100 % electric car! (No pollution that is)
Previous week we finally got our electric car, a Buddy Electric! ^-^ It is a 100 % electric car with a range of up to 120 km and quite well suited for our daily needs. After having owned it for a week now I can say that I quite love to drive it! It is fun to drive, it slips between the traffic noise like a little mouse, and finding a parking space for it is dead easy. And all the good's that the Norwegian government give electric car owners is pure love! <3<3<3
Firstly, we pay no road tax! 100 % electric cars are exempt of road taxes. And no paying for passing toll plazas or using car ferries either. <3<3<3 In addition, we can park for free on any communal parkings, plus we can recharge our car for free at any recharging station in Oslo. But the best good of them all, we can use the collective traffic lane! It is so fun to just skip on all the rush traffic queues! We save at least 30 minutes every day by not being stuck in traffic jams. When we see the queues, it is just to switch to the collective traffic lane and zoom past them all. ^-^ So I am absolutely in love with our electric car. <3<3<3
When driving it, it is sneaking around so silently that at low speeds people do not even realise we are there, because they do not hear us coming. And then it is good to know that we do ours to reduce the pollution by a lot by chosing to drive electric. Most of Norway's electric power production come from hydro power plants and other renewable sources, so it is quite environmental friendly to drive it around. The rocketing fuel prices (currently at 2.20 Eur per litre, which is over 10 USD per gallon) also make us save a lot on owning an electric car, as electricity is quite cheap in comparison. Beside, I charge my car for free at my work. :)
I was naturally worried by the range, but after having tested our car for a week, I am no longer concerned for the range. I could make it to Oslo, drive around whole Oslo, and come back home and still have plenty of charge left, which is more than we will need for a Saturday shopping trip even, without using the charging stations if we would be entirely unable to.
It is short enough to park side-ways in a normal parking slot and the only car that can legally park side-ways in Norway, which obviously make it way easier to park it. Pocket-parking is a child's play with this car.
The car is registered as a four-wheel motorcycle due to its small size, thus it only got license plate on the rear. But do not let the small size fool you; it is super-heavy due to the batteries in the bottom of it!
The interior. It looks a bit like taken from a SciFi film from the 80's. :p We got a sports steering wheel for some reason, because we ordered the winter package, which means it got installed parafin heating... Ok, that does not make it 100 % pollution free, but without it we would freeze to death inside the car half of the year and have windows fogging over so we could not see anything at all.. :\
Just a warning message to our fellow trafficants. If they get in trouble with me they can not state that I did not warn them.
There is however one thing I find disappointing after having got our new car. It is our fellow drivers on the road. I have not changed my driving style much at all. Keeping to the speed limits like usual, and being the usual gentle driver, but it seems like so many people can not stand to be behind a Buddy. They will risk a lot trying to pass me, even if it would be dangerous. At a few selected times they have even honked at me and flashed with lights while driving aggressively right behind me, wanting me to move out of their way, but once they get past me they are fine with staying behind the car right in-front of me. The most scary moments I had was when a car driver did not even bother going entirely over in the other lane, but almost pressing me out of the road. I have NEVER had this happen before when driving my usual big Suzuki! It is quite frightening how people can behave, and it is surprising me how clear of a difference it is in people's behaviour on the road only based on the type of car we are driving.. Humanity has once again disappointed me... ._.
But I will remain a proud Buddy owner, knowing that I still do my part in preserving our planet while still making it to work. :) Of course, it is always more ways I could improve, but one step at a time. ^^;
Firstly, we pay no road tax! 100 % electric cars are exempt of road taxes. And no paying for passing toll plazas or using car ferries either. <3<3<3 In addition, we can park for free on any communal parkings, plus we can recharge our car for free at any recharging station in Oslo. But the best good of them all, we can use the collective traffic lane! It is so fun to just skip on all the rush traffic queues! We save at least 30 minutes every day by not being stuck in traffic jams. When we see the queues, it is just to switch to the collective traffic lane and zoom past them all. ^-^ So I am absolutely in love with our electric car. <3<3<3
When driving it, it is sneaking around so silently that at low speeds people do not even realise we are there, because they do not hear us coming. And then it is good to know that we do ours to reduce the pollution by a lot by chosing to drive electric. Most of Norway's electric power production come from hydro power plants and other renewable sources, so it is quite environmental friendly to drive it around. The rocketing fuel prices (currently at 2.20 Eur per litre, which is over 10 USD per gallon) also make us save a lot on owning an electric car, as electricity is quite cheap in comparison. Beside, I charge my car for free at my work. :)
I was naturally worried by the range, but after having tested our car for a week, I am no longer concerned for the range. I could make it to Oslo, drive around whole Oslo, and come back home and still have plenty of charge left, which is more than we will need for a Saturday shopping trip even, without using the charging stations if we would be entirely unable to.
It is short enough to park side-ways in a normal parking slot and the only car that can legally park side-ways in Norway, which obviously make it way easier to park it. Pocket-parking is a child's play with this car.
The car is registered as a four-wheel motorcycle due to its small size, thus it only got license plate on the rear. But do not let the small size fool you; it is super-heavy due to the batteries in the bottom of it!
The interior. It looks a bit like taken from a SciFi film from the 80's. :p We got a sports steering wheel for some reason, because we ordered the winter package, which means it got installed parafin heating... Ok, that does not make it 100 % pollution free, but without it we would freeze to death inside the car half of the year and have windows fogging over so we could not see anything at all.. :\
Just a warning message to our fellow trafficants. If they get in trouble with me they can not state that I did not warn them.
There is however one thing I find disappointing after having got our new car. It is our fellow drivers on the road. I have not changed my driving style much at all. Keeping to the speed limits like usual, and being the usual gentle driver, but it seems like so many people can not stand to be behind a Buddy. They will risk a lot trying to pass me, even if it would be dangerous. At a few selected times they have even honked at me and flashed with lights while driving aggressively right behind me, wanting me to move out of their way, but once they get past me they are fine with staying behind the car right in-front of me. The most scary moments I had was when a car driver did not even bother going entirely over in the other lane, but almost pressing me out of the road. I have NEVER had this happen before when driving my usual big Suzuki! It is quite frightening how people can behave, and it is surprising me how clear of a difference it is in people's behaviour on the road only based on the type of car we are driving.. Humanity has once again disappointed me... ._.
But I will remain a proud Buddy owner, knowing that I still do my part in preserving our planet while still making it to work. :) Of course, it is always more ways I could improve, but one step at a time. ^^;