smart, coordinated policy, such as free parking (in places) or being allowed to use the bus lane
the abolition of VAT, BPM and road tax (the Norwegian equivalents of these)
and the simultaneous introduction of a CO2 tax. This made all the measures budget neutral, but created a clear incentive to switch to electric driving.
This makes Norway a pioneer in the field of electric driving. But this does cause other problems, such as long queues for charging stations and fast chargers. Especially at peak times, such as at the end of the working day and on typical holiday routes.
Data
ChargeTrip operates in Norway and has developed an app and platform for the electric car driver. It maps out a route that takes into account preferences, weather conditions and landscape. Are you traveling with children? Then a charging point with a playground is more valuable than if you are driving alone.
TomTom is a potential partner, competitor and supplier for ChargeTrip and vice versa. Just like TomTom, ChargeTrip is also a data company. The data that users create gives them insight into the use of charging infrastructure. Based on data and historical data, they can estimate how busy the network will be with regard to charging. Dynamic routing ensures better distribution.
For entrepreneurs/ fleet owners it is important to map out when and for what price a load can be delivered. The data from ChargeTrip can help determine travel cost and travel time , especially with regard to the volatility of the electricity price. Logistics is currently an optimized game of just in time delivery and costs. This has certainly not yet been realized for electric transport.
You're like a squirrel trying to get through the winter, looking for acorns (read: energy).
Research into electric driving
I also spoke with Michel Bayings from eMobility iran telegram data Consulting. Someone who has been involved in developing various applications in the field of electric driving and paying for it for a long time. Michel is optimistic about electric driving in the Netherlands, but also sees that we still have a long way to go. A trip to the winter sports with an electric car is quite a puzzle with all kinds of obstacles. For example, planning your route (see also TomTom and ChargeTrip) to ensure that you actually arrive at your destination. You are like a squirrel who has to get through the winter, looking where you can get acorns (read: energy).
Edwin Bestebreurtje of Fier Automotive looks at driving in a different way. The electric car can also be a shared car among employees. Within companies, electric driving is not yet commonplace. The lower range compared to diesel and petrol and the charging are a reason for many organisations (rightly or wrongly) not to see electric cars as an alternative. The purchase costs are also higher for electric cars.
40 passes
Electric driving is still the subject of research programs at national and European level. Where we have it well organized in the Netherlands with regard to paying at (a large number of suppliers of) charging points, it is a big problem as soon as you cross the border. An electric driver had almost 40(!) different cards (and therefore also subscriptions or contracts) at various charging stations in Europe to be able to pay. In the Netherlands this has been homogenized.