Norway is on track to be the first all-electric vehicle country. Last year, 88.9% of all new cars sold were EVs, according to the BBC.
These stats are a far cry from the U.S., where only 8% of car sales were EVs in 2024, as reported by Reuters.
“We think it’s wrong to advise a customer coming in here today to buy an [internal combustion engine] car because the future is electric,” the chief executive of an Oslo-based car dealership Harald A Møller, Ulf Tore, told the BBC. “Long-range, high-charging speed. It’s hard to go back.”
Advertisement
Advertisement
Norway’s success came from a sustained focus to uplift the EV industry spanning back to the 1990s when they began taxing diesel engine cars, making them more expensive to purchase. Contrastingly, Norway exempted EVs from taxes.
Then, in 2017 the country set a “non-binding goal” to have all cars sold be electric by some point in 2025 — a goal now on the horizon.
The country still sells internal combustion engine cars, but few are choosing to buy them.
Watch now: How easy is it really to charge an EV?
Perks like tax breaks, free parking, discounted road tolls, and access to the bus lane, along with EV perks like saving money on gas, have made Norwegians only want to buy EVs.
Advertisement
Advertisement
One Norwegian EV owner, Ståle Fyen, told the BBC: “With all the incentives we have in Norway, with no taxes on EVs, that was quite important to us money-wise.”
Another, Christina Bu, nodded to a hopeful future where more countries adopt Norwegian policies. She said that other countries can easily copy Norway and that they are not more environmentally minded than other populations in the world.
“I don’t think a green mindset has much to do with it,” she said. “It has to do with strong policies, and people gradually understanding that driving an electric car is possible.”
This marks a vital transition, where consumers recognize that an EV future is near. Without the carbon pollution that contributes to the overheating planet, making the switch is the way to a greener, safer future.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don’t miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
