Norway Explores Banning Cars in Climate Fight

Published April 28, 2009

A proposal from Norway's Finance Minister this weekend would halt all sales of fossil fuel-powered vehicles by 2015 as a way of spurring the development of clean car technologies.

Minister of Finance Kristin Halvorsen told Reuters this weekend that the plan, which was first announced by the Socialist Left and Center party in 2007, is "much more realistic than people think when they first hear about this proposal," she told Reuters.

"The financial crisis also means that a lot of those car producers that now have big problems ... know that they have to develop their technology because we also have to solve the climate crisis when this financial crisis is over," she added.

Although the proposal aims to encourage the use of alternative fuels like electricity, biofuels or hydrogen fuel cells, the plan would still allow hybrid vehicles to be sold after the 2015 cut-off.

Alternative fuel vehicles have been ramping up in popularity and practicality for some time: GreenBiz.com reported yesterday about Ford's plan for alternative fuels in their vehicles, as well as incorporating new fuel-efficient technologies into the vast majority of their products in the next five years.

And in the past month, GreenBiz.com senior writer Marc Gunther has profiled two electric car companies that show great promise: California-based Aptera and Chinese company BYD.

Car tombstone photo CC-licensed by Flickr user Sister72.

If it works, they'll be immune to oil shock

Anonymous, April 29, 2009 - 06:57

Or relatively immune. People forget that cars are only a small part of the equation - there's still a matter of all the truck and air transport to be dealt with. Fortunately there's been a surprising amount of progress on the truck front of late.

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Norway Explores Banning Cars in Climate Fight

If it works, they'll be immune to oil shock

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Norway Explores Banning Cars in Climate Fight

If it works, they'll be immune to oil shock

Register for GreenBiz Events