By AFP - Agence France Presse
Norway nears 100% all-electric car target
By Pierre-Henry DESHAYES
Almost 96% of new cars registered in Norway in January were electric, a figure unparalleled worldwide and close to the country's goal of selling only zero-emission vehicles this year.
The Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) reported that 9,343 new cars were sold in January, 8,954 of which were fully electric.
Of the 50 best-selling models, only two were not electric, the first of which came in 33rd place, the OFV said.
In comparison, the share of electric cars in Europe was just 13.6% in the whole of 2024, a decline for the first time since 2020, according to car manufacturers' lobby ACEA.
“We've never seen that before... If the rest of the year continues like this, we will very soon be close to the 2025 target,” said OFV director Oyvind Solberg Thorsen in a statement.
“But if we want to cross the finish line with 100% electric cars, it will be necessary to maintain the incentives that make it profitable to choose an electric car over other models,” he added.
Despite being a major oil and gas producer, Norway wants all new cars sold to be “zero emission” from 2025, which is 10 years ahead of the target set by the European Union, of which Norway is not a member.
In contrast to Brussels' plans, Oslo has not banned the sale of cars with internal combustion engines and has instead opted for a system of generous tax exemptions that have made them competitive with internal combustion cars, which are highly taxed.
They also benefited from toll exemptions, free parking in public parking lots and the use of public transport traffic lanes.
- Chargers everywhere
Although some incentives and tax exemptions have been reduced over the years, electric cars have become commonplace on Norwegian roads.
“It was a decision motivated mainly by climate and environmental considerations,” Frode Hvattum, 50, a father of three and owner of two electric vehicles, told AFP.
“Another reason was the benefits that come with them,” he said, describing himself as a ‘climate enthusiast’.
In his upmarket neighborhood, Baerum, in the suburbs of Oslo, the streets are full of Teslas, Audis, and Volkswagens. Competitively priced Chinese brands are also increasingly appearing.
Many homes have a garage with an EV charger, in addition to Norway's vast national network of super-fast charging stations that keep the country moving.
This was a precondition for Frode Hvattum, who, like many Norwegians, often travels by car to his chalet in the mountains several hours from Oslo.
“It's less complicated now that the network is so well developed. You don't have to plan your journey as much as you used to,” he said, adding that he uses the 15 to 20-minute loading intervals needed to get to the mountains to shop for food.
- Mission accomplished
Even if sales of electric vehicles don't reach the 100% mark this year, experts say Norway can be seen as having achieved its goal.
“We should end the year between 95% and 100%, and probably even at the upper end of that range,” Christina Bu, director of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association, told AFP.
A new tax increase on internal combustion cars and rechargeable hybrids - which are cleaner but still run partly on gasoline or diesel - on April 1 should help.
In January, diesel cars accounted for just 1.5% of new cars registered in Norway, and gasoline cars just 0.4%, according to the OFV.
“Political leaders can't rest on their laurels,” warned Bu.
“They need to maintain the advantages, such as discounts on tolls so that the transition to electric vehicles spreads to the second-hand market,” he emphasized.
phy/po/lth
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