Norway leads the world in the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), with nine out of ten new cars sold last year being electric. Can other countries follow suit?
Oslo-based Harald A Møller, a long-time Volkswagen importer, stopped selling fossil fuel cars in early 2024, shifting entirely to EVs. CEO Ulf Tore Hekneby emphasizes that advising customers to buy internal combustion engine (ICE) cars feels outdated, as the future is electric with long-range and fast-charging capabilities.
In Oslo, electric cars dominate the streets, marked by “E” plates. With 88.9% of new car sales being EVs in 2024, Norway is on track to phase out new fossil fuel car sales, a shift that began in the 1990s with tax incentives making petrol and diesel cars more expensive while exempting EVs from taxes.
Deputy Transport Minister Cecilie Knibe Kroglund highlights the goal for all new cars to be zero-emission by 2025, attributing success to consistent policies. Perks for EV owners include tax exemptions, free parking, and bus lane access. Norway’s approach contrasts with the EU’s plan to ban fossil-fuel vehicles by 2035 and the UK’s target of 2030.
Norway’s charging infrastructure, with over 27,000 public chargers, supports the EV transition, making range concerns manageable even in cold weather. Key brands like Tesla, VW, and Toyota lead the market, with Chinese manufacturers gaining a 10% share.
Christina Bu from the Norwegian EV Association argues that Norway’s model, driven by strong policies rather than a green mindset, could be adapted by other countries. However, Norway’s wealth, driven by its oil and gas exports and renewable hydroelectric energy, facilitates its EV transition.
Kjell Werner Johansen of the Norwegian Centre for Transport Research predicts that electric cars will soon make up over half of all vehicles, as interest in petrol and diesel cars wanes.
, with nine out of ten new cars sold last year being electric){kind=link}