How Countries are Encouraging the Ownership of Electric Vehicles

Some countries are embracing the rise of electric cars, others are pulling in the other direction, and the rest are muddling through with no plan. Countries are encouraging the use of electric cars in order to reduce toxic emissions, enhance environmental awareness, and promote transportation sustainability. Moreover, electric car owners benefit from a lot of perks that include free parking spaces, city congestion tax incentives, and many more. This article gives an overview of five countries encouraging the ownership of electric vehicles and how they are doing it.

Norway is the world’s largest electric vehicle market. It has become popular among Norwegians due to its convenience. First, electric car owners do not have to pay city congestion charges like the rest of the citizens. Second, the country has around 3,500 electric charging stations making it easy for them to charge their cars wherever they are. Moreover, they can drive their cars in the bus lane and can eliminate fuel costs from their lives. By 2020, it is predicted that Norway will have around 200,000 electric vehicles in the country.

France is one of the countries in Europe supporting the growth of the electric vehicles market. It offers a bonus of €7,000 once someone purchases an EV. The incentive is not allowed to exceed 30% of the car price including VAT and battery cost. Moreover, EV owners are excused from the company car tax. According to Evannex, Paris plans to wipe out fossil fuel powered cars by 2040.

Iceland is an island country with cheap electricity compared to gasoline costs. EV drivers save a lot on gasoline costs and get access to free electricity at charging stations. Furthermore, they receive free parking and tax discounts on importation and sales tax discount. The best perk is the fact that Iceland is not heavily populated so charging the vehicle can be quick and easy. Finally, the country is trying to increase the demand for electric cars by reducing VAT and import taxes.

There are certain cultures that are much more accepting and welcoming to new technologies. Sweden’s citizens are known as easy adopters and open to new opportunities. Therefore, the demand for electric vehicles has been high in Sweden. Also, electricity costs are much lower in Sweden compared to other European countries. One of the bonuses given to electric car owners is the “Super Green Car Premium”. This bonus is worth SEK 40,000 and is given on the purchase of cars with CO2 emission of maximum 50 g/km.

Estonia was the first country in the world to establish a network of recharging stations. Estonia is one of the few countries offering up to 50% of incentives on the purchase of electric vehicles. The reason behind this is backed up by the fact that electric vehicles tend to be very expensive in Estonia.

Whether you live in one of these countries or not, owning an electric vehicle can still be a great choice. You will be one of the first people to take a step towards a sustainable and better world. Moreover, the electric vehicle market is growing and there are a variety of options you can choose from.