Norway first country with more electric cars than petrol
Diesel remains the most common vehicle type in Norway, accounting for over a third of vehicle registrations. But officials believe EVs will outnumber diesel cars by 2026.
Norway has become the first country in the world with more electric vehicles than petrol cars, according to the latest vehicle registration data released by the Norwegian road federation (called OFV).
Of the 2.8 million passenger cars registered in the country, 754,303 (or 26.3%) are all-electric, compared to 753,905 that run on petrol.
However, diesel remains the most common vehicle type in Norway, accounting for over a third of vehicle registrations. But officials believe EVs will outnumber diesel cars by 2026.
Electric cars already make up more than 90% of new vehicle sales. The government expects to end all new petrol and diesel vehicle sales by next year.
“The electrification of the passenger car fleet is keeping a high pace, and Norway is moving rapidly towards becoming the first country in the world with a passenger car fleet dominated by electric cars,” OFV Director Oyvind Solberg Thorsen said in a statement.
Norway’s government has put into place several EV-friendly policies, such as exempting electric cars and trucks from sales and emissions taxes, lowering tolls and parking fees for EVs, and allowing drivers of such vehicles to use bus lanes, according to a report in the Washington Post.
Paradoxically, however, these tax incentives are funded to a large extent by the money Norway makes selling oil and gas to other countries. The country has a sovereign wealth fund worth over USD 1.7 trillion, built up from the proceeds of its oilfields.
Every Norwegian town and city has abundant free chargers, with 2,000 of them in Oslo alone.
