The Norwegian support and subsidy policy of electric cars. Should it be adopted by other countries?

Highlights: • The Norwegian policy to promote the introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) is unusually powerful. • Numerical examples show that the policy means an approximate tax relief for a EV owner about 8000 USD/year. • The same time an average EV is might imply an emission reduction of less than 1 tonne CO₂. • The policy might cause small emission reductions at high costs. • The policy might have the unfortunate side-effect that households buy more cars and drive more. - Abstract: As a result of generous policies to increase the use of electric vehicles (EVs), the sales of EVs in Norway are rapidly increasing. This in sharp contrast to most other rich countries without such generous policies. Due to the subsidies, driving an EV implies very low costs to the owner on the margin, probably leading to more driving at the expense of public transport and cycling. Moreover, because most EVs' driving range is low, the policy gives Norwegian households incentives to purchase a second car, again stimulating the use of private cars instead of public transport and cycling. These effects are analysed in light of possible greenhouse gas (GHG) emission benefits as well as other possible benefits of utilizing EVs versus conventional cars. We discuss whether the EV policy can be justified, as well as whether this policy should be implemented by other countries