By John Higham, EVA Board

I have been to the promised land. And it is… promising!

Seeing the midnight sun in Norway has been a bucket list item for me longer than the modern EV has been a thing. As it became clear that Norway had emerged as the world leader in EV sales per capita, my yearning to go see the midnight sun from behind the wheel of an EV was off the charts.

So I went.

7:1 I-Pace : Model X ratio

I had heard all the stories about EV penetration in Norway. Upon arrival, my first clue that things would be different was the variety of cars I had never seen before and the under-representation of cars that are ubiquitous at home. For example, I had previously owned a Jaguar I-Pace and I still get a bit of a thrill every time I spot one in the wild. Back home, I would guess there were at least 100, if not 200, Tesla Model Xes for every I-Pace on the road. In Norway I counted about seven Jaguar I-Paces for every Tesla Model X.

There are other EVs that I just saw far more of than at home, like the Taycan, or the Ioniq 6. But another huge surprise was that the number of Chinese manufactured EVs were also very well represented. This included brands that aren’t normally associated with being Chinese like Polestar, Volvo and MG, but also brands like Xpeng, Nio and BYD.

It All Started At The Rental Counter

I had rented EVs in the States where I had been told to bring it back “full” only to get a blank stare when you point out that unless the charger is at the drop off point, that isn’t really possible. When you ask “Can I bring the car back 90% full? 80%? 70%?” The result is just prolonging the blank stare, while the implication is, of course, a different charging strategy on the day you return the car. The takeaway to this anecdote is that the people behind the rental counter don’t have a clue what they are talking about when it comes to renting an EV.

The experience was markedly different in Norway. Without prompting, the clerk at the rental counter explained that if we DC fast-charged using the Elton network that all I had to do was plug in, and the tariff would auto-magically appear on my rental car bill when I returned the car -- “But of course,” they continued, “You can charge anywhere. Will you need help finding places to charge? I can recommend several different apps to help you locate places to charge.” The entire process was consumer oriented and well-orchestrated with none of the throwing you into the deep-end to see if you sink or swim that has marred EV rentals in the US.

Once past the rental counter, it was time to hit the open road. Back home, I was very comfortable with the idea of the EV road trip. But in a country where I didn’t speak the language? And what was cell phone coverage going to be like in the hinterlands? Payment systems can also be problematic overseas. Leaving the Bergen airport and metro area felt like moving away from home after high school. When I was planning this trip, the idea of an EV roadtrip in a foreign country was abstract, and frankly not all that anxiety inducing. I’m pretty well traveled and familiar with all the curveballs that come when everything is just a bit different than you expect. But sitting behind the wheel, the abstraction melted away and my grip on the wheel was a bit tighter than usual. I somehow managed a poker-face facade for my wife and we were off.

But first, a bit about Norway that may not, at first, seem relevant to this story.

It’s All About Infrastructure

In the days preceding my trip to Norway I was in France for a family obligation. I tell you this to share contrasts between France and Norway, but also to explain the importance of infrastructure.

We learned that in France most major roadways are operated and maintained by private corporations. So, as you pass from one section of roadway to another, you pass through a toll booth (which may or may not be automated in some way) and then pay the commensurate toll. These tolls were in line with what a native Californian might expect. But the number of toll booths was tedious at best. Had we decided to push on toward Italy, we would have proceeded through the 11.6 km long Mont Blanc tunnel, with a toll of €52.30 (US$56.50) which seemed punitive at best. Since we weren’t going to Italy, I didn't waste any brain cells thinking about it. Until I got to Norway.

Norwegian geography must give civil engineers nightmares. Over the centuries, populations huddled next to the fjords as the waterways provided transportation and access to fishing. The land shooting up out of those fjords is, for all practical purposes, straight up. In the era of the automobile, this means two towns that were a short distance by boat are now a long and treacherous drive. Unless there is a tunnel to connect them. And there are tunnels. Oh, so, very many tunnels.

It made me wonder why the Mont Blanc tunnel, with its 11.6 km length and €52.30 entry fee got so much press, yet the seemingly innumerable tunnels of Norway, some much longer than 11.6 km and all of them free to enter go un-championed. The only answer I could come up with is because Norway views the tunnels as public infrastructure.

Allow me one more example of Norwegian infrastructure that was jaw dropping to a California-tanned boy, but was casual to the point of being boring to my fellow motorist. As my wife and I drove our rented MG x along Rv5 from Flåm to Geiranger we had an arm of the famous Sognefjord to our right and a cliff to our left. Suddenly the road led straight onto a ferry. There was no other continuation of the road available. It was the ferry, or turn around. There was also no tollbooth, no toll tag scanners, no license plate readers. The road simply turned into a ramp that went up to the boat. Surely we would be asked to pay as the ferry sailed to the other side of the fjord. Or as we disembarked. Except we weren’t. There was no toll for the ferry. The ferry was simply public infrastructure.

I learned that in Norway, access to infrastructure just seemed to be an inalienable right. A few years earlier I had learned about the inalienable right to health care in Denmark after a tragic accident. It didn’t matter that I was on a US passport in Denmark. There was no way for the hospital to take my filthy lucre, and we will forgive you, naïve American, for asking us to take your money just this once.

The Norwegian roads were giving off the same Danish hospital vibe. Of course the ferry is free to use. Do we charge you for the air you breathe? Just use it, you silly American.

It’s Almost Perfect

Prior to arrival, I had done my homework. Friends in social media groups had advised on the best DCFC network apps to download. I had even taken the step of setting up accounts in advance. It was probably unnecessary to download and set up those apps in advance. That’s because there were so many networks I hadn’t been told about. I think I only used one of the networks I had been advised to use -- Ionity. I mean, I saw the Circle K and Fastned networks, but they were simply not at the right place or the right time. If I had one critique, it is that the DCFC networks in Norway are ripe for consolidation.

A second critique, and really why I am writing this section at all, is that network operators still don’t get what EV drivers want in a DCFC experience. Either that, or they do not yet have the leverage to deliver.

As in the US, DCFC networks in Norway are an extension of the gas station model. Most places I charged at were literally a corner of a gas station parking lot. While there are restrooms, and there are ample places to plug in, you are still exposed to the elements as you negotiate with a machine to start the charging transaction, there are no food options beyond gas station snacks, there is no lounge for owners to relax in. This is to say nothing of free wifi, or things that true road warriors really need like a shower or a laundromat.

But these critiques are minor in the big-picture scheme and competition will bring about the optimum solution. What matters most is available today in abundance. It all just worked. Plug and Charge on the Elton network was as plug-in and walk-away simple as I would have hoped. Other networks I had to crack open the app first, but, I had more drama ordering lunch. There was no fretting about broken stations, being ICE’d out nor queues that are an hour plus long.

What I hadn’t anticipated was that the Norwegians view infrastructure as an inalienable right. And that the DCFC networks were simply infrastructure. Every DCFC experience worked. First time. Every time. Why couldn't it be so seamless at home?