Interdisciplinary Program Office (IPO) Sustainability Seminar Series Fall 2022  - Towards cleaner automobility: electric vehicle adoption in the Nordic countries

It is hard to imagine but not even five years ago electric vehicles (EVs) were doubted by many in the media and wider public to ever really take off among consumers and car companies. Nowadays, most car companies have at least some EV types in their collection or have plans to do so in the near future. The Nordic countries – Norway, Iceland, Finland, Sweden and Denmark – offer a key set of countries to learn how EVs are slowly becoming the norm. Their incentives, policies and markets developed over time (to different degrees) to support the EV uptake among consumers and companies. Comparing these countries among themselves and the Nordics with the rest of the world offers valuable lessons for transitions in transport and electricity grid operations towards sustainability. Simultaneously, it also raises new questions about sustainable mobility, social justice and urban planning.