The Green Drive Region project led to an increase in sales of fossil fuel-free cars in the cities of Akershus and Hedmark in Norway and in Värmland, Dalarna and Gävleborg in Sweden. This was thanks to campaigns urging both motorists and private businesses regularly crossing the border between Norway and Sweden to switch to vehicles powered by renewable energy sources.
- 18 September 2019
If the reduction of local emissions is important, the electric car and the hydrogen car are preferable. If emphasis is placed on value creation in Norway and Sweden, biogas will be much more interesting with regard to local resources.
The Green Drive Region project made policymakers and the public aware of more environmentally friendly transportation, including electric cars, fuel cell and biofuel vehicles, and other options such as public transport, walking or cycling. It supported the sale of locally produced biofuels, increasing entrepreneurship, export opportunities and employment in the area.
A relay race across the region was organised to raise awareness of the need to cut down on fossil fuels. A website was set up to present information on the different types of fuel and vehicles available and featured a tool motorists could use to calculate their transport costs and carbon dioxide emissions.
Greener wheels
According to the project’s research, the number of rechargeable vehicles sold in the two countries between 2015 and the first quarter of 2018 increased by 223.4 %.
The project tracked the number of cars crossing the border in both directions in December 2015, 2016 and 2017 – on the same day and at the same time each year. This showed that, while small, there was a steady uptick in the use of electric and hydrogen-powered cars – from six in 2015 to 17 in 2017.
Increased pollution
An expanded labour market has meant increased road travel between Sweden and Norway, resulting in worsening air pollution due to an increase of harmful car emissions.
Green Drive Region commissioned a study and report from sustainability consultants Endrava on emissions from cars that use different types of fuels. The report ranked electric battery-powered vehicles as the lowest emitters of greenhouse gasses, followed by those running on biogas and hydrogen. Electric cars have far fewer total emissions over their lifetime, even if a battery is replaced.
The research was aimed primarily at the government and the private sector, as the supply of fossil-free fuels and infrastructure largely depends on political decisions. In addition, meetings were arranged between representatives of the different regions to enable them to learn from each other and collaborate on strategies for creating new infrastructure and fossil fuel-free transport.
The project believed that reaching both decision makers and motorists was essential for securing a successful outcome.
Video
http://greendriveregion.com/english-summary-sv/greendriveregion.com/filmer-media/Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Green Drive Region” is EUR 2 900 000, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 916 000 through the “Interreg V-A Sweden-Norway” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Energy union and climate”.