Norway launches world’s largest EV charging centre
The world’s largest electric vehicle fast-charging station opened 60 miles north of Oslo last week, which will be open 24 hours a day and has the ability to charge up to 28 vehicles simultaneously across all current DC fast-charging standards. Reflecting the fact that Teslas are so popular in Norway, the facility features 20 Tesla Superchargers and four stations that offer both the CHAdeMO charging system favoured by Asian automakers, and the CCS system used by all US and German automakers except for Tesla. Christina Bu, secretary general of the Norwegian EV Association attended the launch, telling the crowd: “Today we represent more than 35,000 EV owners, making us the biggest EV owners organisation in the world. More than 3,000 of those drive a Tesla, the rest drive a large selection of different models and makes…”

Norway has once again proven to be the friendliest place in the world for electric cars.

The country where plug-in cars make up a higher proportion of new-car sales than any other now also boasts the world's largest single DC fast-charging site.

It's located in Nebbenes, a rural town about 40 miles from the Norwegian capital of Oslo.

DON'T MISS: What can we learn from electric-car owners in Norway (more than 100K of them)?

And it can boast that it has the capability to charge 28 electric cars simultaneously—across all current DC fast-charging standards.

The charging site opened Thursday with a celebration attended by numerous electric-car drivers, including 150 Tesla owners, as described in a blog post by the Norsk elbilforening (Norwegian EV Association).

Large DC fast-charging sites are less common than sites dedicated to slower Level 2 AC charging, although Tesla Motors has had to expand some of its most-used Supercharger sites in California.

Electric-car rally in Geiranger, Norway [Image: Norsk elbilforening via Flickr]

DC fast-charging equipment is more expensive than Level 2 equipment, and stations providing DC fast-charging demand far more electrical capability.

Development of DC fast-charging infrastructure has also split along the lines of the three competing standards.

The CHAdeMO standard is preferred by Asian carmakers, while all U.S. and German carmakers except Tesla have committed to the Combined Charging Standard (CCS).

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Tesla uses its own, unique Supercharger standard and plug, available at a company-operated network of charging sites (although it does sell adapters that allow cars to be charged from CHAdeMO plugs).

The fractured nature of DC fast-charging infrastructure means that availability can vary widely depending on what model of car a person owns.

In the U.S., Tesla has built a substantial network of Supercharger sites, while Nissan has encouraged the development of CHAdeMO sites to support its Leaf electric car.

2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed, First Drive, Oslo, Norway

Development of CCS charging sites had lagged somewhat, as none of the automakers offering CCS-equipped cars have so far made the commitment that Tesla or Nissan has.

On the other hand, most publicly funded fast-charging sites these days have one charging station with two cables: one for CHAdeMO, one for CCS. Those funded by carmakers don't necessarily offer that flexibility.

It all goes to show that Norway remains an outlier today when it comes to electric cars. Generous government incentives have stoked consumer enthusiasm for electric cars over the past few years.

MORE: Two-thirds of new cars in Norway last month were hybrid or electric

Drivers pay no road tax, registration fee, sales tax, or value-added tax. The corporate-car tax is also lower for electric cars.

Electric cars also get free public parking, free public charging, free ferry transport, and are exempt from tolls on roads, bridges, and tunnels.

They can also travel in restricted bus lanes, although this perk is expected to be rolled back due to traffic issues.

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