240 Electric Renault Kangoos For Norwegian Postal Service

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One of the best things governments can do to boost electric vehicle use and cut emissions is to procure electric vehicles themselves. This alone has an impact on emissions, but it also exposes a large number of people to EVs, which is often all that’s needed to get them to switch to an electric car for their personal use. Unsurprisingly, this positive story regarding EV procurement comes from EV-loving Norway, via EV Obsession. —Zach Shahan

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Norwegian Postal Service Purchases 240 New Renault EV Kangoo Maxi ZEs

The postal service of Norway, the Posten, will soon possess an electric vehicle fleet enriched by the purchase of an additional 240 new Renault Kangoo Maxi ZEs, according to recent reports.

The Norwegian postal service already possesses a fleet of 900 electric vehicles — this includes electric cars as well as bikes, quadricycles, etc.

The Posten is currently working to achieve a 40% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2020 — hence the decision to purchase more electric vehicles (EVs). As the Posten is actually responsible for around 1% of Norway’s carbon dioxide emissions (the country possesses substantial hydroelectric capacity), the decision is quite notable.

Green Car Congress provides more:

With a range of 170 km (106 miles) NEDC (80 to 125 km under usual driving conditions), Kangoo Maxi ZE is well-suited to the everyday tasks of administrations and companies. Posten’s red Kangoo Maxi ZEs will mostly be used in areas of high population density.

…Over the last few years, electric vehicle sales in Norway have been stimulated by a committed government incentive policy. At the end of 2015, electric vehicle sales account for 20% of all new vehicle sales in the country. The expectations are that by 2020, 200,000 electric cars will be on Norwegian roads — 10% of the vehicle parc.

In Norway, electric cars are exempted from VAT and road tax. They pay no parking fees, road tolls or ferry charges. And they are entitled to use bus lanes. The Renault electric vehicle line-up in Norway comprises ZOE, Kangoo ZE, Kangoo Maxi ZE, five-seater Kangoo Maxi ZE, and Twizy.

As an elaboration on what was stated above, Norway currently receives a substantial majority of its electricity needs via hydropower — hence the relative lack of power plant related emissions, and therefore the relatively high percentage of the country’s carbon emissions coming via the transportation sector.