Looking for EV's - Oslo, Norway

Having spent these last days in Oslo, i can assert that this is the place where the title of this tag of articles makes less sense, because EV's were...Everywhere.

Specialists have crowned Oslo as the EV Capital of the World, and rightly so, because the typical Tron-like zoom is already part of the sound-landscape of the city, sure, the diesel-clattering is more common still, but it was also relatively easy to find lines of two or three electric cars on the road.

But first things first, before getting to Oslo, one must leave the airport and travel between the local airport and the city itself, it is a 20 to 30 minutes trip on the highway, where one can see a major difference between the first kilometers, where electric cars were rarer and composed mainly by Tesla Model S, Nissan Leaf and VW e-Golf, and the final kilometers, closer to the urban toll, where EV's are not only more common and diverse, but you start to see the I-Miev triplets, among other small cars. 

There i realized my first Oslo lesson...

Lesson Number One - Many drivers drive EV to avoid Urban Toll.

At 660.000 inhabitants, Oslo is not one of that large Metropolis with high rises and congested streets, here the vibe is more relaxed and the large amount of regular hybrids (More popular than plug-ins) and EV's zooming around just add to that feeling.

Plug-in owners might start to stress when they want to park and charge at the same time, while there are parking lots with multiple charging plugs, like the one pictured above, the city downtown hasn't got that many side way charging, and the places that had them, were always full.

This is probably an impossible equation to solve, but the city center, which was the only place where there was high vehicle density and stop-and-go traffic, there is little possibility to charge there.

Lesson Number Two - Charging is more needed where there is more traffic density. 

Lesson Number Two B - Utility companies have a good opportunity here, paid charging at city centers are a guarantee of high rotation and continuous revenue.

But for drivers that don't mind walking a few minutes, just outside the city center there are a number of parking lots with EVSE, with the most interesting of them being the one pictured above, close to the City Harbour, which has some 20 to 30 charging spots to charge, with the most interesting bit being the fact that ICE vehicles are not allowed to go into this parking lot.

At the time of the visit, in the middle of the afternoon, the parking was half full, which meant some 10/15 EV's charging at once in the same place and no gas car in sight...

Never like then i felt the EV future so close.

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Looking For EV's - Spain (Barcelona)

 

Toyota Prius taxis are everywhere...

The first thing that struck me when I arrived at the Airport was the large amount of Toyota Prius taxis, I know they are not plug-ins and they shouldn’t be on this post, but it was hard to escape the fact that some 25% of all taxis were Priuses (Prii? What’s the name for a group of Prius?), with this model representing an even larger percentage of taxis in the Old Town.

I knew the Toyota Prius was a popular choice for taxi fleets in Spain, but in Barcelona they have a high point, and it’s not only taxis, the Police also uses them.

...I mean, EVERYWHERE

 Third Generation (The one above) represent the largest part of them, but there’s also some Second Generation units running around, as well as the seven seater Prius + / V.

First and Fourth Generations are a rarity, I saw one of each but both were from private owners.

Moving on to actual EV’s, the most visible were fleet units, as with the City-owned Piaggio EV’s, working as garbage trucks in the narrow Ramblas of the Old Town…

Piaggio EV mini-garbage trucks

 …Or the rental Renault Twizzies, which are one of the best ways to know the town, not only they feel at ease in the (many times) clogged streets of Barcelona, but they are also a blast to drive, especially once you incorporate the vacations-modeand let yourself go from every day rational thinking, as this is probably one of the most suited vehicles to use during the always short summer vacations periods.

33ºC, sun & beaches nearby: The ideal place for a Twizy 

Back to more mainstream EV’s, there weren’t that many zooming around, I counted one Renault Zoe, one BMW i3 and two Nissan Leaf’s, one of them being a taxi.

These days spent here helped me to understand why the Spanish EV Market has such high share of LCV’s and fleet deals, it seems that private buyers are still unaware / reluctant to jump into the EV Bandwagon, whereas fleet buyers, both public and private, are more open to it, not only on light vehicles, but also regarding buses, as an important percentage of them were either hybrid or running on Natural Gas.

A final note for a Solar Hybrid Catamaran boat that makes small cruise trips along the Barcelona Coast, the lack of engine noise during the trip makes the whole experience much more pleasant and inviting, making me wonder if the next step for transport electrification won’t happen in boats…

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Looking for EV's - Belgium (Brussels)

The upcoming Euro '16 Cup and EV's: A BMW i8 wearing the Belgian Football Team colors. 

Because of my work on the EAFO project, i have been visiting regularly Brussels, and so it was possible to see how EV's are spreading through "The Heart of Europe".

Say that, slowly spreading. Unlike neighboring Holland, where you can bump into plug-ins in any given journey, here you still have to be on the lookout to spot EV's, just like in 2013, but since then a new model has landed and helped change the landscape and most importantly, people's minds...

Tesla Model S - The Californian Sports Sedan is currently the most common EV in the Brussels area, especially in the most affluent suburbs of Belgium's Capital. The fact that plug-ins have a very (Very) favorable company tax system, helps high-priced plug-ins to succeed, as it is visible in the local EV market ranking.

Another symptom of this distorted ranking, is the fact that you can see a number of plug-in Volvo XC90 and Porsche's running around in those suburbs, while more humbler EV's, like the I-Miev triplets, are more difficult to spot. 

In fact, while other dealerships, like Audi, VW and especially BMW, have their plug-ins to show, Renault seems oblivious of their electric offerings in their stands, so a prospective buyer of a Zoe must have a tough job to get its hands on one, and a reason why BMW's i3 or Audi A3 e-Tron's are easier to see than any zero-emission Renault model.

One of the most quirky things Brussels has to offer when it comes to EV's, is the BYD e6 taxi fleet, despite the small numbers, 36 in total, because they are taxis and are always running around (Big batteries help), they are a relatively common sight, not Tesla-common, but close.

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Looking for EV's - Saltspring Island (Canada)

During several discussions over the years i had regarding EV's, one of the recurring topics has been that EV's make (even) more sense in small islands / territories, especially in mild climates, where range anxiety / degradation isn't much of a concern.

As an example of these facts, here is a case study that one of our readers introduced me to, and something that i think could be replicated elsewhere, the territory in hand is Saltspring Island, a 183 km2 island between Vancouver and Victoria, in Canada's BC, where it is claimed to have one of the highest concentrations of pure electrics in the American Continent, with 61 EV's in a population of 10.000 inhabitants.  

Here are a couple of links to know more about this case study, where you will find some basic but important initiatives that ordinary people did to help EV owners, in the spirit of "Do to other as you wish them to do to you.": 

http://evlife.ca/articles/importance-metrics

http://evlife.ca/articles/salt-spring-island-electric-vehicle-charging-etiquette-card

If you know more cases as the one described above, please communicate them to our email (efeelblog@gmail.com), so more people know about it and benefit from the exchange of experiences between EV promoters.

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Where's Wally - Looking For EV's in Spain

Fast-Charging Station in Marbella with an I-Miev in the background

Some weeks ago i had the chance to spend some days in the Spanish province of Andalucia and i took the opportunity to look for EV's there, here's what i saw:

Renault Twizy - Unlike what i thought, they're really not that easy to find in the sunny south of Spain, i only saw one, full of hotel decals and storming through traffic like it was running for its life.

Renault Zoe - I didn't saw them on the streets, but they are present in Renault POS, with a corner in showrooms dedicated to them. I also saw a Fluence ZE in the POS parking lot ready for a test-drive (I think it would be better if they also lined up a Zoe, don't you think?)

Citröen C-Zero in Seville

Mitsubishi I-Miev family(1) - I saw a fair number of them (Three, to be more exact), one belonging to the province government, other to a car-sharing company and the third to a Citröen sales franchise. One thing that struck me was that these cars still grab attention from people, curious on how they look and how they work.

Nissan Leaf - I saw a white one in a shopping center parking lot with the driver in it. No company decals, not a company car, just an anonymous guy in a t-shirt that bought an electric car with his own money. "Pioneer" - Was the word that came to mind.

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Where's Wally? - Looking for EV's in Belgium

Peugeot iOn and Tazzari Zero at a charging station in Brussels

Unlike their northern neighbors, Belgians are a practical bunch when it comes to cars,  preferring utility to any  statement-through-cars, proof of that are all the passenger Citröen Berlingo's and Renault Kangoo's around, with these kind of vehicles ranking regularly in the sales charts.

Are they into electric cars? Do they think EV's are worth it? Is it easy to see plug-in cars on the streets? Let's find out.

Renault Twizy -  With 521 units sold, it's the best selling EV in Belgium, the french moon lander quadricycle is still a rare sight, but they fit right in the well regarded historic neighborhoods of cities like Gent or Brugges. Speaking of Gent, while talking with students from the local university, they showed interest in electric cars, but said that high prices and small range were major turn offs.

Mitsubishi I-Miev family(1) - If we count all three models, this would be the best selling car, but i only saw one, it belonged to Zen Car, a Brussels based car sharing company, it was at a charging station (see picture above). People here see car sharing as a positive thing, saying that it's even more eco-friendly for urbanites than just buying an electric car, referring the limited availability of charging stations as an important factor for the slow sales of EV's.

Opel Ampera - I saw a grey one on the Gent-Brussels highway, after trying to take a picture, i asked my ride if he knew that the Ampera was electric, to which he replied: "Electric, eh? Eco-follies, that's what it is!"


(1) - Includes Peugeot iOn and Citröen C-Zero

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Where's Wally? - Looking for EV's in The Netherlands

Nissan Leaf Charging

In the Netherlands the title of this post lost a bit of sense, because i didn't had to look for them, as they were about everywhere, especially white Opel Ampera's, but also Plug in Prius (PiP) and some Leaf's and Mitsubishi i-Miev's.

Opel Ampera - A company favorite due to tax benefits and sweet deals made by Opel, they are now part of the auto landscape, being driven by young executives of both genders and wanting to show their green credentials.

Toyota Prius Plug in -  Also fairly common here, the first posterchild of greeness is also favored by companies interested in tax rebates. It is said that many of these plug-ins are used purely as hybrids because their drivers have fuel payed by their companies, so they don't bother on plugging them...

Fisker Karma -  I only saw one example of this handsome beast, a grey one parked in downtown Rotterdam, at the time i remembered Fisker's sales success in the Netherlands and the taste that dutch drivers have for stylish cars, realizing then: "Tesla will be sooo welcome here!..." 

Mitsubishi I-Miev family and Nissan Leaf - Limited to urban areas, they are still a rare sight and fail to ignite interest from company and private buyers alike.

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Where's Wally? - Looking for EV's in Switzerland

My last trip was to Switzerland, one of the few countries in Europe where it's usual to see V6 and V8 powered cars running around the streets, and there i spent some time looking for EV's. When i said that to my swiss colleagues, they looked at me in a strange way and said: "EV's?!? But...Why?...You don't have by any chance a Prius, do you?". When i asked why, they answered me: "Well, here in Switzerland they say that the Prius is for gays..."

With this provocation in mind, i started to look for EV's and wanted to see if those preconceptions were widespread, here's what i found:

Mitsubishi I-Miev - The first EV i saw was a I-Miev in the Geneva Airport running around between lanes and airplanes and if you come to think of it, it's a smart use for EV's, small distances, low speeds, it's like a electric car heaven. The second (and last) car i saw from the I-Miev family was also a company car, so...No private sales here.

Renault Twizy -  The tiny Twizy is different and therefore a good way for companies to advertise, so the few i saw in the middle of big cities had company decals, making express deliveries at the same time they were used as mobile bilboards. And still no private buyers...

Opel Ampera - The one i saw apparently was a private car and after making a remark that the Opel had a plug, the guy that was with me said: "Wow, nice!...It doesn't look like an electric car!". When i asked him about how an electric car looks like, he answered: "Well, you know...Small, slow, flimsy...".

So, for private EV sales to increase here, they should suit the swiss tastes for SUV's and Sport(y) cars. Tesla has a good chance here to shine...

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Where's Wally? - Looking for EV's in Portugal

Renault Twizy in Óbidos, Portugal

One thing is compiling numbers of electric car sales, another is to see them live in the middle of traffic and see how and where they interact with the remaining vehicles, so i've written this post to illustrate how EV's stand in Portugal, my home country.

Renault Twizy - Last year's best seller, this quirky vehicle draws as much attention as a Lambo, so it's easy to say that this isn't for everyone, and with a limited range of 80 - 100 kms it's clear where it is aimed: Megacities, in this case, Lisbon, where they start to appear here and there. Outside the nation's capital i've seen four red Twizy's parked just outside Óbidos, an historic village 90 kms north of Lisbon, belonging to a company called Zero CO2 Tours, a rental company focused in promoting the surrounding area through tours and other services using EV's. Interesting, eh?

Police Leaf and its civilian brother

Nissan Leaf - With more than 120 units sold, this is the most widespread electric car in Portugal and the only to be seen outside major cities. Supported by the government at the time of launch with some units, like the one on the picture above, being bought by public institutions, this was the model that suffered the most with the end in 2012 of the 5.000 € electric car subsidy, this is why most Leaf's here are from 2011. On a side note, this is a car favored by females, as most drivers i saw in them were women.

Oh the irony: One 2011 electric car in front of a 1900's electric tram

Mitsubishi I-Miev family(1) - The japanese firm did a lot to publicize EV's to private buyers in early 2011, reason why these are seen in cities where greenies and new tech addicts live. The age and driving habits vary a lot with these models, for example i saw a retired men driving one at 40 kms/h in a clear two lane street in Aveiro, but in Coimbra i also saw a college guy driving a C-Zero like a hooligan and passing everyone it could in a crowded street, back then i remember thinking: "This guy must be thinking he's driving a Porsche 911".

Two Smart ED's parked outside a Mercedes exposition center

Smart Fortwo ED - The only electric car to register a sales growth in 2012, the tiny Smart ED is bought mainly by companies willing to have a green halo or municipalities. At first seen only in Lisbon, now is starting to spread to big cities in the north like Oporto or Braga.

Others - The remaining models sold have symbolic presence, the few Chevy Volts, Opel Amperas and Prii Plug-In i saw were demonstration cars, so Plug-In Hybrids still have a long way to go to make their presence felt here.


(1) - Includes Peugeot iOn and Citröen C-Zero

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