Unni Berge: Electrification Reshapes Daily Life in Norway, Rwanda, China

In a column for The Guardian published on Saturday Unni Berge argues that high levels of electrification reshape daily life while leaving consumers exposed to external power prices and infrastructure demands.

The race to electrification forms a central theme at the UN climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, where co-hosts urge nations to raise electricity’s share of total energy use to 35% by 2035 from the current global figure of 23%, The Guardian reported. Norway already relies on hydropower for 90% of its electricity and recorded that 98.81% of new cars sold were electric in September.

Berge works as the head of communications at the Norwegian EV Association and lives in Oslo with her husband and two teenage sons. She describes managing household energy costs through district heating and the central grid.

Berge told The Guardian that her household’s electricity bill for their apartment came to 730 Norwegian kroner [£57] in October, compared to 500 kroner the previous month.

Berge rides fully electric buses to work and utilizes an electric car primarily on weekends for family activities and sports coaching.

Charging takes place via a collective charging system installed in her apartment building’s garage. Growing power demands from new datacentres and connection to the broader European grid mean residents face ongoing debates regarding energy security and winter hydropower fluctuations.

Speaking to The Guardian, Berge said that although Norway produces close to 100% renewable electricity, its link to the wider European power network means external gas costs continue to impact domestic rates.

In Rwanda, government incentives such as removed taxes on e-bikes and a ban on registering new fossil-fuel motorcycles in Kigali have accelerated the adoption of electric transport. Claver Habagusenga works as an e-motorbike taxi driver in the capital.

Habagusenga starts his shifts at 5 a.m. and visits battery swap stations three times a day.

“I spend less today,” Habagusenga told The Guardian. “That is all that matters to me and my family.”

Phate Zhang founded the Shanghai-based news outlet CnEVPost in 2020 and uses an electric car and electric scooters for family transportation.

Zhang charges his electric car for an average of 200 yuan [£22] each month, avoiding high municipal fees for fossil-fuel vehicle license plates. His family utilizes three electric scooters for school runs and local commutes.

“If I had gone for another diesel car, the bill would be about 400 yuan more,” Zhang told The Guardian.