-That ENOVA chooses to discontinue all support for the electrification of the van market is completely contrary to the government’s signals about emissions cuts from road traffic, says Ida Krag in the Bilimportørenes Landsforening, Unni Berge in the Electric Vehicle Association and Knut Marin Breivik in the Norwegian Automobile Industry Association.
-So far this year, the electric share among the light vans is only 26.3 per cent. The share has decreased so far in 2023, compared to 2022. Cutting support now could worsen the development further. There is no possibility of reaching the Storting’s goal that only emission-free light vans should be sold in 2025, without support schemes, they say.
On 3 May, ENOVA released the news that the state support body is discontinuing the purchase support for electric vans and biogas vehicles ordered after 31 May 2023. Both the Electric Vehicle Association, the National Association of Car Transporters and the Norwegian Automobile Industry Association are very surprised by the decision.
Setback for zero emissions – This is incomprehensible, and a major setback for the transition to zero emissions, the industry and consumer organizations believe.
For passenger cars and light vans, the Storting has adopted the so-called “2025 target”, a goal that new car sales must be emission-free in 2025. The target applies to vans up to 1,761 kg, while the heavier vans (up to 3,500 kg) must be completely emission-free in 2030 With a combined electric market share for all vans of 40 percent, ENOVA boasts record sales.
– But they are still such that a large majority do not choose emission-free. Then the job is not done, says Unni Berge, who is head of communication and public relations at the Electric Vehicle Association.
Large backlog – The van market is lagging far behind in reaching the 2025 target. Cutting the support now can hardly be interpreted in any other way than as a signal that ENOVA is not concerned with the Storting’s target being reached for vans, says Ida Krag, head of communications and government relations at the Bilimportørenes Landsforening.
– This is why one wonders if the government is actually aware of what ENOVA is up to. What the electric vans need is an improved support scheme. It is very problematic if the instructions from the Storting and the government regarding the necessity of emission cuts in road traffic are not followed up in the policy apparatus. We have to address this politically, says Berge.
– If this cut remains, it is very harmful. This should become a topic for the negotiations on Revised. SV has previously shown commitment to electric vans, says Knut Martin Breivik, head of operations and development at the Norwegian Automobile Industry Association.
One of the challenges with ENOVA is that the body’s primary task is to contribute to the so-called market introduction of emission-free alternatives. For the transport industry, the zero-emission technologies have already been introduced to a large extent on the market, but have both additional costs in purchasing and use disadvantages for the businesses.
Incentives necessary – In passenger cars, we have come a long way with electrification, but utility transport is lagging behind. Going forward, we have great opportunities for a rapid transition to zero emissions for commercial vehicles, says Berge.
The car industry is clear that such a transition does not go without incentives.
– The green shift requires arrangements that make the zero-emission alternatives profitable for the businesses. The industry would like to supply the vehicles that accelerate the transition to zero emissions on the roads. At the same time, we must respect the fact that the businesses that are going to invest in new vehicles need predictability for the costs. The political decisions must be followed up with measures, say Krag and Breivik.
– For the electrification of commercial transport, we need support schemes that take us from market introduction to the mass market. It is a political job to ensure that companies do not lose out by choosing zero emissions, says Berge.