Where would we be without the electric vehicle transition?

Kristín Björk Bjarnadóttir, head of individual and corporate solutions at ON Power, discusses the status of electric vehicle adoption, the development of charging infrastructure, and the importance of continuing the energy transition in a new article published on Vísir.

According to data from the National Energy Authority, electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles accounted for 24% of the Icelandic car fleet in June of this year. So far this year, nearly 4,900 electric cars have been newly registered, compared to just over 1,700 petrol and diesel cars. The vast majority of new cars added to the Icelandic car fleet are therefore now fully or partially powered by electricity.

The article states that the use of fast-charging stations has increased recently and that electric vehicles have increasingly become families' primary travel cars, also for longer trips around the country. However, this development did not happen on its own. It is based on technological advancements, the development of charging infrastructure, corporate investments, and government support. Kristín also discusses the proposed reduction in funding for the Climate and Energy Fund, pointing out that the energy transition is not a given and that continued will, investments, and a clear long-term vision are needed.

In the article, she also puts the impact of electric vehicle adoption into context. Since the beginning of the electrification of transport, the combustion of around 180 million liters of fossil fuels has been prevented, corresponding to approximately 440 thousand tons of CO₂. This year alone, the electric car fleet will reduce fossil fuel imports by the equivalent of about 45 million liters, or around 115 thousand tons of CO₂.

The task is therefore no longer to convince people that electric cars work, but to continue creating conditions for a faster energy transition and ensuring that an increasingly larger share of the nation's transport runs on domestic and renewable energy.

"We continue undeterred because we believe we are in a better place than we would be if electric vehicle adoption had not taken place," says Kristín at the end of the article, which can be read in its entirety on Vísir.