As the days are passing by, so are the laws, policies, and initiatives. The encouragement for electric vehicles took a rapid speed not only in some European countries but also in Scandinavian countries. One such important step has been taken as exempting electrical vehicles from the annual circulation tax for 10 years time length from the first date of registration.
An environmental bonus of 3000-4000 Euros as a government grant from July 2016 has been granted for plug-in and electric vehicles.
Some of the countries following the same steps are: –
Austria, fuel exemption at the first registration and up to 800 Euro as annual bonuses.
Finland, a free network of charging points and a minimum level of CO2-based registration tax is paid by the pure electric vehicles.
In the Netherlands, the goal of 200,000 low-emission vehicles on the road by 2020 and one million by 2025 is achieved by reliefs in the form of tax and registration and free charge accessibility in the parking space in the center of Amsterdam and Rotterdam cities.
In Amsterdam, charging points expansion has been financed from the city budget, also provides the resident the opportunity to inform the need of charging point to the authorities and will be committed to the place as per the choice of the resident.
In Norway, the goal to have the maximum number of electric vehicles on road is followed by exempting the customs and excise taxes, where buyers are exempted from 25% value-added tax, implemented in 1990, and also lowering the road tax for electric car buyers.
In Great Britain, 400 million of GDP is spent on the infrastructure development for charging of electric vehicles and special grants for eco-friendly private cars, taxi cabs, and buses, purchasing of EV cars provides subsidies.
In Stockholm, 10 stations of fast loading and 100 AC charging points has been established by the City Council in 2014, and eight fast and 100 ordinary charging points were placed mainly at petrol stations, restaurants, or supermarkets in 2017.
In Poland, exemption from parking fees or using charging stations. In cities like Wrocław, Eco-friendly car owners can use the fast charging station for free and also be liberated from parking fees. In cities like Gdańsk, Katowice, and Toruń, parking fees are abolished for hybrid and electric vehicles whereas, in Szczecin, Cracow, and Tarnów, the payments are reduced and in Gdańsk, the chain of fast-charging stations can be used freely.
In my opinion, it shows the serious attitude towards the effort for going environment-friendly cars and promoting scenarios with many benefits and schemes, tailored as per the place so that more and more residents can be turned into a potential buyer.
The scenario also shows the effort and forthcoming attitudes by many authorities in the government towards such a movement. Well, a kind of competitive attitude can also be drawn among each country, coming up with new solutions, use of parking areas in an intelligent manner where more and more beneficial schemes can be seen.
Sources:- Energy Transformation Towards Sustainability; ACEA, 2018c. The Automobile Industry Pocket Guide 2018-2019.