How a pop group became electric vehicle pioneers
The race is on to adopt electric vehicles but clean technology in cars is nothing new. In fact, it’s been around since the nineteenth century.
For the most part, we’ve been filling up at petrol stations since the humble automobile first hit the streets.
Electric vehicle (EV) evangelists have never wavered, battling against the odds. Now, with climate, environment and sustainability becoming more important, EV advocates have slowly gained traction over time.
In 1989, their campaign got an unexpected boost from the most unlikely source: the lead singer of a Norwegian synth-pop band whose catchy song topped singles charts all over the world.
Music group A-ha became unofficial EV ambassadors thanks to lead singer Morten Harket’s antics.
Hunting high and low
Growing up in Norway, Harket started writing music and playing piano at the age of four. In 1982, he formed a band with guitarist Pål Waaktaar and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen. Within three years, A-ha were one of the biggest bands in the world.
Their hit single ‘Take on Me’ went number one in 27 countries, including Australia, Germany, the United States and – of course – Norway. Warning: this tune is earworm. Hear it once and it’ll be stuck in your head forever.
The groundbreaking film clip, a combination of live-action and animation called rotoscoping, was at the vanguard of the MTV revolution when music videos became critical to a song’s commercial success. Think Michael Jackson’s smash hit ‘Thriller’.
But innovative music videos weren’t the only thing this talented trio pioneered. Away from the stage and the studio, A-ha were leading the charge to adopt electric vehicles.
The sun always shines on EV
In 1989, Harket and Furuholmen were at an EV conference in Switzerland with green activist Frederic Hague who founded Bellona – a not-for-profit organisation tackling climate change and seeking sustainable solutions to several major issues.
A custom Fiat Panda caught their eye. This boxy little two-seater had been converted into an electric car with a limited range of 45km. They brought it home to Norway, more than 1500km away.
Here’s the catch: electric vehicles weren’t street legal in Norway at the time.
To get around red tape, Harket and Hague registered the Panda as a diesel motorhome so they could cruise around Oslo and showcase the benefits of EVs.
They drove through expensive road tolls without paying, defiantly protesting against disincentives that might deter people from purchasing EVs.
Each time, they were fined 300 Norwegian krone (about $A55). In a not-so-shocking plot twist, they didn’t pay the fines.
Eventually, the Panda was impounded by authorities and put up for auction. Harket was the only person to bid and won it back for 200 krone ($A37).
The “a-ha!” moment
The Panda was back on the road! Harket and Hague kept flouting road tolls and the authorities kept impounding their electric wonder and putting it up for auction. They bought it back every time.
One of perks of being a pop superstar teen heartthrob is that you draw plenty of attention. Their EV crusade made headlines. While Hague’s team at Bellona worked behind the scenes to make change happen, Harket was the handsome public face of the campaign.
Andrew Robbie, a senior scientist at the CICERO Center for International Climate Research in Oslo, sent out a tweet in 2021 saying that the Norwegian government simply “gave up” playing cat and mouse with Harket and Hague.
Finally, in 1996… electric cars were exempted from paying road tolls [with] the star power of A-ha helping along the way. A-ha was critical in the introduction of electric car incentives in Norway.
In the past 30 years Norway has introduced several EV incentives including discount on road tolls and ferries, purchase and road tax exemptions, free municipal parking and access to bus lanes.
EV capital of the world
A-ha is best known for a massive pop anthem but championing EVs might be the band’s greatest legacy.
Today, Norway proudly claims to be the world leader in adopting EVs. They have every right to boast. According to the Norwegian EV Association, 64.5% of all new cars sold in 2021 were fully electric. Market share is expected to reach an astonishing 80% this year.
With rising fuel prices a growing concern, South Australian motorists are increasingly looking at EVs as a money-saving alternative.
Earlier this year, an RAA survey found that 62% of members who currently own a petrol or diesel vehicle are considering an EV for their next car.
Range anxiety, a common concern for drivers, will be alleviated by the rollout of South Australia’s EV charging network, which is expected to be completed by 2024.
Forty years since their first gig, Harket, Waaktaar and Furuholmen are still making music. They still perform to sell-out crowds all over the world. Who knows, A-ha might tour Australia again one day – and you might drive to the gig in an EV blasting their biggest hit.
Taaaaake onnnnn meeeee – take on me.