Powerful politician buys her own electric car

Åslaug Haga is not only the Petroleum and Energy Minister in Norway, but she is also the chief of the ruling Center Party. As such, she is a powerful politician in a country known both for its progressiveness and a large oil industry. Perhaps it is only a little surprising then that her latest car purchase was a Th!nk electric vehicle. Not that a politician can't be an environmentalist. And indeed, during this election season, we here in America have been made well aware of the hybrid choices of some our own Presidential hopefuls. It could be that Ms. Haga, who doesn't have the greenest of reputations amongst the folk of the fjords, is spending a her hard-earned kroner on both transportation and public relations. The Norwegian government no longer supplies its ministers with cars since a little brouhaha over the issue a couple of years ago.

According to Cobos over at the Tesla Motors Club forum, from whose post I originally learned of this story at Oblad.no, since Haga is buying one of the first Th!nks off the line, the minister is receiving a certificate numbered 0001from the EV Association of Norway which says, "all EVs in Norway run on hydroelectric".

Whatever her motivation, I sincerely hopes she enjoys her new coal- and oil-free EV.

[Source: Oblad.no via user Cobos at Tesla Motors Club forum]