Electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell cars are not safe enough to be carried, they say. The Norwegian shipping company now wants to ban them from its ferries.
Although Norway is considered one of the world's largest oil and gas exporters, it is certainly one of the countries where electric mobility has grown the most. In fact, almost 80% of new registrations in 2022 consisted of electric vehicles, which can run almost CO₂-neutral thanks to hydro and wind power. But these vehicles can now no longer go everywhere - after one of Norway's two major ferry lines closed the barriers at the quay in front of them for safety reasons. This is because even though the ships themselves have hybrid propulsion systems in order to travel as far as possible in the fjords in a climate-neutral manner, carrying electric vehicles on board is a completely different story.
A risk analysis for the shipping company Havila Kystruten recently showed that battery fires in electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell cars on board could be unmanageable. In its new conditions of carriage, the shipping company now excludes any vehicle with electric, hybrid or fuel cell drive. Only e-scooters and pedelecs would continue to be allowed on the ships by the shipping company - as well as diesel and petrol cars. But here, too, Havila has established some new criteria for taking vehicles on board and is restricting the carriage of fossil-fuelled cars exclusively to the section between the ports of Bergen and Kirkenes.
The decision stems purely from a safety assessment and should in no way be interpreted as a negative stance on electric mobility - explains Havila boss Bent Martini. While the fire risk is higher with internal combustion vehicles than with electric-powered vehicles, petrol fires are easier to extinguish than battery fires, especially given the fire-fighting equipment available on board. A scenario that is perhaps unlikely, but certainly not impossible. Especially in view of what happened last year on a ship near the Azores. This had a load of vehicles on board at the time of the accident, including both combustion cars and electric vehicles. A fire, which was probably - but cannot yet be said with certainty - due to an electric battery, had spread quickly and caused the car carrier to sink.
This case, as well as many others recorded on the mainland, would have made an impression on the shipping company and led them to take a decision that could jeopardise the profitability of the shipping company. The safety of the passengers and crew is the priority here. For Havila, the only hope is that cars with electric motors will soon be allowed on board again - and thus be able to meet the driving needs of the population that relies so heavily on electric cars.
Ideally, the ferry lines would have time to find a long-term solution, but only until Norway puts its plans for the internal combustion engine phase-out into action. From 2025 onwards, only electric cars will be allowed, and fewer and fewer internal combustion vehicles would then book a trip with Havila - good news for the environment, but perhaps bad news for the shipping company at the moment.