Norway to become first country to fully transition to EVs
What's the story
Norway is on the verge of becoming the world's first country to wipe out petrol and diesel models from its car market. Despite being rich in oil and gas reserves, Norway has become a global leader in sustainable transportation. The country's electric vehicle (EV) sales have skyrocketed from below 1% of total auto sales in 2010 to a whopping 88.9% last year.
Market dominance
EV sales in Norway show no signs of slowing down
According to data from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, EVs made up over 96% of new models sold in the first weeks of this year. This puts Norway on course to go fully electric, a non-binding goal set by lawmakers in 2017. Christina Bu, Secretary General of the Norwegian EV Association (NEVA), is confident Norway will hit this target and plans to celebrate this historic milestone.
Unique strategy
Approach to EV transition differs from other countries
Norway's Deputy Transport Minister, Cecilie Knibe Kroglund, emphasized that consistent policies supporting EV uptake have been crucial to the country's transition. This is in stark contrast to the European Union and the UK, which have taken steps to ban sales of new carbon-emitting cars from 2035 and 2030 respectively. Norway's strategy involves incentives like a VAT exemption, discounts on road and parking taxes, bus lane access for EVs, and massive investment in public charging infrastructure.
Future goals
Future plans for electric transportation
Kroglund revealed that Norway hopes to fully transition to electric city buses in 2025, and make heavy-duty vehicles around 75% renewable by the end of the decade. Despite new car sales in Norway being almost 100% electric, there are still plenty of internal combustion engine models on the road. Bu said that 28% of cars are fully electric at the national level, but the number goes over 40% in Oslo.
Global impact
Norway's EV leadership sets an example for other countries
Senior Sector Economist for Transport and Logistics at Dutch bank ING, Rico Luman, said Norway's EV leadership shows it's possible for other nations to follow suit. He said Norway is a global front-runner and an example for other countries. Luman added that as one of Europe's richest countries with relatively cheap energy costs due to its large oil and gas exports, Norway has unique advantages in promoting EVs.