logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
18m 15s

The electric car race

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Countries around the world are racing to achieve targets on the ban of new petrol and diesel cars - but they are hitting stumbling blocks, meaning some are pulling back on their commitments.

Although global sales of electric cars are rising, some countries are struggling to persuade drivers to make the switch. Reasons given include insufficient or unsuitable charging points, and the price tag: criticism is often put to governments that the shift to electric cars is hardest for the least well off.

In this edition of Business Daily, Rick Kelsey looks at one country which is well ahead of the rest: Norway. The country's aim is that all new car sales in 2025 will be of electric vehicles - a plan being supported by financial incentives and policy changes.

He also speaks to business leaders in the car industry, including a man known as "the Godfather of EV", to find out what's needed if countries are to phase out internal combustion engines.

(Picture: An electric car being charged. Credit: PA/John Walton)

Presented and produced by Rick Kelsey

Up next
Today
Is this the end for South East Asia's scam centres?
<p>It’s one of the biggest human trafficking operations of modern times. Scam centres across South East Asia have been making hundreds of billions of dollars annually, it’s estimated, conning people into fake crypto-currency investment schemes. </p><p>But now these centres could ... Show More
18m 29s
Yesterday
Monetising Machu Picchu
<p>Peru is home to Machu Picchu - the ancient Inca city in the Andes mountains. </p><p>It's one of the seven wonders of the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The popular tourist destination attracts millions of visitors, making it very lucrative for the government, local a ... Show More
17m 38s
Nov 21
What happens when the aid money runs out?
<p>In the second of our two-part series on tightening aid budgets, Sam Fenwick explores what shrinking donor support means for global health — from the sudden halt to major US-funded projects, to the pressure on low-income countries to increase their own health spending.</p><p>As ... Show More
17m 30s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2024
The Electric Vehicle Revolution Isn’t Dead—It’s Just Recharging
<p>Brian Collie, BCG’s global leader for the automotive and mobility sector, explains that price and range anxiety remain as barriers to adoption of electric vehicles. Even so, recent BCG research in the US found that nearly 40% of surveyed consumers are considering a switch to e ... Show More
19m 30s
Aug 2021
Electric vehicles: infrastructural needs and environmental effects
<p>Gasoline-powered passenger cars account for about 17% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Earlier this month, President Biden signed an executive order setting a goal that by 2030, half of all cars sold in the U.S. would be hybrid or electric. And major automakers have joined ... Show More
21m 50s
Oct 2020
Will California’s Gas-Car Ban Boost America’s Flat EV Market?
<p>California plans to ban new internal-combustion vehicles by 2035. But are electric vehicles ready to take their place?</p><p>We know that there are dozens and dozens more models of electric cars on the market. Ranges are increasing. Consumers like the driving experience. And t ... Show More
43m 45s
Aug 2023
The Chinese EV Maker That's Selling More Cars Than Tesla
In the US, Tesla remains far and away the dominant maker of electric vehicles. But on a global scale, the situation is much more competitive. Over the last few years, Chinese EV makers have massively ramped up their export capacity and one in particular — BYD — sells more total v ... Show More
49m 26s
Sep 2022
Is California Jump-Starting the Electric Vehicle Revolution?
<p>As California watches the impact of rising temperatures devastate its environment with brutal heat waves and raging fires, the state is taking increasingly far-reaching steps to combat climate change.</p><p>One of those measures — banning the sale of new gasoline-powered cars ... Show More
33m 43s