Cheapest New Cars in Norway Are Electric
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 11. 6.07
It bears a slight, unfortunate resemblance to the AMC Gremlin - that funny box of a car produced for just a few years during the 1970s. And it certainly can't hold a candle to the sleek new Tesla. But Norway's electric car Buddy, which ElbilNorge AB just started producing in larger quantities at its factory near Oslo, has a few things going for it.
It's a good example of greener technology that doesn't necessarily cost more, for one. Right now Buddy is available in Norway for about 135,000 Norwegian crowns (US $25,000). That might seem spendy to a US buyer, but in Norway only three gas-driven models - Kia's 'Picanto', Peugeot's 'Urban' and Chevrolet 'Matiz' - are sold for less than the Buddy. And with the cost of gas in Norway at about 11 crowns (US$2) for a liter - that's right, more than US$7 per gallon - an electric car seems like a great investment if you have to drive. But wait - Buddy has some even cheaper competition!
Buddy is the latest generation of an electric car originally made in Denmark in the '90s. ElbilNorge bought the technology in 1999 and has been working on mass manufacturing. Meanwhile, Reva Electric Car Co. of Bangalore, India has a very similar car to the Buddy called the Reva City Car. Reva has been available for about a couple of years in Norway and the UK, but will now be offered to Norwegians in a stripped-down version (mainly no fancy stereo) for 91,000 Norwegian crowns (US$ 16,800).
At a top speed of 75-80 kilometers per hour, Reva and Buddy are really in-city vehicles. Both are officially classified in Norway as "electric four-wheeled motorcycles," that hold three passengers (that's including the driver), can drive between 40 and 80 kilometers on a single charge, depending on speed, and take around six hours to re-charge.
For Norwegian drivers, Buddy and Reva have three other distinct advantages to gas-driven brethren: they aren't subject to taxes or road tolls, they get free in-city parking, and they are allowed to drive in the bus lanes! And coming soon, a third electric car will be fighting for Norwegians' attention when THINK re-introduces its THINK City.
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The writer has the Gremlin confused with the AMC Pacer.
No, the writer is correct. The Buddy does look like a Gremlin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:1974_Gremlin.jpg). The Pacer has more windows and a curvy look (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_Pacer)
The Reva looks more like a squashed up old Civic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:CivicRS.JPG). There are probably other European cars that the Reva looks like, too, but I don't know them.
I've said this before, and I'll probably say it again:
For the price these small EV makers are asking, I could buy an old Geo Metro, have it converted to an EV for the same amount of money and have better crash protection. There are so many old Honda Civics/Geo Metro/toyota Corollas on the road that could use a conversion!
It's a shame for the consumer when Solectria shifted gears and changed direction for their EV's to commercial vehicles, but any EV is a good EV!
JC has a point. Conversion of an ICE (Infernal Combustion Engine) car is a great way of recycling otherwise discarded cars. One note about conversions and conversion kits: Don't go cheap especially on the batteries. Buy the best you can, they will pay you back in range and lack of embarrassment!
JC, re-read the part of the post that states that "only three gas-driven models - Kia's 'Picanto', Peugeot's 'Urban' and Chevrolet 'Matiz' - are sold for less than the Buddy." Indeed, EVERYTHING is more expensive in Norway, which I recall reading somewhere as being the most expensive country in Europe to live in. We may bitch and complain about the prices of things in the U.S., but despite the record weakness of the dollar, we are still the land of bargains.
The THINK City looks cool too.
vsk
Ed, I believe it is more about reusing resources than dollar to dollar cost. Norway aside, like Jim stated, converting a vehicle seems to be a wiser idea even if it costs the same (or slightly more) since we would now be wasting less and, ultimately producing less thereby creating an eco-friendly vehicle while keeping waste and pollution at a low. Reusing anything old, be it a car or a paper plate (please don't use paper plates at all), helps to keep our environment sustainable and in the end a happy and clean place to live.
BTW, Norway is extremely expensive but they also have the highest standards of living in the world currently. They have embraced the use of high fuel taxes to promote, and thus pay for, affordable, alternative transportation solutions. Here in the U.S. we need to learn to embrace these same concepts.
It's a shame that it's too dangerous to drive one of those in a city like mine where four out of five vehicles on the road are trucks or suvs that would run over it or run into it killing everyone inside. They should make it so that only these small eco-friendly cars can drive within city limits so we can own these without getting killed.
Truly hideous cars
i'm trying to go green myself. love the articles!
If anybody gets a chance, check out the coolest usb lego flash drive!! It's an airplane! Thanks
http://www.mildlyhotpeppers.com/technology/the-lego-usb-driveand-not-just-a-brick/
The author is simply confused/wrong. The first sentence is, at best, wrong.
"It bears a slight, unfortunate resemblance to the AMC Gremlin - that funny box of a car produced for just a few years during the 1970s."
Actually, the Gremlin was introduced on April Fools Day, 1970 and stopped production in 1978. I can't see how that equates to "just a few years during the 1970's".
A little fact checking goes a long way. Particularity if you're using that fact in the first sentence of your article.
The AMC Gremlin also lived on into the 80's as the "AMC Spirit" until production was stopped in 1983. And it was also given 4WD and became the Eagle Kammback:
http://www.amceaglenest.com/images/1981AMCEagleKammback.jpg
Just to clarify, I'm basing the price factor fora conversion on a USED ICE car and conversion costs, relative to a NEW electric vehicle or the less comparable NEV. Conversions can be done for less than any NEV or EV on the market that I know of.
If any one knows of a cheaper EV(relative to a conversion) that also offers the safety of the cars I mentioned, please do post it! :)
@ Nathan King
You must be new around here... As you read more and more posts, you'll realize that fact checking / accuracy / truth isn't always a top proirity, leading to occasional lapses in this site's 'journalistic integrity'. Eventually you'll get really mad about the frequency of errors, but then you'll realize that's just how things work around here and get over it.
I'm glad you pointed it out and hope that people continue to do so, but I'm suggesting you personally remain calm about it, it'll probably save you a lot of stress (as it has saved me).
Have a good one! :)
First converting a car has MANY problems. No warranty and the car itself will be a lot heavier requiring a larger more expensive battery pack.
BTW what type of battery technology do these use? if its NOT lead acid its a far cry improvement :-) Lead Acid sucks but its the only thing us mere mortals can afford. NOTE GM was able to produce a NIMH pack we would DROOL over for a measly $4500 and that was over a decade ago.
THATS what we need. an affordable battery pack. THEN conversions will start to make some sense.
The problem here is not speed 45-50mph is GOOD ENOUGH if you stay off expressway type roads. There is only 1 5mile stretch of road where the speedlimit is 55mph on my commute to work the rest if 45-50mph or lower.
The problem is the potentially as low as 25 mile range. I need an assured 60 miles (54 miles each way) charging onsite not a problem.
I also do not have $17 grand :-)
With those specs sadly I am guessing its lead acid powered :-(
Hell, these cars are stupid! I'd never be caught dead in one of these, that's why the Norwegians lost the war!
Get a Brain, Morans!!
Go USA!
Hey! It's the modern version of the Peel P50!!
http://www.thethinkingblog.com/2007/11/hybrid-suv-oxymoron.html
I think there cool
I'm confused and offended by the comment "that's why the Norwegians lost the war." I presume you mean WW II, which Norway did not lose because it fought with the allies against Germany. The Germans invaded Norway, killing and raping the population and destroying the cities and infrastructure. Most of my own family was in fact killed during the war and I resent this comment strongly and find it highly inappropriate on this site.
I'm confused and offended by the comment "that's why the Norwegians lost the war." I presume you mean WW II, which Norway did not lose because it fought with the allies against Germany. The Germans invaded Norway, killing and raping the population and destroying the cities and infrastructure. Most of my own family was in fact killed during the war and I resent this comment strongly and find it highly inappropriate on this site.
Roy B., I'm confused as to why you say that "the great ones" should get a brain. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moran
It seems that if they're great then they ought to have a great brain too.
I think they're cute, if ya' gotta drive cars, which I don't see much reason to do except outside major metropolitan areas.
Good work, there, folks from Norway! I'd like to see more of your electric cars and pickups on the road, everywhere!
Folks from Norway, please check this out, below, because you may be able to use this technology in Europe:: This is imho THE WORLD'S CHEAPEST VEHICLE TO OPERATE: Costs 30 cents a day, including the cost of battery pack replacement. (Unlike Tom Hank's Lithium Ion electric car which may cost him $20,000/year.)
http://www.evalbum.com/1091
http://video.yahoo.com/?fr=&t=t&p=best+electric+vehicle
i think a conversion from the combustion cars, to electric cars would result in a disaster, because the chassis is much heavier then the electric cars u see from norway.