Will these EVs find enough drivers? Denmark lured people to EVs with incentives, reliable charging and overcoming ‘range anxiety’.
Incentives for working in Denmark
Four years ago, James Atkin was lured into switching to an electric car by a Danish marketing incentive. Families now get big bucks by paying high registration fees, paying minimal car tax and parking for free almost anywhere. “Electricity is much cheaper than fuel. And there’s very little in terms of service. The original purchase cost was more, but all Danish cars are very expensive because of the registration tax,” Atkin said. says.
With transport accounting for more than a quarter of Denmark’s carbon emissions, EV sales are key to reaching the country’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2040. It’s been a decade since most countries, including the United States, expected to stop adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Prevent the worst effects of climate change. In 2021, 21% of cars sold in Denmark were electric, compared to 2.8% in Georgia.
“If we mess up the climate, we won’t be able to grow food. Droughts and floods are happening all the time, and we’re seeing them increase. So it’s important to do something about it while we can. It’s important,” Atkin said.
As the use of EVs increases, the first noticeable benefit is that streets are quieter. Research shows that chronic noise is not only annoying, but also increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure.Denmark’s air is essentially free of pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide., This makes people more susceptible to asthma and respiratory infections. According to United Nations data, greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 30% since 1990, making it one of the world’s largest reductions.
Denmark started this initiative about 15 years ago with incentives for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, he said. Emmanuel Genteel is an environmental engineer who teaches at the international study abroad program DIS-Study Abroad in Denmark.
As EV sales have increased, tax revenue from gasoline-powered vehicles has declined. Denmark phased out EV subsidies in 2016 because it needed money for roads and infrastructure. As sales plummeted from a few thousand units a month to a few hundred, the capital, Copenhagen, changed direction. Georgia faces unique incentives issues. Since the state replaced the $5,000 tax credit with a $200 annual registration fee in 2015, new EV registrations here have plummeted by 89%. But EVs are currently eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit under the Inflation Control Act of 2022.
strategy and entrepreneurship
Denmark quickly realized that incentives alone were not enough to get off to a strong start. “I think you’ll see this in every country where this story takes place. Initially, the market was very, very depressed, and for many years there were very few EVs. And the charging infrastructure was very local. , initially connected to universities and certain large companies,” says John Poulsen, Director of e-Mobility in Denmark, who represents the electric mobility industry.
“Anxiety about cruising range,” or the fear that the battery would run out on the road, outweighed the motivation. A 2013 poll by IDA, the Danish Society of Engineers, found that only 13% of Danes would buy an electric car due to price, battery life and lack of charging stations.
Poulsen said Danish entrepreneurs made a big bet on the EV market and built a nationwide network of charging stations with relatively little incentive. They started in large cities and gradually spread throughout the country.
Anders Magerland, head of climate policy at Lederne, Denmark’s largest association of business leaders, said the transition to electric vehicles was part of a long-term energy strategy. The oil crisis of 1973 was a wake-up call for Denmark to make greater use of its indigenous resources, such as wind power, and reduce its dependence on oil imports. As climate change became more pronounced in the 1980s, clean energy became more important.
“Engineers started working on a new clean technology solution in their garage and then developed the first prototype wind turbine.It was then scaled up as investors and pension funds saw an opportunity to develop their own solutions. ” says Magerland.
EVs are only considered zero-emissions if they run on green energy. So Denmark’s early focus on renewable energy is now paying off.
The road (and curves) ahead
Since 2021, the number of charging stations in Denmark has doubled from 0.83 to 1.68 per 1,000 people, according to the Ministry of Transport. For comparison, Georgia had 0.39 charging stations per 1,000 people in 2021. As a recent IDA study revealed, despite the growing charging network, many Danes still lack confidence in purchasing electricity. About 49% of respondents believe the long distances between plug-in points are a problem, and 43% are concerned about not being able to charge where they live.
Commentators like Carlos García Robles, who teaches environmental policy at DIS-Study Abroad, want Denmark to invest more in public transport. “[When] Transportation and fossil fuel companies [are] “As we make all the big decisions, we start to see how automotive infrastructure dominates over other types of transportation,” he said. “Freedom means not being dependent on a single technology, or not being dependent on a car. You say car dependent, right?”
Bill Schneider, a professor emeritus at George Mason University in Virginia, says freedom has a different meaning in the United States. It means having a car that will take you anywhere. “Today, most Americans live in the suburbs and are completely dependent on cars. Suburbs were created to satisfy cars. They give people the freedom to go wherever they want whenever they want. “Every American teenager considers a driver’s license and access to a car a personal declaration of independence,” he said.
Still, Dr. Schneider says Georgia’s EV transition could be successful if charging became as accessible as it is today at gas stations.
Laritsa Vasileva, a former CNN anchor and correspondent, currently teaches journalism at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
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