Prime Minister Vanhanen wants more electric cars on Finnish roads

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Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) wants to see more rechargeable electric cars on Finnish roads as soon as possible. According to the Prime Minister, lifting the energy tax on electric cars should be considered immediately.
      Vanhanen made his comments at an energy efficiency seminar in Vaasa on Tuesday. He also attended the Vaasa Housing Fair.
      Vanhanen noted that already next year the Japanese car industry plans to introduce an electric model to Finland. The car can go about 170 kilometres with one charge.
     
“In Finland, a country with long distances, it is possible to keep a dispersed community structure with the help of electric cars”, Vanhanen said, adding that he is an outspoken supporter of a dispersed garden city model.
      Vanhanen calculates that in the future, driving 100 kilometres in an environmentally friendly vehicle would cost only a couple of euros. He notes that in urban areas electric cars would reduce the amount of harmful emissions. He predicted that by 2020 a significant proportion of private cars in service will be run by electricity.
     “For instance, Denmark and Israel offer tax incentives for electric vehicles, and Sweden is providing subsidies”, he said.
     
Vanhanen said that Finland will not remain a bystander in the development, noting that transport and heating are the most significant causes of greenhouse emissions, which are outside the realm of emissions trading.
     “Cutting these emissions is in a central position, if Finland is to achieve its emission goals for sectors outside emissions trading, which is 16 per cent”, Vanhanen said in Vaasa.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Study: emission trade could bring European electric utilities tens of billions of euros in extra profit (17.4.2008)
  EU cuts Finnish emission quota (5.6.2007)

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