The electric cars you do not get to see in Norway
Get access to the most important issues and a number of membership benefits: Try our pro membership for 1 kroner the first month.
(Elbil24): That Norway is a pioneering country when it comes to electrifying the car fleet is something the whole world has learned. Already, almost all new cars registered to private individuals are battery electric. Thus, we are miles ahead of other countries, including our Nordic neighbors.
So far behind us they are on an electric car
That we are good at electric cars, however, does not mean that we have free access to all models. Our review shows that there are quite a few electric cars, many of them absolutely interesting, which for various reasons are not visible in the Norwegian traffic picture.
Some of them are brand new and lack a Norwegian importer, while others have properties that make them better suited in other markets. Some of them, for example, are not designed to withstand a good, Norwegian winter.
Common to many of them, however, is that they are not depreciated at all, and may therefore be seen on the roads sometime in the future. Only time will tell.
Here you will now find 95 electric car tests: Check all the news
Time consuming
But establishing a new car brand in China is not a snap. First, you will have access to products with current models and configurations, you will establish and function for handling and service networks, and moreover, all marked style forces can be required to create interest and expectation among the public. This costs money – and takes time.
Advertiser Content
Member benefit: Get up to 20 percent discount on tires, rims and tire hotels at Vianor
A good example of this is the Chinese car-branded BYD, where the Norwegian importer RSA Bil spent six and a half years from the first talks with manufacturers, until the first copy of models Tang was delivered to customers earlier this autumn.
In this case, we take a closer look at some of the models we can never see in Norwegian skills, or which currently have a status that is at best unclear.
Aion S
Aion is a Chinese electric car brand from Guangzhou Automobile Corporation (GAC). It was introduced in 2018 as a sub-brand and in 2020 as a separate electric car brand. Particularly popular are the Aion S models, which are medium-sized sedans that sold over 40,000 units in China in the first half of the year. It is placed in ninth place on the sales lists.
The car is delivered in different configurations, and the range is between 460 and 510 kilometers. It is only delivered with drive on the rear wheels, and the maximum engine power is 184 horsepower. The top speed is 130 kilometers per hour. Not super benefits, maybe, but then the price is quite low – with a starting price of around 184,000 kroner in China.
Norway is not on any investment list for GAC and Aion at the time of writing.
BYD Han
BYD is highly relevant with Tang models in the Norwegian market. It is a large premium SUV with 7 seats, which we have already tested.
But the Chinese car and battery manufacturer also has other electric cars in the range, perhaps particularly interesting is the large and luxurious sedan Han. In terms of size, it is between the Tesla Model 3 and Model S, and then also competes against these – but so far only in China.
The car comes with battery packs, of 65 and 77 kWh, respectively, and operation on front wheels or all four wheels. The range should be 40-50 miles (WLTP) and 0-100 should be done in as little as 3.9 seconds on a top-packed four-wheel drive.
We have asked RSA Bil if He is the next car to be imported from BYD, but only get answers to the preliminary dishes all focus on Tang. At the same time, a large car is no longer so popular on land, so we are not surprised if he does not find his way to Norwegian roads at all.
Chery eQ1
In addition to BYD, RSA Bil AS also has a letter of intent with Chery to distribute the brand in Norway. However, they have put the launch on hold pending the right and new models, and will initially concentrate on BYD. The importer, on the other hand, says that the cooperation agreement is still intact.
I have a Chery store and models eQ1 on the top 10 list of new registrations in the country first half year. This is a small car that has been on the market for a few years already. It is equipped with a simple 40 horsepower electric motor and a battery pack of 30 kWh, which should be enough for about 200 miles between each time it must be charged.
However, we have more exciting things going on, including the TX concept car, and electric crossover that we would definitely have liked to see on Norwegian roads sometime in the future.
Microlino 2.0
Microcars have historically not been a great success in this country, but in a time where more and more of the fossil car traffic and cars in general will be directed outside the city centers, the category can quickly become popular in her home as well.
Microlino 2.0 from Italian Micro, should in that case be an obvious candidate.
The car has only one door and it sits in the front. From there you get easy access to the two seats. There is also room for some luggage in the back of the car, which is only 244 centimeters long, 150 centimeters bred and 146 centimeters high.
On the inside is a battery pack of 11 kWh, which should be enough to bring you around 20 miles on a good day. The top speed is 90 kilometers per hour.
The design is largely taken from the classic BMW Isetta, which saw the light of day as far back as 1955.
The car is planned to be sold in several EU countries, with a starting price of around 120,000 kroner, but it is uncertain whether Norway is on the launch list. One of the challenges, as we are the case with the Citroën Ami microcar, is that the cars are often not designed to withstand a good, Norwegian winter.
Ora Cat
Ora is a car brand under the Chinese car manufacturer Great Wall, and during the year IAA trade fair in Munich they showed several electric models, under the family name Cat.
Perhaps the most exciting of them, was the 03 Cat model, which is a large sedan with a Porsche-inspired front. The car has a range of 450 kilometers (WLTP), delivered with operation on all four wheels and with engines that can together 407 horsepower. 0-100 kilometers per hour should be completed in between 3 and 4 seconds, so this is a crack.
Other media have reported that Ora is on his way to Norway. When we spoke to them at the stand in Munich, however, it was only confirmed that they were aware of Norway as potentially marked in the future. according to BilNorge Norway is not mentioned at all in Ora’s planned European launch.
Wuling Mini EV
We end this round with electric cars we do not get to see in Norway, with models Wuling Mini EV. Not because we wish for death to come here, but because it is by far the world’s best-selling electric car of all time. This is of course due to the fact that it has its origins in China, where it sells as hot penny buns on a sunny day in Bergen.
It may well be related to the price; it starts at around 40,000 kroner. Then you get a car with room for four small people, two in front and two in the back – but then without any luggage space.
The car should be able to drive at 100 kilometers per hour, which must be said to be a lot, considering the electric motor that provides a modest 17.4 horsepower. The battery pack is also of the modest variety, with a capacity of 9.2 kWh. The range between each charge should still be around 170 kilometers, according to the manufacturer SGMW.
Some Norwegian launches are not on the agenda, but manufacturers will be in contact with a Latvian company that will be interested in introducing the Wuling Mini EV in Europe.
Read more about the Wuling Mini EV in this case.