Norway's EV association (Norsk ebilforening) says that, while electric cars dominate new car sales in the country - in 2021 64.5% of all new cars sold were fully electric - the total car fleet in the country is still predominantly non-electric. Norway has the highest percentage of EVs in new car sales across Europe.
In March 2020 electric passenger cars reached 10% of all registered passenger cars in Norway. It has taken just under three years to go from 10 to 20%. Development from 0 to 10% was much slower, taking nearly 10 years.
"It is a fascinating adventure that we are part of here in Norway," says Christina Bu, secretary general of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association. "The snowball has rolled faster and faster, and more and more great electric car models are rolling out on Norwegian roads."
Bu adds that she is excited about how long it will take until 30% of the country's car fleet is electric: "The goal that the Storting [Norwegian parliament] has adopted is emission-free new car sales in 2025, and if we continue to only sell electric cars, the proportion of electric cars on the road will also increase rapidly."
The EV association estimates that it will take just under two years before 30% of the country's total cars are EVs.
Electric cars were a metropolitan phenomenon for a long time, and with long-term high electric car sales, cities such as Bergen and Oslo have achieved a large proportion of EVs on the road. In Oslo, the share is 33.2%, and the old county of Hordaland has achieved 29.3%.
Bu says the new trend in recent years is good development in district counties, due to new electric cars improving, having a longer range, and expansion of the charging network. Therefore, the share of electric cars in new car sales is now over 50% in all counties.
"It is completely understandable if more people choose to drive their diesel car a little longer than planned - both because of price increases, high interest rates and the introduction of taxes on electric cars," says Bu. "Nevertheless, I hope and believe that most people understand that it is an electric car that applies if you want to change cars."
