– I will probably consider whether there are other ways I can get to work, at a lower cost, says Jan-Arild Skappel. He is an electric car owner and commutes from Strand in Ryfylke, via the undersea tunnel Ryfast, to work in Stavanger. Skappel estimates that his family currently has between NOK 3,000-4,000 in toll expenses per month. But now it could be even more. Jan-Arild Skappel has had an electric car for ten years. Now he will consider finding another way to commute to work in Stavanger. Photo: Odd Rune Kyllingstad / news First project in the country A majority in the county council in Rogaland has in fact agreed that electric vehicles must pay 70 per cent of the ordinary tariff, in order to drive through what is the world’s longest undersea tunnel. Until now, electric car owners have paid half price. It was before Christmas that the Storting opened the door for the Ministry of Transport and Communications to, if approved by local authorities, set a tariff for light zero-emission vehicles in tariff group 1 of up to 70 per cent of the ordinary tariff in existing and future toll projects. Ryfast is the first road project where local politicians take advantage of the opportunity. The Directorate of Roads tells news that they have not received applications from others for electric cars to pay 70 per cent, nor have they heard of others who have adopted it locally. Critical to removing benefits – It is too early to phase out the benefits, says chairman of the Electric Vehicle Association in Rogaland, Erik DePasquale. He points out that even though 80 per cent of new car sales in Norway last year were electric cars, 80 per cent of the car fleet in Norway is still fossil fuel cars. Therefore, he believes that it is important to still have an incentive for more people to switch to zero-emission vehicles. And that it should still be stated that electric cars must have a 50 percent toll discount. – We want there to be a visible difference. It is important to show that it pays to drive emission-free, says DePasquale. I think electric cars must be treated equally – We had the choice between increasing the ordinary rates by 15 per cent or making an adjustment to the discount on electric cars, says county deputy mayor from Sp, Arne Bergsvåg. There has been toll collection in Ryfast for a year. The Roads Directorate has assessed the finances of the project and concluded that the income is too low. They therefore came up with a recommendation to the toll company Ferde to increase the rates. Bergsvåg was among those who concluded that it was right to increase the price for those who drive electric cars, instead of making it more expensive for everyone. – We have probably come so far with the share of electric cars that we have to start equating electric cars and fossil cars. And there are still many financial incentives for choosing an electric car, says the county deputy mayor. Over NOK 30 more expensive With the decision on 70 per cent for electric cars, there will also be an increase of 10 per cent in the tariff for ordinary vehicles. This means that electric cars with a smart chip will in future have to pay NOK 91.84 per passage through Ryfast, compared to NOK 59.6 previously. There is an increase of NOK 32.24 per pass. And even if there is a ceiling of 40 crossings each month, it will be much more expensive for the commuters. For commuter Jan-Arild Skappel, it will now be either a bus or a vessel with three wheels when he goes to work. – There is a bus, but it will double my time to work from half an hour to an hour. And on a busy weekday, it actually means a little. But you also have these tricycles that you don’t pay anything for. I haven’t decided anything yet, but I will in any case consider one of the two alternatives, says Skappel.
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Now electric drivers also have to pay more in tolls – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
