Electric Car Charging Stations To Open In Iceland

Electric cars have become increasingly more available since 2008, when electric vehicle manufacturing made advances in battery-life. With Iceland typically making headlines for environmentally conscious decisions, it has been relatively slow to hop on the electric-car bandwagon.

The efforts have been pushed by rising concerns over increasing oil prices, as well as an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which have a detrimental effect on the atmosphere and are a leading factor in climate change. However, plans are in order to build 200 new electric car charging stations around Iceland over the next three years.

Currently, there are only 13 charging stations, with six in the capital area of Reykjavik. Hopefully, with the availability of more stations, electric cars will become more the norm and less the rarity. The recharging of an electric car takes about one hour, while fast-charging stations, three of which will be built in Iceland, cut that time in half.

The funding for the charging stations was offered by the Ministry of Industry and Innovation and is allocated to energy utility companies, oil companies, and local municipalities. Though electric cars can be more expensive than gas cars, their advantages pay off in the long run, as the electricity used to run them is clean energy and less expensive, and has no value-added taxes or tariffs.

The environmental benefits of electric cars over combustion-engine cars is significant, including a reduction of air pollution as they do not emit tailpipe pollutants or types of soot. They also show significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions, depending on how the electricity used to charge the batteries has been generated. Electric cars are a much better option overall, as they do not rely on the carbon-led production process of mining, pumping, refining, and transporting.

Iceland’s geothermal energy source combined with an increased amount of electric cars could soon see the country leading the way in environmentally friendly infrastructure beyond what it is already renowned for.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.