Renault ZOE is now officially on sale in Norway, the hottest market in the world for all-electric vehicles.
Renault ZOE was given a grand welcome at the Olympic stadium in Oslo on Tuesday, March 25, at an event attended by the French ambassador and Norway’s environment minister.
A fleet of some 15 Renault ZOEs were available to be test driven on the athletics tracks and six workshops were organized to showcase the features of Renault ZOE, particularly the charging system (the Chameleon charger).
Prices in Norway start at 191,980 kr on the “Life Easy” charge package (€21,500). The most expensive model is the Intense “Supercharge”, which gets you a fast-charger wallbox that allows you to charge to 80% in 2 hours. Prices for this model start at 221,980kr (€24,900).
Norway is the leading market for electric vehicles in Europe, accounting for 12% of the electric vehicles on the road.
Norway is spearheading electric vehicle penetration in Europe. This success can be attributed to the government’s pro-EV policy, especially a strong financial incentive since electric vehicles are exempt from VAT, which is 25% in Norway.
The popularity of electric vehicles is also due to the privileges offered to owners: free public parking, free charging stations in the street and in public parking lots, the right to drive in bus lanes, exemption from city tolls, and a lower annual road tax than for fuel vehicles.
Also, 10% of Europe’s charging infrastructure is located in Norway, even though it is home to only 1% of Europe’s population.
Top 5 best selling plug-in electric vehicles in Norway for March 2014:
1. Tesla Model S – 1,493
2. Nissan LEAF – 425
3. VW e-Up! – 378
4. BMW i3 – 336
5. Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV – 258
