Norway calls for improved sales information for electric cars

The small country known for its cold and harsh winters, tall mountains and deep fjords has become the testing ground of new technology.

So far in 2022 battery electric vehicles make up 81% of the new car sales in Norway.

As governments in many countries now look to Norway to learn how to succeed in increasing sales of battery electric vehicles, The Norwegian Automobile Federation (NAF) urges the car industry to harmonize their marketing of electric cars to make the transition to EVs easier for buyers.

-Consumers are usually met with vague references of range and charge speed, referencing “up to 500 km range". The most flattering number is usually the one given while not disclosing whether the advertised range refers to City-WLTP or combined-WLTP, what version or trim it relates to or whether it is two or four wheel drive. This makes it particularily difficult for consumers to compare EVs side by side, says Thor Egil Braadland, head of governmental affairs in NAF.

The consumer organisation has tested range and charging speed on over 80 EVs under typical real driving conditions, revealing that actual range and charge speed differs a lot from what the advertisement claims.

-EVs loose between 4 and 31% range in the winter and charges considerably slower. Nothing in today’s marketing prepares buyers for that reality, explains Braadland.

-Based on our tests we see the need for harmonized consumer information and better marketing of EVs to prepare consumers for how the technology will perform in their everyday life, he adds.

NAF, representing almost half a million members, have challenged the car industry to harmonize how they address range and charging time, and calls for a standardized test for winter range.

The range and consumption of electric cars sold on the European market is determined by a test cycle called World Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). The WLTP procedure is used to type-approve all cars, and is partially performed in a laboratory. In addition, the cars are tested on a 23-kilometer stretch of road. The test is carried out in summer temperatures.

-As with all test cycles, WLTP is an indication of range and consumption. What you experience on the road is another matter. However, we believe it is possible to prepare consumers for what they can actually expect from their car, Braadland says.