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Driving an EV from Oslo to Flåm and back

Posted by on

Hi All

Found this place to be much detailed for European Journeys, great feedback from friends.
Since things are opening up, i felt visiting Fjords maybe a good idea. not sure how green the scenery would be...but I am hopeful Norway won't disappoint. I am planning to travel with my family in an EV in 2nd week April. I was trying to check the road works on the Vegvesen portal (https://www.vegvesen.no/trafikk/#/ruteplanlegger?lat=60.38306&lng=8.98814&zoom=7&layer=traffic,cctv), seems there will be some blockages in an around Flåm, but then there are alternatives to drive around them. High level plan is to stay in Geilo and drive the next day to Flåm for Fjord tour in boat/ferry whichever would be available. I heard the ferry ride between Gondvangen and Flåm is mermerizing. My purpose of opening this conversation was to understand if there could be other options of breaking the stay that could offer a better experience i.e. staying anywhere other than Geilo, or maybe driving straight to Flåm would be a better idea, etc. etc..Also, since I am going to use an EV, its important to understand the charging mechanism on this route. The car will be fully loaded, so its quite expected that the battery performance may not be optimum, hence requiring multiple charging sessions. I will be very happy to hear back on experience from someone who has done this sector in a EV, or is attempting to do so. The other thing I am not able to find is information on the road gradient. Not sure once I start approaching Flåm what road gradients to expect. Will they be good enough for a small EV or should I think of going for a diesel/petrol car? Well since I still have some time, want to think a bit more about it before I hit the road. Your comments are welcome and I truly hope I get some.

Thank you for your time.

Cheers

Posted by
6113 posts

Sorry, I have never been to Norway, so can’t comment on your route details, but I do drive a small EV - a Renault Zoe. It’s efficient as my Volvo XC 90 in getting uphills, even when full. Its range is significantly affected by the temperature as much as the load and the gradient. Even a couple of degrees different can have a huge impact on the range.

Posted by
10186 posts

All I can say from being in Norway in August is that EVs are everywhere -- so my guess is that the charging stations are abundant as well. Norway has gone for EVs in a big way.

Also Flåm is at sea level, and when I arrived and departed (arrived from Balestrand and departed to Gudvangen) by bus last summer, I don't recall any gradient at all.

Posted by
3 posts

Thank you so much for replying promptly. Yes I think its still not summer, so I need to expect cold weather as I move upwards...resulting in further impact on range. And yes Norway is doing great with EV's and charging stations all around, but Flåm may not be that connected with the Grid, so while I am hoping big on the fact there are ample stations available, it is still good to plan since I am travelling with family.. Thanks for replies, others, please keep them coming.

Posted by
6113 posts

EV sales are rocketing in the U.K. We have found numerous times that the chargers are full and we have had to move on to the next town.

Posted by
33810 posts

Jennifer, as an EV owner how have the skyrocketing fuel prices affected you? Do you have a locked in tariff for the home charger? I was just offered a low(er) tariff for charging from 0200 until 0400 - but I don't have an EV yet...

Posted by
6968 posts

The road from Oslo to Flåm is rather flat by Norwegian standards. But if it was hilly, an electric car would be a much better choice than an ICE car.

Charging stations are everywhere in Norway, including in Flåm.

Posted by
3 posts

Understood, thanks

I managed to speak to few hotel staff in Flåm, per them it should not be a cause of concern, so fingers crossed.

Posted by
7880 posts

In the US, there are plenty of problems with widely separated charging locations, and devices that are out of order without warning. (Chevy Bolt EV owner posting.) I would not make this decision without research on actual options along that 200 mile route, and the Range numbers for likely rental cars.

Posted by
6968 posts

And you might encounter charging stations not working in Albania, Uganda and Turkey as well. But I can't see how that is relevant. The OP is going to Norway, not New Jersey.

Posted by
7880 posts

Badger, I don't understand. Why wouldn't actual Norwegian data be helpful in planning a trip to Norway? All I said was, get some data before making a decision based purely on aspirational whale-hugging.

Posted by
6968 posts

It was in response to "In the US, there are plenty of problems with widely separated charging locations, and devices that are out of order without warning."

Electric cars are very popular in Norway so working charging infrastructure is in my opinion one of those things you can just assume works. Worst case scenario and one is not working, there will be another one nearby.

And for those wondering exactly how popular electric cars are in Norway, here are the statistics for new cars sold in January this year:

Electric: 83.7%
Plug-in hybrid: 6.8%
Hybrid: 4.7%
Diesel: 2.7 %
Petrol: 2.2 %

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