OPINION: Why governments should stop prioritizing EVs

Norway is looked upon by the rest of the world as the model on how we all can help reduce global emissions and still maintain our lifestyle where we can easily move about the country travelling whenever we wish. EV sales in Norway have been so strongly supported by the government that there are now 10% more vehicles on its roads than in the past decade. The government leaders, transportation leaders, and others are very vocal touting their successes in Norway and other Scandinavian countries with the continued conversion of gasoline-powered vehicles to electric vehicles.

So, the question is – are the changes seen in Norway the direction other countries should head? Not everyone in Norway agrees that Norway’s transition to EVs was done properly. No one is disagreeing that the move from gasoline-powered vehicles to electric powered vehicles reduces emissions but the argument is being made that Norway chose to put more EVs on the road at the expense of improvements of mass transit (light rail and buses), biking (electric and pedal), and walkways (sidewalks primarily) in mid to large cities.