Enova granted support to 108 zero-emission vehicles for a total amount of 136.5 million Norwegian kroner.
This award is the first of Enova’s new support program for zero-emission heavy vehicles, which will be the company’s most important tool for reducing climate emissions in the country’s land transport.
“Heavy transport accounts for a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions in Norway. If we can convert more buses and trucks to batteries or hydrogen, significant benefits will be achieved,” says Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, Minister of Climate and Environment.
He continues, “I am pleased to see that many in the industry want to change. The government has strengthened Enova by five billion Norwegian kroner since we took office, and now we are seeing the results of that.”
It is worth mentioning that the new program allows support for various categories of vehicles in trucks and buses.
In this first round of allocation, the state-owned company sees a good distribution of categories receiving support.
In a sector that accounts for around 30 per cent of Norwegian emissions, catching up is crucial, and the new program is designed precisely to succeed faster.
“In this round, we have provided support to various categories of different vehicles, including support for many hydrogen-powered trucks,” acknowledges Astrid Lilliestråle, Director of Technology and Market Development at Enova.
“It is hoped that the support will motivate even more truck owners to replace high CO2-emitting vehicles, thus ensuring an even faster reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in Norway. This promises a lot,” she adds.
Indeed, several hundred vehicles are expected to be replaced.
The program replaces two previous support programs of Enova, Hydrogen Heavy Vehicles and Service Stations, and Heavy Electric Vehicles.
While vehicle owners previously could apply for 40 per cent support, funds from the new program will be awarded through a competition with monthly application deadlines throughout the year.
This results in a short processing time, and the decision on allocation can be made a few days after the application deadline.
While Enova’s previous support schemes prioritized different types of vehicles to some extent, the new scheme focuses on replacing units powered by fossil fuels.
It is expected that this will increase the pace of replacing the heavy transport vehicle fleet in Norway.
“We expect that several hundred truck owners will have the opportunity to invest in new zero-emission vehicles through this program, and, above all, we hope that these will become relevant for many more,” comments Lilliestråle.
Additionally, Lilliestråle points out that the program and the first allocation are an important step in facilitating large-scale market introduction.
“The goal is for many vehicles to be able to travel on Norwegian roads as cost-effectively as possible. We are simply accelerating the transition to a zero-emission society,” she says.
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