mr. Haugstad criticized drivers like him during his morning route. "On the other hand, as soon as EVs get back into the normal car's lane, that's going to be worse for everyone," Mr. Kagge said. Even if the special lane closes to him, Mr. Kagge—a polar explorer and publisher—hopes that other incentives (such as exemption from Norway's 25% sales tax and punishing emissions-related charges) remain. In weighing how to proceed, politicians have to make a tough call. Oslo's mayor, Fabian Stang, has bragged that his city is "the capital of electric vehicles," and he sometimes rides through town on an electric bicycle. "You may call Oslo a pot of traffic and this is a big issue for us," he said at a recent parade in front of the hulking building that houses municipal offices. Ultimately, he said, "we want to avoid pollution" and since people need to drive to work anyway, the city needs to do all it can to get those people into electric vehicles. If Mr. Kagge, the explorer, is any gauge, the rise of more legitimate electric cars like a lightning-fast Tesla that can go more than 250 miles on a single charge is reducing the need for a variety of perks. "Let's face it, we don't buy Teslas to be nice," he said. "Once it's this cheap and looks this good, well, of course we want a Tesla." [© online.wsj.com] ... http://green.autoblog.com/2014/05/23/in-oslo-too-many-evs-anger-at-least-one-bus-driver/ EVs have to get out of the bus lane ... There are too many EVs May. 23, 2014 For all EVLN posts use: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=evln&sort=date http://gas2.org/2014/05/20/ev-sales-progressing-faster-hybrids-decade-ago/ EV Sales Progressing Faster Than Hybrids Did A Decade Ago ... http://www.treehugger.com/cars/electric-cars-are-selling-much-better-hydrids-did.html http://247wallst.com/autos/2014/05/20/are-carmakers-ready-for-technological-change/ Are Carmakers Ready for Technological Change? http://venturebeat.com/2014/05/19/which-electric-cars-are-the-fastest/ Which electric cars are the fastest? http://www.gizmag.com/daymaks-beast-off-road-ebike/32145/ The Daymak Beast solar-powered off-road e-cycle http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/byrom-washom-master-of-the-microgrid EV happy hour= charging during solar peaks + the duck curve + EVLN: Crushed ActiveE EVs> Can drivers put the GM EV1 debacle in the past? {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-EVs-Drive-Oslo-Bus-Operators-Crazy-tp4669739.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
