Just returned from Norway ...

[Snakebitten]

Good point.

I think the Houston metro area is now 6 million?

The place is so spread out. You can enter on one end and later wonder just how far to get out the other side?

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[glenthompson]

My son will be moving to Oslo next year for a 2 year assignment. Don’t know what he plans to do for a car. He likes our MME but can’t realistically use one in current condo with having to park on the street and can’t charge at work. Might have to get him to try an EV while there.

 

[azerik]

I absolutely love Norway. I didn't love the near $80 dinner (burger/fries) for just me with a single beer, but I love the area and people.

 

[Chrisbriding]

My son will be moving to Oslo next year for a 2 year assignment. Don’t know what he plans to do for a car. He likes our MME but can’t realistically use one in current condo with having to park on the street and can’t charge at work. Might have to get him to try an EV while there.

It's a fun city, I imagine more so for a younger person than myself. Public transit is excellent so we didn't even get a car until after we'd spent time in Oslo and Bergen and were more in the Northern Fjord area. Roads are quite narrow. I was joking that what we'd consider a wide 2 lane road in CA would be a 4 lane road in Norway.

That said, it is crazy expensive to eat out as @azerik mentions. Apparently, the tax on dining in restaurants, any restaurant, is on the order of 25%. Alcohol is highly taxed as well and low content compared to the U.S.

 

[rreddy3]

It's a fun city, I imagine more so for a younger person than myself. Public transit is excellent so we didn't even get a car until after we'd spent time in Oslo and Bergen and were more in the Northern Fjord area. Roads are quite narrow. I was joking that what we'd consider a wide 2 lane road in CA would be a 4 lane road in Norway.

That said, it is crazy expensive to eat out as @azerik mentions. Apparently, the tax on dining in restaurants, any restaurant, is on the order of 25%. Alcohol is highly taxed as well and low content compared to the U.S.

If you’ve driven in Ireland, how would compare the Norwegian roads with Irish N, R, and L roads?

 

[HuntingPudel]

I was in China earlier this year... I was surprised to see a MME there... and zillions of other EVs.

Did it have these on the doors? ??

 

[Chrisbriding]

If you’ve driven in Ireland, how would compare the Norwegian roads with Irish N, R, and L roads?

Haven't driven in Ireland, but have in England and Scotland. I would say the Norwegian roads (other than the large motorways) were about as wide but far better maintained than the smaller local roads in England/Scotland.

 

[mccdeuce]

Great EV charging infrastructure built out with …. oil money. Kind of ironic, I think.

They also have a ton of hydro electricity money.

 

[rreddy3]

Haven't driven in Ireland, but have in England and Scotland. I would say the Norwegian roads (other than the large motorways) were about as wide but far better maintained than the smaller local roads in England/Scotland.

That’s good to hear! And the other bonus is you get to sit on the correct L side of the car white driving, and drive on the right, R side!!

My driving experiences in Ireland convince me the rental companies give the beaters to Americans and I suspect Canadians. I made sure I took the “rim and tire” insurance where it wasn’t included in the base. “Pro tip”, if they offer side mirror insurance take it too! One year we had an Audi A3 diesel with one body color mirror and the other an unpainted new cap.

I did find the drivers in Ireland to be patient and courteous. Didn’t drive in Dublin so can’t speak for it, but did drive on the M50 ring west of Dublin. Tough to drive east without an amphibious car.

Did you find Norwegian drivers to be courteous and responsible?

 

[Chrisbriding]

Did you find Norwegian drivers to be courteous and responsible?

Very much so. I had been warned to not speed so had to detach from the SoCal habit of driving as fast as one can until you catch up to the car in front of you! I consistently found the natives speeding. Not tail gating me but clearly wanting to go faster so I just pulled over and let them pass. There are obvious areas where the roads narrow where one driver would stop to let the oncoming one go through. Very courteous.

I also found it challenging to stay at a steady speed which I attribute to the conversion from kilometers to miles (0.62 to 1) so it took awhile for me to not over-correct. Also, our rental car had a feature where it would beep at you when you went 2 km over what it thought the speed limit was.

In contrast, my first drive home a nimrod cut me off after going across 3 lanes of traffic to get to Starbucks. I "waved" to them.

 

[rreddy3]

Very much so. I had been warned to not speed so had to detach from the SoCal habit of driving as fast as one can until you catch up to the car in front of you! I consistently found the natives speeding. Not tail gating me but clearly wanting to go faster so I just pulled over and let them pass. There are obvious areas where the roads narrow where one driver would stop to let the oncoming one go through. Very courteous.

I also found it challenging to stay at a steady speed which I attribute to the conversion from kilometers to miles (0.62 to 1) so it took awhile for me to not over-correct. Also, our rental car had a feature where it would beep at you when you went 2 km over what it thought the speed limit was.

In contrast, my first drive home a nimrod cut me off after going across 3 lanes of traffic to get to Starbucks. I "waved" to them.

Thanks for the info ?

 

[Mache_Nor]

Norway has 5.2 million people so it’s not a big country

we have 333 million people and our country is huge by comparison.

Apples to Oranges…

One interesting fact is that if you were to flip Norway 180 on the atlas, then it would be at the hight of Brazil. It’s looong! So while the number of inhabitants are low, the size is actually not that small. We don’t have tornados of much power, but we have harsh climate. The warmest parts often get 30+ Celcius on summer and cold parts as cold as -30 to -40. I grew up in the 80s, and America was the beacon of progress. Not sure if something changed since I was little, but I am a firm believer that if we can - you can

 

[kltye]

One interesting fact is that if you were to flip Norway 180 on the atlas, then it would be at the hight of Brazil. It’s looong! So while the number of inhabitants are low, the size is actually not that small. We don’t have tornados of much power, but we have harsh climate. The warmest parts often get 30+ Celcius on summer and cold parts as cold as -30 to -40. I grew up in the 80s, and America was the beacon of progress. Not sure if something changed since I was little, but I am a firm believer that if we can - you can

America is always simultaneously too large and too small, with lots of residents and also not enough. This is why we can't have charging infrastructure, public transit, more than 3 cellular providers (that are worth using), or fast reliable internet.

?

 

[Chrisbriding]

America is always simultaneously too large and too small, with lots of residents and also not enough. This is why we can't have charging infrastructure, public transit, more than 3 cellular providers (that are worth using), or fast reliable internet.

?

Well, everywhere at least.

 

[Stevey]

It was mentioned about the L2 charges not having cables. I wonder if that could be done for DCFC here in the U.S.? Would cut down on charging cable theft, maintenance, and could be properly sized for each vehicle. Would eliminate the the Tesla parking issue.

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