We Are In The EV Capital Of The World! Arriving In Norway And Trying To Activate Chargers

Join Kyle and Alyssa as they cruise around Oslo, Norway in the new ID buzz to see what fast charging networks they can activate being Americans.
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[@eckligt]

You'll be happy to learn that in the news in Norway just this week, it was announced that new legislation will be introduced that will require all charging stations to accept payment with normal credit or debit cards with no registration or app required.

[@imanashburn2639]

i'm heading to norway in a few months! have all the chargers been updated to accept cards??

[@Andre1980stavanger]

Regarding the road noise: Norway is known to have especially rought asphalt due to the use of studded tires in the winter. Bjørn mentions this in many of his videos.

[@MrStian78]

100% true!

[@kilipaki87oritahiti]

Also our roads suck compared to the rest of the world. Even Albanian has better roads than us, and we are one of the richest countries in the world, yet we can't make high quality roads lol.

[@Dan-fo9dk]

Nope.... It's opposite.... The rough asphalt are needed in order to give grip to NON-STUDDED winter tyres, when you have snow and ice conditions.

[@rompemord1]

@@kilipaki87oritahiti We allso have the hardes conditions to make roads in. Mountenous terrain and frost. (telehiv)

[@florianhaffner3910]

The ID Buzz is such a cool EV with so much character. Love it

[@thepab3072]

Too bad we will get a larger version than the European version. Also the price is going to be a lot higher than the ID4

[@markarnot5337]

Awesome to see you are in Oslo area and Drammen. Mer chargers were great on our trip in May, the more you charge cheaper it becomes and is all renewable energy

[@73av8r5]

Incredible amount of chargers. As someone who drives an EV between Oklahoma and Texas this is a dream for me.

[@mtbphoto]

Hey Kyle, Just got back from a 1200 mile road trip in Norway, we rented a PHEV and it did not include a charging cable (Enterprise said the dealer doesn't provide them with the car) Only found one type 2 charger with a cord/handle to charge at. Everyone drives EV because you don't have to pay tolls and you can drive in the bus lane. Enjoy your road trip!

[@ezpoppy55]

I love the Buzz too - and I’ve only seen it on KZbin! Thanks for feeding my voyeuristic needs, Kyle and Alissa!

[@15bit62]

You came to norway in mid november to drive to the far north? Not the best time of year for it - less than 2 hours daylight at the north cape now. At least the weather forecast doesn't suggest snow, which could cause you serious trouble up north. As others have commented, the road surface here is very rough due to studded tyres. Don't conclude anything by comparing to your experience in the US. For reference, Mer is not government backed. No charging providers in norway are. It is owned by Statkraft, who are a government-owned company though. It is worth mentioning that all providers can access subsidies to put up chargers in remote areas.

[@tomingejosefsen]

I live 80km south of Nordkapp, and its way more than 2hrs of daylight right now. It will change quickly though, as tomorrow is the last day we see the sun until January 20th.

[@stianthomassen6693]

Cool to see you in Norway. Enjoy your stay. Soon it will be possible to pay with credit card all over Europe.

[@paolostubeyou]

Awesome to see non Teslas on superchargers working well. About the noise, I’m sure you are aware but the rough Norwegian tarmac is much more noisy than for example German…

[@felixklusener5530]

Fun fact: You get a better deal on Circle K with Elton compared to a drop-in customer with the Circle K app. While it's 7,89 NOK per kWh (~0,78 USD) with Circle K, it's 'only' 7,70 NOK (~0,76 USD) with Elton.

[@Ben311]

Just found your channel (I’m from Denmark) Nice to see how tourists get around with charging. I guess it would be the same “struggle” with apps and RFID if I would driv an EV in the US. We currently have a Tesla M3 and a Kia Niro EV and I love the fact the both are equipped with the CCS2 connector. We can use Tesla SC or any other Fast Charger with both cars.

[@Andre1980stavanger]

So nice to see you again in Norway! I am looking forwards to your videos from this trip. Loved your video on the ID.3, the car I own. Hope you have a good time while here! :)

[@Evphonehome]

Very strange to see that Cirkle K and MER do not work with Plugsurfing because this is the go-to charge card in Europe. Good to learn this because planning to go to Norway next summer.

[@slijkhuis]

19:45 😂 FINALLY WINDSHIELD CLEANING!! Haha, I know, I was always complaining about that. Pro tip for you guys, most chargers here in Norway you all start with the app indeed. So most EV drivers here in Norway have 15 different apps on their phone. Pretty annoying. But yeah. Another tip to save money; if you are gonna use ionity alot these 2 weeks, get a 1 month subscription. Will save you quite alot.

[@jasonschlesinger5343]

Needing a phone or data, membership or an app to refuel/recharge a vehicle. This is a major barrier. You should only need cash/debit/credit only.

[@Gandalph93]

--

[@danielruehrwein192]

So cool being able to review the Buzz in Norway.

[@zon3884]

Kyle your like a kid on Christmas being able to charge in Norway. Love it man!

[@DishNetworkDealerNEO]

The wipers go out from the center on the Chrysler Town and Country from 2001-2007 at least.

[@Greybone62]

Also, at the Pontiac TransSport & siblings. I do think that the current Ford Transit Connect has wipers that moves from center to both A-pillars.

[@wavesnowaves]

At 11:50 you drive about 300 meters from where I live :) Hope you enjoyed Norway!

[@brandenflasch]

Glad you’re shedding light on this important topic.

[@marcusrose5943]

Hi what are the chances we get a card that works on at least the big 3 Networks in NA

[@brandenflasch]

@@marcusrose5943 unlikely due to one of those 3.

[@marcusrose5943]

@@brandenflasch ugh I understand that's disappointing

[@brandenflasch]

@@marcusrose5943 2 of them already have roaming

[@ailivac]

Seeing a Tesla charger charge a non-Tesla vehicle is so weird... it's amazing what can happen in a place where the government can actually make and enforce regulations.

[@kruemelfelix]

This isn't Norway specific nor has it something to do with the government, Tesla has opened chargers in many countries in Europe. Tesla also needs to open those chargers as especially in the Germany, Austria and Switzerland region as those superchargers are literally completely empty due to the ridiculous pricing from Tesla. Many Model 3 and Y charge at other HPCs directly nearby as they are like 40% cheaper (48ct/kWh instead of 70-80ct/kWh at superchargers). I mean that doesn't mean other cars are charging there, but even if some that's still somewhat of a revenue for Tesla. Better than a completely empty location.

[@lorenzmuller4000]

@@kruemelfelix The EU made the CCS port mandatory for all cars, which is the reason why this is even possible. So yeah, it definitely has to do something with the government.

[@b127_1]

@@lorenzmuller4000 I don't think they have yet. Leaf is still on sale. Pretty sure they made a recommendation for it, just like the old micro USB agreement.

[@ailivac]

@@b127_1 all DC chargers in the EU are required to have a CCS connector, but I think they're still allowed to support others at the same time (so a charge station with both CCS and chademo plugs is fine). norway may have a similar rule but I'm not sure. however that does mean Tesla has to have the hardware for CCS at their superchargers already, and supporting other cars can't require more than a software update. they've teased about a similar program in the US earlier this year, but since their network here is all based on the proprietary connector I don't know if that's going to involve adding CCS cables, or making people purchase their own adapter, or what. but because they were never forced to use a vendor-agnostic standard (something companies rarely do without regulatory pressure), now they're going to need extra hardware one way or another.

[@b127_1]

@@ailivac Tesla is introducing CCS2 teslas in Taiwan, which uses CCS1, so I'm not expecting much. I would love to see CCS2 worldwide, but CCS1 and 2 in different regions is fine i guess. Hopefully someone persuades tesla to make CCS1 cars at some point.

[@selbyjohnson5986]

Great video! I love seeing Europe! I’m interested in the Buzz to replace my gas van but it depends on how the US version turns out.

[@jarrodf_]

Fun fact: as of Nov 2022, EVs make up ~75% of Norway's new car sales, of which ~16% are Teslas. By comparison, EVs make up ~16% of California's new car sales, of which 75% are Teslas.

[@lpdude2005]

In october EV sales was 89% - new record.

[@selbyjohnson5986]

Wow that is very cool!

[@jonen9494]

All of the red busses that you passed (like 10:10) are actually electric as well!

[@Fr0gn3R]

Welcome to Norway, have a nice to Nordkapp. Remember to mount on winter tires, snow is coming very soon.

[@tomingejosefsen]

Its here already😉

[@dredzone911]

Wow. Charging heaven- almost. Nice review. Hope u enjoyed Nord Kapp.

[@Yanquetino]

Gotta hand it to Alyssa for being willing to hold the camera to record you. If I were in her passenger seat, I'd want to look at everything I could see around me in Norway.

[@cbatiau2528]

lol... it's a "work" trip... They're working when they're doing these videos... And they still get to see a lot of Norway (they've been there before, too)

[@southbirdsouthbird]

Just was in Norway for a month this spring. Impressed by all the electric cars around Oslo, which makes sense since Norway is rich, has abundant hydroelectric power plus lots of oil and gas to burn to make electricity, and people don't drive that far. The most electric friendly country in the world. . . But I noticed that in the more rural outskirts of civilization (Askerhus, Sogne, west coast in general) very few electrics were to be seen. Lots of Toyota etc. pickup trucks, actually. . . I can't say that all of your hassles in trying to simply charge your rental in Norway make me inclined to get the VW Buzz (or whatever they will call it in the U..S.) here in California, where I often drive 400-500 miles in a day. I'll keep my Subaru Outback and drive from San Francisco to San Diego with all my stuff non-stop on one tank of gas until the EV thing gets sorted out.

[@kilipaki87oritahiti]

This isn't really true... even out in the country side people now has electric cars. And Akershus is literally next to Oslo, I grew up there.

[@TesLatino]

I’m so glad you exist, my friend. As an “expert” I know a lot of “experts” but you are above and beyond anyone else I’ve personally met. So glad we’ve share stages twice. Good omen 🎉

[@Gh0stHack3r.]

Welcome to the Future, and enjoy the hospitality of Norway...

[@robert5008]

Thanks guys for taking us along for the ride. Just a thought Kyle would it be a good topic on your podcast or general interviews with charging company's on how to have customers connect with charging company's from around the world? With thousands of people daily flying from EU to the US how do they rent a EV and charge them during their trip? Why can't there be like a roaming charge like a phone service? Just a thought

[@kdlange6052]

How much is electricity there and price differences between all the different companies? also do people typically charge at home also and what are their rates?

[@erikdandanell1054]

Very smart👏 of you to do some "charging research" before the actual trip. Where it works to charge in practice is otherwise a pain.

[@christianlarsen6747]

Great to have you back :)

[@MV_96]

The silver color and light enterior fits the car really well 👍

[@BehonestBestitchedup]

You mention the plastic tailgate but perhaps someone can explain why the id4 bonnet weighs the same as a baby elephant? Unless it balances out the rear motor I wonder why it couldn’t be plastic. Great video thank. Do you ever pass out because you forget to breath? I do just watchi 👍🏻

[@kilipaki87oritahiti]

Btw “mer” actually means “more” in English, seeing that English and Norwegian are related languages as both are Germanic languages. English basically exists due to the Norwegian and Danish Vikings that invaded and colonized parts of Britain.

[@janolafonarheim2735]

E-tron is one of the most popular cars in Norway . E-golf and i3 is very hot 2hand cars . Have a good trip from Norway Askøy (Bergen)

[@dw4793]

I Bet they will change and light the back door handles..Good Catch!!

[@ojeskog]

Enjoying seeing your Norwegian adventures. Will be heading over to Sweden tomorrow to pick up an EV rental. Hoping for something nice but fear a Niro-EV. As long as it's not Leaf+ with Chademo I'm OK 🤣. Charging as a visitor can be a bit interesting.... I very much appreciated MER letting us foreigners both download the app and register while at home. They will even bill you monthly and let you charge tons before actually charging your card. And even send you an RF ID home to you if you have the time for the post to arrive I seem to remember. I am well disappointed with CircleK. My choice of petrol station when driving gas cars over there. So far haven't even been able to get their app downloaded as not even allowed to see it in the app store even when in the country with my "foreign" phone. I am born a Swede but not living in Scandinavia since many years. Have been told on the chat that I should be able to activate the charger by scanning a qr code on the charger and inputting credit card details. We shall see. I just wish all chargers had a card reader and a pin pad. Not been able to rent an EV in the US yet but looking forward to that fun and games... As a European filling up with gas in the US has always been a bit of a faff. Pay at pump most times fail. But you know you'll always be able to fill up as long as you go inside and pre-pay.

[@jeffh5903]

Why won’t VW offer that hitch as an option in the US market? They could change the end piece to be an open 2” square receiver so we could attach a bike rack or slide in a ball for trailer towing. They’ve offered it in Europe for quite some time. I’ll bet if they offered it as an option in the US it would be popular.

[@ramdynebix]

Probably because the EU hitch is different from US hitches

[@bruceflyr7359]

Excellent information. Thank you.

[@Idbuzzpro]

Im still waiting for my cargo . I think it will come in january or february. Id buzz=awesome cars

[@KamleshMallick]

19:00 Why Do European charger apps not support American cards? What is the issue? What I did was get a European card and load Euros in it. Do that Before you land in the EU. That card works everywhere.

[@robgrt]

Will the US version have a panoramic sun roof? or a regular sunroof?

[@gwaddles]

This explains the additional supercharger build out we are seeing across the US. But Europe seems to embrace EVs so much more - maybe because driving distances are shorter.

[@Kraakesolv]

I doubt they are much shorter tbh.

[@Dan-fo9dk]

You need some help with your geography "knowledge". USA isn't even close to the size of Europe.

[@kilipaki87oritahiti]

Plenty of people in the country side has eletric cars now. And thetvhave the bigger models bot sold or as popular in the metropolian areas.

[@Idbuzzpro]

You should take a trip to Fredrikstad. 100km South from oslo

[@andrejensen9002]

Welcome back 🙂👍

[@therealcdnuser]

I am just surprised that the back windows don’t open. I hope the US spec version does or i’ll have to buy something else.

[@hege750]

You should arrange an EV trip to Finland. Maybe contact Nokian Tyres or Kempower to help you with that. 😊

[@RichPym]

Great video. Would also be interesting to hear about the different charging costs across all of those brands

[@_mo09]

Some guys out from Germany drove a Tesla Model Y LR and in a Skoda Enyaq to the Nordkap. It will be probably fun to see you drive there.

[@fineartz99]

Commendably fast/fun diverse charging functionality

[@0JEB0]

The most common EV in Norway is still Nissan Leaf, over 75.000 on the roads

[@flattire707]

It is this confusion of apps and differing cards at different stations that will seriously hold back EV adoption. The average American ICE driver will see these problems and say, "forget it." I charge my M3LR at home so I feel immune to this confusion.

[@olio_benzina]

Is this the same Norway that exports large amounts of oil and gas?

[@milanzivanovic945]

Beautiful car would love to drive it as well as the NIO es8 and es7. Greetings from Serbia!

[@flyordieinafire]

Kyle's hair at midnight improves the look of testing chargers. 😅

[@philipweh]

Do you guys having a meetup in Oslo before you leave for the tesla roadtrip @outofspecsreview ?

[@Thinkcity]

In Norway you would have been covered with the Elton app.

[@oceans123]

Yo, Kyle, what color is your hoodie? My wife loves it!!! Keep-up the great work...😂

[@Barano555]

I think with Elton app your covered in Norway and Scandinavia.

[@steveb.5617]

Could you have purchased a local Circle K gift card at Circle K and paid that way for your charge???

[@paulg2923]

Am I going mad, or does the Mer app download bit play twice??

[@krisvandermeulen253]

Damn, I would have loved to see a collab with Bjorn - that would have been awesome !

[@rud]

I think at this point it is easier to run into a Norse troll than running into Bjørn. I am starting to believe he is just part of the mythology in Norway.

[@Cjdergrosse]

Dang you missed Bjoern!! That would have been an awesome collaboration!

[@IrenESorius]

The Buzz in silver,, 💖😋💖

[@SamuraiTacos1]

i love the buzz

[@teslatim78]

Out of Spec motor boating🤘🤘❤

[@joemartino6976]

Love the Buzz but it looks better in two-tone paint.

[@DrKellieOwczarczak]

Now, I want to see it in Oslo Blue. 😏

[@MrStian78]

Only Porsche 😉

[@ThrawnsPawn]

Too bad they won't sell solid color Buzz in the US, that silver one looks rad.

[@CandycaneBeyond]

Your driving on the right side?

[@plushiie_]

Think the eu comission is working on standarising payments for all electric car chargers, hopefully it gets sorted out soon.

[@EddieLeal]

Towing would significantly reduce the range this vehicle could travel. Would have to make sure there were plenty of charging station on your planed travel path.

[@MrStian78]

No problem here in Norway

[@ToreHansen]

A saying in Norway, better to take a drink each hour, than stay in Drammen a hour...

[@jamdoodles]

Charging in Europe seems effortless compared to the American experience.

[@Chobaca]

Needs editing at right before 18:20 kinda. Double clip

[@EddieLeal]

5:45 Delivery on an electric scooter? That is one massive package he has secured to his back. Just cruising along like nothing. 😳😁

[@lpdude2005]

Oslo is full of them, its food-delivery

[@EddieLeal]

@@lpdude2005 😳Food? Fast food or groceries? Must have been a month of groceries in there.

[@tacosalaten3677]

@@EddieLeal its like uber eats. only they use scooters😄

[@EddieLeal]

@@tacosalaten3677 😁

[@lpdude2005]

@@EddieLeal Fast food, eksklusive dinners and groceries from all restaurants in Oslo. Its always a take home option. Foodora

[@o00scorpion00o]

Crazy expensive, If I remember correctly I read somewhere it will cost around 65,000 Euro's here in Ireland, that's insane.

[@MrStian78]

It starts at 46.000 euros here in Norway.

[@o00scorpion00o]

@@MrStian78 There's no Irish price list yet but I read in a local paper that the cost was going to be around 65,000 in Ireland, we have higher tax on cars than most of Europe and the Buzz is not eligible for the tax rebate due to the cost, electrics over a certain cost do not get tax relief. I do believe that electrics should not be taxpayer funded any more because I think the car companies are keeping the costs high in order to gain from the taxpayer. Volkswagen have increased the cost of their ID range anyway, my tour 5 cost around 41,000 last October and now it costs around 5,000 Euro's more and VW are stripping equipment in order to keep the costs lower. My tour 5 came with no rear door speakers, I was astonished that a car costing 41,000 would have no rear door speakers but this is typical of the penny-pinching VW always engaged in.

[@pumpuppthevolume]

any type 3 discharge from the hotdogs :P

[@flyordieinafire]

18:00 looped content for emphasis 😅

[@DishNetworkDealerNEO]

I hate charging ports or gas filling doors on the passenger side of a vehicle. I hope VW puts it on the drivers side of the US Version!

[@unclej3910]

My new Chevrolet Bolt EUV charging door is on the left front fender. It makes it easy to pull into a charging station.

[@DishNetworkDealerNEO]

@@unclej3910 other than weight, there is no reason there can’t be multiple ports on the front and the rear of a car. If plugging into both at the same time is a violation, I’m sure the charging contactor can lock out the second one so people can’t try faking the system and blow their batteries up double charging them!

[@infernovideo]

Found the easter egg @ 17:22 & 17:45

[@johnpoldo8817]

I hope the US version of Buzz is much more like previous VW Bus and NOT a USA minivan.

[@pumpuppthevolume]

damn no wild Bjorn sightings

[@syedhabbas1]

Any plans to meet Bjorn Nyland? It will be cool to see a colab between you 2.

[@USUG0]

as he mentioned, Bjorn fled to Thailand

[@thewaygokid3135]

I notice your standing in front of the UGLY front end 😂

[@brian.z6592]

I thought the world EV capital is China. As they have way more EV options than any other country, lowest EV price, and best highway charging/battery swapping system.

[@Digikidthevoiceofreason]

You put in a double segment at the 17:00 and 18:00 section. May wanna fix that.

[@jank330]

thats to bad not meeting up with tesla bjorn he can surely can give tips on driving to arctic land.

[@Dan-fo9dk]

....except knowing about some ev-charges, his "knowledge" is crappy....specially about Norway and the Arctic..... At times I've been mind-blown how little that guy knows.... He's just a self proclaimed expertise is laughable.....

[@pumpuppthevolume]

well yeah tesla chargers should work for everyone ....can u imagine mercedes specific gas stations that no one else can use

[@timgurr1876]

I like the looks of the Buzz but the “road/wind noise” is so distracting that I could not watch anymore after 12 minutes. Hopefully, it’s just due to the road design as mentioned in another comment.

[@Josh-179]

Ironic that Norway's largest source of wealth is oil/gas exports while being the leader in EV adoption. A lot of that charging infrastructure was paid for by oil. 😋 People like to compare Norway's advanced EV lead to the US but it's not that difficult when the country is the size of one US state.

[@inquisitor4635]

And Norway's own electricity tends to be hydroelectric derived and not every place has that ability to utilize this type if natural resorce for their power needs.

[@Dan-fo9dk]

To your information is Norway 2900 km (1800 miles) end to end. Absolutely no single US stat is even close in distance.

[@DishNetworkDealerNEO]

We’re you a fan of Chrysler Town and Country before 2008?

[@NutellaCrepe]

Man I really love the ID Buzz, but VW really dropped the ball with their current gen infotainment systems. It wouldn't hurt the car's prices all that much to use a more powerful SoC. Even the Intel Atom in the pre-Ryzen Teslas are way smoother and usable.

[@cupofkona]

I do despise road/cabin/wind noise...

[@tiemeiscool123]

you said too the artic circle and the first thing i tought of was Tesla Bjorn 😂

[@JakesOnline]

Collab⚡

[@JakesOnline]

@@James_Ryan I met him at SpaceX. Didn't seem antisocial at all.

[@tomingejosefsen]

If they are only going to the Arctic Circle they are not even close to Nordkapp....