Oslo City Council is ambitious in its climate goals. Its objective is for all road traffic in the Norwegian capital to be free from greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
The electrification of passenger transport has already come a relatively long way in Oslo. At the end of 2019, 57 per cent of new car sales in Oslo were electric vehicles. With the objective of a total transition to zero emissions by 2030, this means that the need for vehicle charging stations is and will remain high over the next few years.
Oslo has now entered a new phase in its work to electrify urban traffic. More than 1,600 public municipal charging points have been established in the city to date. Continued development requires clear priorities and targeted development of the charging infrastructure based on where the need for vehicle charging is greatest.
WSP’s role
WSP was commissioned by the Agency of Urban Environment to map vehicle charging needs for private individuals in Oslo, and has identified where there is the greatest need for public charging stations in the city. The hypothesis is that the greatest need for public charging stations exists in areas with a housing stock dominated by blocks of apartments, built prior to 1960, which are not designed for private parking, as home charging can only cover a small proportion of the need for basic charging in these areas.
The mapping is based on an analysis of the housing structure. The results are then assessed against the proportion of electric vehicles in the passenger car population and the distribution of public municipal charging stations to identify where the need for public charging stations is greatest in the short term and where the greatest increase in charging needs will arise in the next few years.
The mapping results will serve as the basis for Oslo's continued efforts to establish and prepare for public charging infrastructure, as well as ensuring that access to charging opportunities does not become an obstacle to further increases in the proportion of electric vehicles.
