a 2017 article by antoine jacob on worldcrunch.com describes how norway has taken a role in the promotion of electric cars.
jacob
switching to electric cars is also a way to reduce carbon emission; which, in turn, helps boost the country’s image and reputation. norway is the world’s 13th biggest oil producer. but it is also a pioneer in electric mobility, earning praise overseas from environment activists and car manufacturers alike.
switch means change. boost means give positive attention to, in turn similar to lead to, indicates a cause/effect relationship between reducing carbon emissions and the positive attention norway is receiving. is approval, a positive reaction. earn means that norway deserves the praise; has worked hard for it. alike means both activists and manufacturers approve of norway’s electric car initiatives and additionally emphasizes the opposing views these two groups often have.
norwegian transport minister ketil solvik-olsen (twitter)
norway’s minister of transport ketil solvik-olsen spoke this reality about cars and capitalism
of course we need to tackle the impact of cars on the environment, the noise and public spaces. the market won’t do it without the government’s intervention.
tackle means confront, attack.
tackling is an important part of football too. (ap photo/alex brandon)
indeed jacob explains that
government incentives played a crucial role in this breakthrough.
and talks a little about the impact of these incentives…
since the purchase of electric vehicles is exempt from the 25% value-added tax (vat) and ev drivers don’t have to pay tolls on the highways to the center of oslo, a growing number of norwegians are making the switch.
a breakthrough is an advance. since in this usage means because. a toll is money charged to use a road.
tolls are paid at a toll booth (vecteezy.com)
christina bu is secretary general of the norwegian electric vehicle association, the non-profit organization that coordinates the promotion of electric cars in norway between the government and private interests. according to the article,
her face has become familiar to norwegians, who have gotten used to seeing her making her case in the media.
get used to, applied here using (have is an auxiliary) refers to a process of normalization. there was a time when christina bu was new, but nowadays she is familiar to norwegians.
norweigians are used to seeing christina bu, secretary general of the norwegian electric vehicle association, in the media
the article says parking spaces that have charging devices are in short supply (there aren’t many), and that
bu calls the charging station shortage “the main obstacle preventing electric vehicles from taking off.”
shortage is the same as in short supply–there aren’t enough. this usage of take off means grow in popularity. finally,
bu acknowledges that ev technology is still developing and that the charging-station infrastructure “is imperfect.” that’s why the government incentive package worth several hundred million euros is so vital. “it would have been impossible to attract so many consumers otherwise.”
acknowledge means recognize, understand. worth is value. it is an adjective, not a verb. would have been represents a hypothetical situation in the past (3rd conditional); without the government incentive package, electric cars wouldn’t be as popular in norway. otherwise means if it was different.
electric cars charging
what is your opinion about electric cars? do u think norway’s incentives promoting electric cars will, in turn, influence other countries to do the same thing? share your views under leave a reply
