Suggested Citation:
Fulton, Lewis and Joel Bremson (2014) Assessing the Impacts of Rapid Uptake of Plug-in Vehicles in Nordic Countries. Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, Research Report UCD-ITS-RR-14-02

The five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) have an opportunity to become world leaders in the deployment of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), including battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The benefits of rapid deployment of these technologies would include not only the direct energy savings and CO2 reductions they would provide, but also the possibility to accelerate a global transition to very low carbon vehicles and fuels. This report outlines pathways for achieving such goals, and analyzes the costs and benefits associated with a rapid Nordic PEV deployment effort.

This project builds upon the IEA project “Nordic ETP 2012”, conducted in cooperation with the five Nordic countries during 2011-2012. That project provided a recommended pathway to achieve very low energy-related greenhouse gas emissions in these countries in the 2050 time frame. It includes all energy sectors. This analysis focuses on the transport sector and further explores the implications of achieving a very low GHG transport future in the Nordic countries, in particular three aspects: the detailed roll-out requirements and feasibility for PEVs and associated energy infrastructure in order to reach Nordic 2050 targets, the likely costs and benefits of this roll-out, including the value of fuel savings and CO2 reductions, and the external benefits for other parts of the world if Nordic countries follow this pathway (e.g. how might this help reduce costs or increase confidence for other regions to follow suit with similarly aggressive strategies?).