EVLN(Politicans recharge hopes to keep Think Nordic humming)
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http://www.aftenposten.no/english/business/article.jhtml?articleID=417761
Updated14.10.02, kl 15:04 (GMT +01:00)
Opposition teams up to save electric car
Three of Norway's opposition parties recharged hopes Monday
for the future of the locally produced electric car called
"Think." They put forward new proposals in Parliament that
might encourage new investors to step in where Ford pulled
out.
Sylvia Brustad of the Labour Party is joining efforts to
save the little car called "Think."
PHOTO: BJ�RN SIGURDS�N, SCANPIX
The Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet), the Socialist Left
(Sosialistisk Venstrepartiet, SV) and the Center Party
(Senterpartiet) want to keep the Think Nordic plant at
Aurskog northeast of Oslo humming. And they may have enough
votes in Parliament to push through their proposals.
Specifically, they proposed abolishing various taxes on the
electric cars, mandating more public-sector purchases of the
cars and setting up a fund that would support private
purchases.
They also proposed that at least 2 percent of all cars sold
in Norway be emission-free, like the "Think" car, by 2004.
And they want electric cars to be able to scoot around
bumper-to-bumper traffic by gaining access to lanes
otherwise reserved for buses and taxis.
The government already has put forward the latter proposal.
A spokesman for Transport Minister Torild Skogsholm said
over the weekend that she was urging the highway department
to let the little electric cars use Norway's special
"collective" lanes marked with a diamond.
The current three-party coalition government of which
Skogsholm is a member earlier turned down requests for more
direct government funding of the Think cars. The requests
came after Ford Motor Co, which took over Think Nordic a few
years ago, said it was pulling out of the project because of
poor sales.
Electric car enthusiasts in the United States have tried to
short-circuit Ford's move, claiming Ford never has made
serious efforts to sell the cars. Several tried to mount a
protest rally by circling the lone Ford dealership in San
Francisco that leases the model called "Think City."
Meanwhile, some prospective investors are evaluating whether
they'll try to take a stake in Think Nordic and keep
production going. One of them is a company called
Environmental Holdings, which describes itself as a finance
company involved in environmental technology finance.
The electric cars already avoid paying Norway's hefty 24
percent Value Added Tax on the cars, known as moms, nor do
they pay the country's standard vehicle registration fees.
Electric cars also are allowed to drive through toll
stations without paying.
Labour Party politician Sylvia Brustad claimed that
proposals aimed at keeping "Think" alive "haven't been
considered seriously enough." She added that Norway, which
tries to bill itself as an environmentally conscious
country, should do all it can to keep Think Nordic in
business.
Aftenposten English Web Desk
Nina Berglund [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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