Electric Car Sales Rise In Norway, Tesla Sales Soar

Norway may have the most aggressive collection of electric car incentives of any country. Not only are electric cars and plug-in hybrids exempt from most taxes at the time of purchase, they qualify for reduced tolls on the nation’s highways, lower fares on its many ferries, and free parking in most cities. Charging infrastructure is also well quite robust. Although there is always room for improvement, there are more public chargers available for EV drivers than in most other European nations.

The combination works. Last month, 13,484 new passenger cars were registered in Norway. 29% of them were EVs. The numbers by manufacturer break down like this:

1. Volkswagen: 2.083 (- 0.0 percent)
2. Tesla: 2.003 (+ 136.2 percent)
3. Toyota: 1,355 (- 25.7 percent)
4. Volvo: 960 (+ 25.8 percent)
5. BMW: 872 (- 26.9 percent)

The numbers for Tesla are astounding. Almost 900 were registered in the last week of September alone! Sales of the Model S (1,007) were up more than 300 percent from the same month last year. Model X deliveries totaled 996, a 66 percent increase. The next largest manufacturer to score big in the electric car sales race was Volkswagen with 1.367 E-Golf sales, up 37 percent from last year.

“This is a development we have expected. Norwegians want big cars that are suitable for cabins and accommodate the whole family. Half of the car sales in Norway are large and medium-sized cars, and only Tesla offers electric car models of this size today. For many, this will still be the only electric car on the market that meets your needs for a while,” says Christina Bu, General Secretary of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association.

The increase in EV sales is matched by a nearly 25 percent decline in sales of diesel powered cars. That’s good news for Norway’s air quality. “The decline contributes to historically low emissions,” Bu says. “This is the right way. We know that Tesla has delivered an extra lot of cars this month, but at the same time there are also several who see that time is now ripe for switching to electric cars. We see the start of a mass market, but are still a little behind the necessary development to reach the goal of just selling zero-emission cars by 2025. ”

When Bu says the country is a little bit behind, she is talking about charging infrastructure. In Oslo, a new plan will add 600 public chargers and target more chargers for people who live in apartment or condominium buildings. Today there are about 22,500 electric cars in Oslo. That number is expected to grow to 40,000 by 2020.

The European Union suggests there should be one charger for every 10 EVs on the road. “The most important thing now is that the development of available chargers keeps pace with the sharp increase in the number of electric cars,” says Christina Bu. The city of Oslo plans to have 1,500 Level 2 chargers and another 520 higher power (22 kW) chargers in operation by next year.

“It’s a good start, but it’s not enough in the long run for what’s going to be a historic shift for road transport in the city,” Bu says. “It is also vital that the municipality collaborates with commercial actors to build more quick chargers. The public can not finance all charging infrastructure alone, and we rely on growing a commercial market that provides for the volume and spread of charging services throughout the country.”

Drivers in Oslo and other cities are beginning to experience lines of other cars waiting to access the available chargers, a situation that is further driving the push to expand the EV charging infrastructure in Norway.

Hat Tip to Are Hansen and Lief Hansen, who are not brothers, so far as we know! 

Photo credit: Norsk Elbilforening

World’s Largest Hybrid Ferry Coming To Norway In 2019

Color Line, one of Norway’s largest ferry companies, has signed a letter of intent with Ulstein Verft to build the world’s largest battery electric hybrid ferry. The 525 foot long Color Hybrid will carry 2,000 passengers and 500 cars and will operate between Sandefjord and Stromstad. It is expected to use only electric power in Sanderfjord itself and near the docks at either end of the route.

Gunvor Ulstein, CEO for Ulstein Verft says, “This is an important milestone for us and we are very pleased to have been selected to partner on this incredible project. We look forward to working with Color Line. The new ferry will be built Fosen Yard in Norway. “We are in the final stages, but there are only a few formalities remaining and some technical clarifications must be in place before the contract can be signed,” says shipyard boss Kristian Sætre. Fosen Yard has designed the new ferry in close cooperation with Ulstein Verft and Color Line

“The signing of the MoU represents a significant step to realize the world’s largest plug-in hybrid ship, and it is very gratifying that Norwegian shipbuilding industry has proved competitive internationally, says Trond Kleivdal of Color Line.

The batteries on board will  be charged at the Sandefjord dock using the French NG3 plug to connect to shore power, which is the same plug used on similar ferries. The battery pack size is not yet finalized but will be larger than 4 MWh. It will be capable of powering the ferry without assistance from the onboard diesel engine for a total of 30 minutes. The batteries can be recharged by the diesel engine while underway if necessary.

Design manager Per Edvin Tande of Fosen Yard says the Color Hybrid will use a new hull design. “There is a new and improved hull design which benefits from our experience and knowledge gained on past projects. Energy and environment concerns are the driving design factors for the equipment on board the new ferry,” says Tande.

“Our ambition is to be a leader in European short sea shipping and Color Hybrid’is a proof of this,” says Trond Kleivdal of Color Line. “Color Line is currently the only company in the international passenger and freight business to use only ships registered in Norway and owned by a Norwegian company. The focus on our new ships will be environmental technology.” The Color Hybrid will be approved for use in the United States thanks to its adherence to modern technological standards promulgated by the Norwegian government.

Source: TU News.   Hat Tip: Leif Hansen

Strong Demand In Norway For Ampera-E Moves Delivery Schedule Forward

Demand for the Chevy Bolt — known as the Opel Ampera-E in Europe — has exceeded all expectations in Norway. That country is a hotbed of EV activity, thanks to a package of strong government incentives including tax exemptions, free public charging, preferential parking in congested urban areas, and free tolls on some bridges, tunnels, and ferries. Norway has a higher percentage of electric and plug-in hybrid cars on the road than any other country (by far). Right now, sales of EVs account for more than 25% of all new car purchases in the country.

Ever since the Chevy Bolt was announced, interest from Norwegian customers has been high. Stein Pettersen, public relations manager for Opel in Norway, tells local news source Side 3 that several thousand orders for the car have been taken. Although electric cars are popular in the country, most of them have a useful range less than half that offered by the Ampera-E. That extra range is a big selling point. So is the suggested retail price of 299,900 Kroner — equivalent to $36,340. (The Ampera-E is only available in Europe in the fully loaded Premium trim configuration.)

Two option packages are available — the Comfort Package with perforated leather seats, Bose audio, and heated rear seats; and a Driver Assistance Package that adds sign recognition, blind spot warning, and a rear-view camera. A premium paint option is an additional $300.

The good news for Norwegian customers is that the strong demand for the car has convinced General Motors to begin delivering cars to customers in Norway in June. That is fully 3 months before the Chevy Bolt will be available in all 50 US states. The Opel website contains an interesting graphic about how many miles of range can be added for each 30 minutes of charging using various chargers.

Speaking of range, Opel lists the official range for the Ampera-E as 520 kilometers — about 320 miles. But that is using the wildly optimistic New European Driving Cycle test protocol. When the more realistic Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) standard is used, the range comes out to be 232 miles, which is right in line with the EPA rating of 238 miles. No matter how you slice it, it’s a lot more range than any electric car available in the Norwegian market except for the Tesla Model S and Model X, both of which cost twice as much as the Ampera-E or more. (Teslascenti will argue that both are twice the car the Ampera-E is.)

The Opel website goes on to say, “We estimated a combined WLTP range larger than 380 km based on development tests approximated to the speed profile defined in the WLTP driving cycle (shortened test procedure). The WLTP driving cycle is based on real driving profiles and is there the closer two real life than the legally binding New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). However, the range in your everyday use will vary. In practice, factors suchlike as road characteristics, weather conditions, driving style or additional load Influence the range.”

Range calculations vary considerably around the world. The NEDC is useless when it comes to telling drivers what they can expect when they actually drive a car in the real world. The Japanese standard is even worse and the standard China uses is also highly inaccurate. Many car manufacturers would be delighted if the nations of the world could agree on common standards for measuring mileage, fuel economy, and emissions. Some industry officials estimate the cost of cars is 10 to 15 percent higher than it needs to be just because manufacturers must spend so much time and money complying with differing standards. Adopting the WLTP would go a long way towards alleviating that situation.

Source: Side 3

Electric And Plug-in Cars Top 100,000 In Norway

With a population of about 5,000,000, Norway is leading the world in the percentage of cars with plugs travelling on its roads. As of the end of April, the total stands at more than 100,000. Compare that to the number in far more populous countries — 450,000 in the US, 300,000 in China, and 150,000 in Japan.

Why are plug-in and elect cars so popular in Norway? Simple. Aggressive national policies that strongly favor electric and plug-in hybrid automobiles. Norway leads all other European nations in its commitment to lowering its carbon footprint and is backing that commitment with significant cash incentives. The national sales tax on automobiles is one of the highest in Europe, making the purchase of a new car in Norway an expensive proposition. But electric cars are exempt and plug-in hybrids pay much lower taxes.

Norway also favors drivers of battery and plug-in cars with reduced tolls on its many bridges, tunnels, and ferries. In cities, they are given preferential access to parking and allowed to use HOV lanes at all times. It says it wants all new cars to be zero emissions vehicles by 2025. It is spending more than a $1 billion to build a network of bicycle commuting lanes so people can bike to work rather than drive. It is also promoting plug-in hybrid electric ships to replace diesel powered vessels for coastal shipping routes. Norway gets more than 90% of its electricity from its abundant hydroelectric facilities, making its electrical grid one of the greenest of any nation.

Those national policies are working. In March, more than 60% of new cars sold in Norway were hybrids, plug-in hybrids, or battery electric cars, according to Dinside, a Norwegian news site. Norwegians much prefer pure electric cars to plug-in hybrids. Of the 100,600 total sold through April, about 81,500 of them were all-electric vehicles.

Norway is one of the best customers for Tesla automobiles in all of Europe. The Tesla Model S is a popular choice for taxis in the nation’s cities. Much of that has to do with them being price competitive with conventional cars due to their exemption from the national sales tax, but lower operating and maintenance expenses are also a factor.

Even the Norwegian national mail service is onboad with the electric car movement. Last year, it purchased 240 electric Renault Kango0 small trucks to use for postal deliveries. Posten Norway now has more than 900 electrified vehicles in its fleet. That speaks volumes about the country’s commitment to vehicles that are not powered by fossil fuels.

Source and photo credit: CleanTechnica

Norwegian Scientists Invent Fast Charging Battery

Scientists and researchers around the world are working on improved battery technology that will facilitate the transition away from fossil fuels to electric vehicles. Their quest is for a battery that is lighter, cheaper, and smaller, with greater energy density. It is unlikely anyone will find a single solution that checks all those boxes, but incremental improvements are occurring almost daily.

Battery researchers Prof. Ola Nilsen (L) and Knut Gandrud (R). | Photo Credit: Bergens Tidende

Most people are focused on batteries with longer range. A public perception is beginning to emerge that any electric car should be capable of travelling at least 200 miles before it needs to be recharged. But what if a battery could be restored to full capacity in under a second? Wouldn’t that ease people’s fears about running out of juice away from home?

Two researchers in Norway say they have invented just such a device. Professor Ola Nilsen of the Chemistry Department at the University of Oslo and Knut Bjarne Gandrud, a graduate of the university who now works in Belgium, say they have invented a battery that can be recharged in just half a second. Their discovery could revolutionize the electric vehicle industry.

“Yes, maybe this could be something big,” Gandrud says. “We have created a battery that is the world’s fastest recharging. It can be recharged at a half second. Initially, we think that this may be a good solution for the future of environmentally friendly buses. To save most weight, we envisage that these buses only need battery power to run from one stop to the next. At each stop, it can be rapidly replenished.” (Translated by Google.)

He acknowledges that the battery he and Professor Nilson have come up with may not be well suited to private passenger cars. But it could be important for urban buses and heavy trucks that perform many stops and starts during the course of a day. Rather than hauling around tons of heavy batteries, they could simply recharge instantaneously every few miles at dedicated charging stations. With lithium becoming scarce and more expensive because of rapid growth in electric vehicles, rapid recharging could save more money than the charging infrastructure costs.

“The battery solution we have found is probably not particularly well suited for electric cars,” says Gandrud. “The strength of our battery is in blazing charge, but it is not one you can drive a long way. Further research on batteries may be able to resolve both: speedy storage and the possibility of long driving. But this is complex stuff. We worked on our battery for four years before we got a breakthrough.”

Electric Car Sales Surge In Norway During 2015

There’s no mystery why electric cars are so popular in Norway. To paraphrase an old saying, “It’s the incentives, stupid!” Norway exempts most plug-in hybrid and electric cars from sales tax and registration fees. That makes them price competitive with conventional cars. It also gives EV drivers access to commuter lanes, free parking in most cites, and exempts them from most ferry and bridge tolls. If you look at a map of Norway, you will instantly see it has a lot of ferries and bridges. Finally, Norway is aggressively expanding its charging infrastructure.

Inside EVs put all the numbers together for 2015 and found that combined sales of new and used plug-in hybrid and electric cars and trucks totaled more than 40,000 vehicles. Just looking at new cars, EVs accounted for nearly 30% of all new cars sold in Norway in 2015. It seems clear from the numbers that people are influenced more by economics than environmental concerns when it comes to buying an electric car. What that suggests is that many drivers are perfectly willing to drive electric — if the price is right.

The most popular electric car was the e-Golf, which accounted for more than half of all Golfs sold in Norway last year. Tesla was the second best selling electric car with the Nissan LEAF third. Sales of the LEAF fell off sharply at the end of the year, as buyers decided to wait for the new car with its longer range battery to become available. Plug-in car sales were up over 300% over 2014, after Norway decided to extend some incentives to plug-ins as well. The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV led all plug-in car sales.

Incentves make a huge difference. In  Sweden, which shares the same peninsular with Norway, the government is much less interested in promoting electric cars. As a result, sales of plug-ins and electric cars in Sweden are a small fraction of what they are in Norway.

How likely would the US be to provide such massive support for electric cars? We say we want more of them on the road, but are we willing to put our money where our mouth is? Georgia repealed its $5,000 tax credit for EVs last year. Since then, sales of plug-ins and electrics have plunged 90%, according to WBFO News. Tim Echols, a member of the state’s Public Service Commission, said the issue was about more than money. Rural farmers were displeased that their tax dollars were being given away to eggheads and hipsters in Atlanta’s trendy North End. As TIP O’Neill famously said, “All politics is local.”

Norway has shown what it takes to get people into electric cars. But in the US, which is awash in cheap gasoline, the political will does not seem to exist to provide greater incentives. As a result, sales are holding steady at about 2% a year. By the time the nation gets behind the electric car movement, high tides will be lapping close to downtown Des Moines.

EV Charging Facility In Norway Powered By Solar Panels

Norway leads most of the world in making electricity from renewable sources. It has abundant hydroelectric power, so much of it in fact that it sells the excess to other countries, including the UK. In all, Norway gets more than 90% of its electricity from renewables. It also promotes the use of electric cars by offering its citizens generous financial incentives and other perquisites. Recently, Norway has initiated a move to power much of its coastal shipping with electricity.

With Norway’s focus on renewable energy, it should come as no surprise that a new EV charging station at the Asko East industrial park outside the city of Vestby will be powered by solar power. Vestby is situated about 50 miles south of Oslo. The new facility will have ten charging stations under a covered roof. 75 south facing solar panels, each rated at 270 watts per hour, will be mounted on the roof. Together, they are expected to generate up to 16,000 kWh of electricity a year — enough to power a Tesla Model S for more than 47,000 miles.

The solar system is being built by Fusen, Inc. Its CEO, Thor Christian Tuv, tells Pursuits Green, “We have previously been involved in a carport demonstration plant, but this is the first major installation of such a solution in Norway.”  The panels themselves are sensitive to light both from above and below, so that light reflected back from the ground will also help make electricity. Tuv says this is the first time these type of solar cells have been installed in Scandanavia.

Lars Erik Olsen, technical manager for the Asko East industrial complex ,says that solar installations offer more benefits than just economics. He says there are intangible benefits to consider as well, including letting workers and visitors to the site know that the company is investing in clean renewable energy for everyone’s benefit. The solar array is situated so that it is visible to all who enter the facility.

The surrounding buildings themselves are powered by a roof mounted solar system that provides 280,000 kWh of electricity annually. The solar EV chargers are scheduled to be completed and fully operational in January, 2016.

Leif Hansen, who lives in Norway, contributed to this story.

Norway Electric Car Sales At Nearly 26% Market Share In March!

Number of registrations of new all-electric passenger cars in Norway – March 2015

Volkswagen e-Golf

Norway set a new plug-in car sales record in March reaching 23.4% market share for BEVs and almost 2.5% PHEVs, which in total gives it some 25.9% among new passenger cars!

This is more than one per four new registrations!

The exact number of registrations is 3,391 for BEVs and 357 for PHEVs. 3,748 total. All-electric cars are more favorable due mostly to incentives.

Official data states other categories like 73 new electric delivery vans and some 320 used imported passenger electric cars plus 1 used imported electric van.

Besides 25.9% new plug-in cars, there were some 7% non-rechargable hybrids too.

For March, we can take a look at the table with numbers of registrations  for particular models provided by elbil.no via OFV.

Most registrations last month belonged to the Tesla Model S – 1,140, but Volkswagen e-Golf with 956 was not far behind and leads the YTD rank. 2,672 e-Golfs out of 7,202 BEVs makes it above one-third of the EV-pie share so far this year.

Almost 68% of all new Golfs, which is the best selling car in Norway, are e-Golfs. Tesla Model S is in the second place after three months of 2015 with share of 8.1% in March and 4.3% in the quarter.

Nissan LEAF had 526 registrations in March, which is more than a year ago, although far short of e-Golf. Despite this, the LEAF is the fifth best selling car in Norway with share of 3.7% in March and 3.1% YTD.

In fourth among EVs we see the Volkswagen e-up! (sales down from last year) at 162 last month and 485 YTD.

Renault ZOE shines with a new record of it own with 228 registrations – enough to overtake BMW i3 in YTD standings – 361 vs. 336. Similar level of sales we can see for Audi A3 e-tron – 369 YTD and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV – 356 YTD.

Number of registrations of new all-electric passenger cars in Norway – March 2015 (source: elbil.no)

Number of registrations of new plug-in hybrid passenger cars in Norway – March 2015 (source: elbil.no)

Germany Will Offer EV Buyers Free Parking

Though the German auto industry has been fairly quick to embrace plug-in hybrid and electric cars, incentives from the government have been few and far between. Bloomberg reports that a new bill in the German parliament will change that by allowing EV's, hydrogen, and certain plug-in hybrid car drivers access to free parking and bus-only lanes lanes.

By the end of this year, 17 different plug-in cars will be available from German automakers, but the country still doesn’t offer any direct financial aid to buyers. Instead it offers tax breaks for use of plug-in company cars (which are treated as taxable income in Germany) and has provided funding to battery technology research. Unfortunately this hasn’t translated successfully into higher EV sales, and the goal to put 1 million plug-in cars on German streets by 2020 is off to a slow start.

Let me put this in perspective for a minute. Buyers in Norway took delivery of 1,497 plug-in cars in July of 2014, compared with just 1,057 plug-in cars in Germany. Yet in 2013 there were over 2,952,000 new car registrations in Germany, while Norway saw a little over 142,000 new car sales, 5% of what was one of the worst years for car sales in Europe. Through August, German EV sales outpaced Norway by a mere 9 vehicles. Giving EV buyers access to bus lanes and free parking is a nice perk, sure, but Norway has seen greater success by discounting the heavy-handed taxes it levies in combustion engines.

Germany is the heart of European car production, and if it really wants to lead the Old World in EV adoption, it’ll have try harder than sacrificing a few euros from street parking.

Source: EVObsession

Tesla Charging Woes Means Apology For Norway

Elon Musk apologized to Norwegian owners of the Tesla Model S, some of whom have had difficulties charging their Teslas in the extreme colds of Scandinavia. The issue seems to stem from the Tesla Universal Mobile Connector, or TUMC, which isn’t meshing well with Norway’s electrical grid in all cases.

The Tesla Model S has become one of Norway’s best-selling cars, and has helped make EVs become the top-selling vehicles in the cold northern country, thanks in large part to some crazy-generous incentives. Norway is an important market for Tesla, and Elon Musk has taken care to sooth the feelings of some upset owners who found their electric sedans slowly, or not charging at all. The apology from Musk goes out to about 2,100 Tesla Model S owners in Norway, though it is estimated that “less than 10%” of owners are affected by the charging woes. The issue only seems to come up when temperatures dip to extreme lows, a fairly regular occurrence in one of the world’s coldest countries, thought he Model S has proven to be more than capable of handling Norway’s frozen roads.

Tesla and Musk have responded with more than just an apology though, as a software update to the TUMC has supposedly resolved 95% of the reported charging issues. WTesla will continue to work on the issue until “everything is perfect”, though this is a fairly benign pothole in the grand scheme of things. Norway already hasa fairly comprehensive Supercharger network, and the rest of Europe will soon be covered by Superchargers as well.

That said though, it makes me wonder how the Tesla Model S will handle less-modern electrical grids, like those powering parts of China or other Asian countries. Just another challenge for Musk and co. to overcome I suppose.

Source: The Wall St. Journal

12% Of New Car Sales In Norway Are EVs

For a country that buys so few new cars, Norway has been in the automotive news a lot lately. That’s because electric car sales have surged in the cold Scandinavian thanks to some serious tax credits and other benefits bestowed on EV drivers. Electric car sales now make up 12% of all new car sales, showing just how effective these tax policies can be.

In the month of November, some 12,079 new cars were registered in Norway, and of those over 1,400 were electric vehicles, representing about 12% of all new car sales. In October the Nissan Leaf was Norway’s best-selling vehicle, while in September it was the newly-released Tesla Model S.

In November the Model S just barely topped the Nissan Leaf, selling 527 units to the Leaf’s 512 units, representing two distinct ends of the socio-economic scale. While the Volkswagen Golf regained the top spot, electric cars now outsell even hybrids in Norway.

That’s because EV drivers don’t pay a number of Norway’s many vehicular-related taxes, while also getting to drive in bus lanes and use certain toll roads and ferries for free. It’s a pretty sweet deal, at least while it lasts, and it’s making Norway a world leader in electric car adoption. Can the Norwegian model work elsewhere? I don’t see why not.

 Source: Green Car Reports

Tesla Model S Becomes Norway’s Best-Selling Car

Hard to go for a day without a story regarding Tesla...

There is something about Scandinavian that makes it especially conducive to electric cars, and Elon Musk knows it. The Tesla Model S has topped the sales charts in Norway, outselling even the beloved Volkswagen Golf to become the best-selling car in this very cold country.

The Tesla Model S only began European sales in August, opening a distribution center in Holland, and in September the electric sedan commanded 5.1% of the Norwegian car market. Granted, the country of 5 million people only bought 138,000 new cars in 2012, as buying a car is notoriously expensive due to heavy taxes on emissions and fuel consumption.

So even with a starting price of $110,000 to $117,000 in Norway, the Tesla Model S actually represents a performance bargain. Similarly powerful vehicles can cost upwards of $200,000 in Norway or more; a 556 horsepower BMW M5 costs almost $160,000 just in taxes, with the total price near $300,000.

That doesn’t take into account the free tolls and ferries electric car owners are granted, as well as their ability to drive in bus lanes. This is why the Nissan Leaf shot up the sales charts when it went on sale in Norway, and why well-heeled Norwegians are paying up to $20,000 over MSRP to avoid the five-month wait time for a Tesla Model S. With an extensive Supercharger network installed across Norway, and proof the Model S has no problem with the cold Scandinavian winters, there are plenty of incentives to buy a Model S. It is estimated that there are already more than 500 Tesla Model S sedans on the road in Norway.

While sales will eventually taper off, and there may come a day free tolls and ferries are no longer offered, right now electric cars are a hot commodity. The Nissan Leaf has garnered plenty of sales too, commanding 3.8% of Norway’s car market in August of this year, meaning two of Norway’s three best-selling cars are EVs; what can the U.S. learn from them?

Basically, if you want people to really choose electric cars like, right now, you have to bribe/extort them. Otherwise you just have to wait for the virtues of EVs to naturally (slowly) convert the population.

Source: Reuters

First Norwegian Electric Ferry Sets Sail

With enough room on deck for 360 passengers and 120 cars, Norway’s latest ferry shuttle was designed to minimize fluid drag. In order to reduce the ferry’s weight for greater efficiency, the ferry’s designers have made the hulls much lighter than usual, using aluminum instead of conventionally-used steel. The ship is motivated by a 10-ton battery that powers two electric motors.

That’s right, gang: it’s a giant electric ferry boat with a 10 ton battery!

Keep in mind, that’s metric tons, which are a touch over 10% more massive than ‘Murican tons. For a bit of perspective, that means the battery weighs over 22,000 lbs. (or, about as much as 10 Mitsubishi MiEVs).

The best part? The electric ferry’s huge battery can be fully recharged in 10 minutes, so the ferry can be made ready to push off with all of its 800 KWs of engine power at the captain’s command as soon as the cars and passengers are ready to go.

All the power. No waiting. The future is awesome.

  

Source: Inhabitat.