Oil-rich Norway leads way on electric cars as a part of its green taxation shift. Over half new car sales are now electric or hybrid.
In March, Norway notched up a record of 8,034 emission-free vehicles, representing 55.8% of all new car registrations in the month. Nearly a third of all new cars sold in the country this year will be plug-in models. These figures are a result of generous subsidies on electric cars.
Experts say Oslo’s carrot-and-stick approach to incentivizing electric cars has seen their popularity surge in recent years.
Related: Environment Friendly Norway Loves Plug-in Electric Cars
Exploring parking houses and public garages in Oslo you’ll find scores of Teslas, Nissan Leafs and BMW i3s plugged into charging points. “For the first time we have a fossil-fuel market share below 50 percent,” says OFV chief Øyvind Solberg.
Related: Norway: Country of Electric Vehicles
Buyers do not pay import tax and VAT on plug-in cars. So, Norwegians are shaving thousands of dollars off the upfront cost. Running costs are lower because electricity is cheaper than petrol and diesel, while road tax is reduced – and will drop to zero next year. In addition, electric car owners have free or subsidized parking, re-charging and use of toll roads, ferries and tunnels.
Norway has pushed manufacturers towards electric by imposing strict pollution limits and saying all new cars sold by 2025 must be emission-free.
Related: Energy Saving Road Lighting in Norway
The net result is Norway, a country whose wealth is based on fossil fuels, has become a world leader for electric cars.
Norway – Undisputed World Leader for Electric Cars, written by Tor Kjolberg