Alternative fuel sources for transport, including electricity and biofuels, are fast adapting how we fuel our vehicles and also positively affecting our wallets and the planet. The Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden are taking a leading role in the field – a fact which will be highlighted at the fast-approaching Driving Sustainability conference in Reykjavík this month.
In Norway, more than 3 thousand electric cars already ply the nation’s highways and byways. Government policy dictates that charging their batteries is free of charge, zero emissions EVs get free parking, can drive on bus lanes in the city, get free rides on state run ferries (there are a lot of them in Norway) and there is no VAT on electric cars in Norway, so they’re reasonably priced. ‘Think’ is the leading producer of competitive electric city cars in the world. In addition, Norway produces the tiny Buddy EV electric car.
Sweden uses biogas for vehicles like no other nation to date – having a great many taxis and buses already running on biogas and ethanol since 1996; and the biogas business continues to boom in Sweden.
Swedish auto makers have always been technological leaders, and the development of renewable fuels is no exception, with Volvo in a joint venture with energy company Vattenfall on getting plug-in hybrids on the market by 2012 and Scania already testing six hybrid ethanol buses on the streets of Stockholm.
In Denmark, a company called Better Place is collaborating with Dong Energy to establish charging infrastructure for electric cars to be powered with electricity from the country’s many wind mills.
Finland has made itself a global leader in the field of biodiesel research and production and also home to Valmet Automotive which is taking over the production of Norway’s Think this year, and is also the producer of the exciting Fisker Karma luxury plug-in hybrid.
Iceland, meanwhile, is at the global sharp end in terms of renewable energy research and production, with 80 percent of its energy consumption from renewable hydro and geothermal sources. The tiny island nation has been testing hydrogen cars and buses for years. Last year Iceland signed an agreement with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on fleet testing of the electric i-MiEV and the development of service network for such cars. Following Iceland’s economic collapse in 2008, the Icelandic Government has been working on a holistic energy policy with the aim of domestically produced renewable energy taking over from imported fossil fuels.
A lot more information on these important issues and on the upcoming Driving Sustainability Conference can be found at www.drivingsustainability.org
