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Comment by darkwater | Hacker News Reader

Sadly this EV push by the Norwegian government is paid by oil drillings in the Arctic [1]

According to another Guardian article [2] this is the list of incentives paid by the Norwegian state if you buy an EV:

- No vehicle purchase tax (a big levy which helps push up the average price for a vehicle in Norway to £43,000-£46,000, compared with an EU average of £26,000-£29,000)

- No VAT – usually 25%

- Zero road tax

- Free parking in some municipal car parks

- Reduced tax on company electric cars (at a lower rate than fossil-fuel vehicles)

- Reduced or free tolls in some areas

- Driving in a bus lane if carrying a passenger

- 50% discount on some car parks, tolls and ferry fares

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/26/norway-p.... [2] https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/09/norways-ele...

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I'm not sure I understand your stance here. It's not like Norway is continuing drilling for Oil /because/ we need to subsidize these electric cars. The drilling is being done because there's lots of money to be had, and lots of vested interests. I'm fairly certain the subsidies would continue even if drilling stopped this very instant.

Criticizing the Oil drilling is a separate topic entirely. The Norwegian stance on it is divided as well, making it one of the larger feuds in this years election.

It's actually a very good thing. Somebody has to pay the early adopter premium to drive down the cost of new green tech. Why not an oil funded group? That's essentially a self-imposed carbon tax.

Whilst it's obviously true that Norway is able to afford such actions off the back of hydrocarbon extraction, even the article you linked implies it's not even begun happening in the Arctic yet.

Deadline for concession application was a couple of months back (March) - I doubt there're any rigs in Svalbard yet.

- ed: clarified a detail

Adding all that up I imnagine the subsidy per car is probably not far off £50k? Seems pretty insane, you could literally do a 'swap your petrol car for a brand new electric one free of charge' for less money.

There are no subsidies, only tax relief.

The Norwegian government does not give money to anyone buying an EV, but since fossils are taxed so high it gives an intensive.

It's the same thing really though. If you don't charge someone a load of tax they would have otherwise paid, it's really a subsidy in a different name.

People would still have to buy cars. They would have paid the registration levy and VAT, now they don't need to. The end result for the treasury is the same whether they didn't get it in at all in the first place (tax relief) or paid it out instead (subisidy).

Did you know cars only account for about 5% of green house gas emissions?

What are other oil producing countries spending their money on?

If you're going to blame Norway for the negative externalities of drilling for oil, are you willing to give credit for the positive externalities, like powering firetrucks and ambulances?

Granted, I'm sure there are probably better uses of Norway's oil money, since EV subsidies only benefit those who can afford to buy a new $50,000 car. They could be doing a lot worse with their wealth though, like building artificial islands.

So? They're creating a reality where oil would be less needed, what's with achieing it with oil money?

Leveraging the old model to add momentum to the new model is not sad, at all.

It’s ideal even. Better than riding the old model right off the cliff (Saudi Arabia).

For Norway, that's sure, I agree. For the whole world, I beg to differ. Money talks, as always, so it's not a big surprise at all.

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