[Kjenndal]

If it’s true BMW has to hurry!

The i3 is expensive and will be the only BEV next to the coming i5.
But I think BMW needs a long distance ready BEV C segment car based on a standard 1er or 2er sport hatch (however the nomenclature will be) to be competitive.

http://www.renewablesinternational.n...150/537/94287/

[RABAUKE]

The City of Toronto is one of the most anti car pro bike places I can imagine, the province gives an $8000 rebate to anyone buying an electric car, and then Toronto Hydro has said that if 10% of the vehicles in Toronto were electric it would cripple the power grid.....I care about the planet as much as the next guy but I'm not sure all electric vehicles are the be all and end all. Just my two cents.

[pikkagtr]

Guess I'm never visiting Norway

[metrickid]

Kind of ironic since Norway is what it is today because of the money from all the oil they sell/drill/produce.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by RABAUKE

T.....and then Toronto Hydro has said that if 10% of the vehicles in Toronto were electric it would cripple the power grid.....I care about the planet as much as the next guy but I'm not sure all electric vehicles are the be all and end all. Just my two cents.

And this, I always found was something that simply wasn't discussed/explained enough when it comes to electric cars. They are even asking people to use AC sparingly in the summer... etc, now, imagine, if everybody has electric car (likely 2 per family in North America), all that power has to come from somewhere.

[Desert_Fox]

Originally Posted by metrickid

Kind of ironic since Norway is what it is today because of the money from all the oil they sell/drill/produce.

No kidding. Although it's easy to have ridiculous policies when you're sitting on a $1 Trillion USD rainy day fund and have a fairly small population!

[RM7]

Originally Posted by pikkagtr

Guess I'm never visiting Norway

This just in: Americans stubbornly refuse to believe anything could ever be better in any other part of the world and continue to enjoy lower standard of living, life expectancy and happiness than nations that have actually made progress...

[eluded]

Actually the United States moving up the list of the happiest countries and some of the Scandinavian countries are moving down. I wonder why?

Personally I never understood their happiness. It's bitterly cold, the sun comes up for two hours a day in the winter. Everything is 10 times more expensive but the people are just smoking hot.

[metrickid]

Originally Posted by eluded

Actually the United States moving up the list of the happiest countries and some of the Scandinavian countries are moving down. I wonder why?

Personally I never understood their happiness. It's bitterly cold, the sun comes up for two hours a day in the winter. Everything is 10 times more expensive but the people are just smoking hot.

Don't believe everything you read.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Desert_Fox

No kidding. Although it's easy to have ridiculous policies when you're sitting on a $1 Trillion USD rainy day fund and have a fairly small population!

Dang! And we thought we had a border problem. People must be flocking to Norway!

[remmib]

I believe it was a suggestion from one party, I don't think it's gonna happen, but I feel lot will change in the automotive industry the next ten years.

[atxgt3]

Originally Posted by eluded

Actually the United States moving up the list of the happiest countries and some of the Scandinavian countries are moving down. I wonder why?

Personally I never understood their happiness. It's bitterly cold, the sun comes up for two hours a day in the winter. Everything is 10 times more expensive but the people are just smoking hot.

I grew up in Norway and moved to the US as soon as I could. I'm a lot happier here. People aren't as happy there as those lists would make you believe.

Personally I hated living there, and I would never go back. It's depressing, oppressive, cold, wet, and expensive. The socialism just seems to be getting worse and worse since I left, they are trying to control everything.

[RM7]

Originally Posted by eluded

Actually the United States moving up the list of the happiest countries and some of the Scandinavian countries are moving down. I wonder why?

Personally I never understood their happiness. It's bitterly cold, the sun comes up for two hours a day in the winter. Everything is 10 times more expensive but the people are just smoking hot.

Uh, what? Have you actually seen the listing? Is this some kind of "new math"??

[Dackelone]

Kind of reminds me of Life imitating Art...

[Efthreeoh]

Not everyone in the US is happy, but the ones who are... are really frickin' happy.

Just sayin'.

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Kind of reminds me of Life imitating Art...

Yep: I've watched that. It's a Jo Nesbo-conceived series (Anyone who's into political and crime novels knows who Jo Nesbo is). It's pretty good, and directly related to the issue we're talking about: Norway's fuel-related political and economic hypocrisies. It captures the conflicts that the oil-versus-renewable energy issue creates in Norway on multiple levels: psychological, social, political.

As for Norway being a 'happy' place: Ummm, no. It's a simple place, yes. Not a happy place. I've found the average Norwegian to be easily contented, idealistic, and very intelligent but droll and purposeful -- and with an extraordinarily dark sense of humor.

An ex-coworker of mine is a native of New Zealand and a world-class photographer; she married a Norwegian and now lives in Bergen. There are a lot of similarities between Kiwis and Norwegians: dark humor, isolated homeland, practical, populist, generally open-minded. But Kiwis are generally some of the most free spirits I've ever come across, while Norwegians are some of the most constrained -- and as I understand it, that's the biggest strain in their otherwise good marriage. (That, and Bergen is sooooo cold.)

Another hypocrisy: Despite its socialism, Norway is one of the most ideologically (as opposed to politically, or socially) conservative places I've ever been. One of the others? Switzerland. IMHO, generations of political neutrality breeds that kind of conservatism.

[fecurtis]

Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes

This just in: Americans stubbornly refuse to believe anything could ever be better in any other part of the world and continue to enjoy lower standard of living, life expectancy and happiness than nations that have actually made progress...

No I think he just said he didn't want to visit Norway. I don't blame him, I'd like to visit places that are not depressingly cloudy and cold.

Plus I'm healthy, enjoy a nice standard of living, and am quite content.

[atxgt3]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

Yep: I've watched that. It's a Jo Nesbo-conceived series (Anyone who's into political and crime novels knows who Jo Nesbo is). It's pretty good, and directly related to the issue we're talking about: Norway's fuel-related political and economic hypocrisies. It captures the conflicts that the oil-versus-renewable energy issue creates in Norway on multiple levels: psychological, social, political.

As for Norway being a 'happy' place: Ummm, no. It's a simple place, yes. Not a happy place. I've found the average Norwegian to be easily contented, idealistic, and very intelligent but droll and purposeful -- and with an extraordinarily dark sense of humor.

An ex-coworker of mine is a native of New Zealand and a world-class photographer; she married a Norwegian and now lives in Bergen. There are a lot of similarities between Kiwis and Norwegians: dark humor, isolated homeland, practical, populist, generally open-minded. But Kiwis are generally some of the most free spirits I've ever come across, while Norwegians are some of the most constrained -- and as I understand it, that's the biggest strain in their otherwise good marriage. (That, and Bergen is sooooo cold.)

Another hypocrisy: Despite its socialism, Norway is one of the most ideologically (as opposed to politically, or socially) conservative places I've ever been. One of the others? Switzerland. IMHO, generations of political neutrality breeds that kind of conservatism.

I definitely agree with what you said, and because I've always been more of a free spirit and had more individualistic tendencies I never felt at home there. Another TV series that is 100% spot on when it comes to Norwegian society is Lilyhammer on Netflix. All the weirdness depicted in that show isn't exaggerated, no joke.

[David70]

In 2009 the Finance Minister in Norway wanted to ban gas cars by 2015,

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cl...53Q0FI20090427

no need to panic and this original "article" has to be one of the worst sources of information ever -

The plan itself is available as a PDF, but only in Norwegian – and I cannot read it (the thing has 334 pages). But according to one German blogger, Norway plans to ban sales of new cars that are not electric within 10 years.

[RM7]

Originally Posted by fecurtis

No I think he just said he didn't want to visit Norway. I don't blame him, I'd like to visit places that are not depressingly cloudy and cold.

Plus I'm healthy, enjoy a nice standard of living, and am quite content.

This just in, one guy believes his experience to be the example of all others, despite polls and data that suggests otherwise...

[bailyhill]

Hello
I also read of a similar law in the Netherlands yesterday. Sorry, I did not get the link. I am sure you can google on it. There are EU issues beubg raused about this one.

SinGas

[trey100]

Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes

This just in, one guy believes his experience to be the example of all others, despite polls and data that suggests otherwise...

Perhaps the folks in Norway are happy but that doesn't mean others from other countries would be happy there.

This is for most things. If you poll the people that live in my town, most will say they love it but I am sure that result would be different if you polled the entire US.

In any case, I wouldn't be happy in a non-petrol driving country.