Norway on track to be first all-electric cars country in the world

Norway is one of the world’s largest exporters of oil. Most of the electricity in the country is produced by hydroelectricity: Over 99% of the electricity production in mainland Norway is from 31 GW hydropower plants.

Norway is one of the leading countries in the electrification of its transport sector, with the largest fleet of electric vehicles per capita in the world: 9 out of 10 new cars sold is an EV.

According to this BBC article:

Last year, the number of electric cars on Norway’s roads outnumbered those powered by petrol for the first time. When diesel vehicles are included, electric cars account for almost a third of all on Norwegian roads.

But how does this compare?

By contrast, in the UK electric cars made up only 20% of new car registrations in 2024. Although this was a record high, and up from 16.5% in 2023.

In the US, the figure was just 8% last year, up from 7.6%.

What are the reasons behind the success of EVs in Norway?

  • Long-term and predictable policies that benefit EV owners with tax exemptions and other perks have helped steer consumer choices, instead of leading this change effort with a complete van on fossil fuel vehicles like the UK or EU is aiming to do.
  • Extensive charging infrastructure: Norway is a wealthy nation (Norway’s abundant energy resources represent a significant source of national revenue) and can heavily invest in infrastructure projects.
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