Norway: Electric cars outnumber gasoline cars for the first time

Electric cars outnumber gasoline cars for the first time in Norway

Electric cars outnumber gasoline cars for the first time in Norway. The Nordic country, which is paradoxically a major oil producer, has set a goal that all new cars sold will be zero-emission. The Guardian reported. 

According to a statement from the Norwegian Road Association (OFV), of the 2.8 million private cars registered in the Nordic country, 754,303 are pure electric vehicles and 753,905  run on gasoline.

Diesel models are still the most numerous, at just under one million, but their sales are falling fast.

"This is historic. Ten years ago few people would have expected this milestone to come," said OFV Director Eyvind Solberg Thorsen.

"The electrification of the automobile fleet  is progressing rapidly and Norway is well on its way to becoming the first country in the world with a monopoly of electric vehicles in the automobile fleet."

Paradoxically, Norway,  a major oil and gas producer, has set a goal of making all new cars sold zero-emission by 2025, 10 years ahead of the EU target.

And that goal is mainly electric vehicles, because the share of hydrogen vehicles is very low. In August, fully electric cars accounted for a record 94.3% of new  registrations in Norway, boosted by sales of the Tesla Model Y. 

To electrify road transport to  meet Norway's climate change commitments, Norwegian authorities are offering generous tax breaks for electric cars, making them more price-competitive with gasoline, diesel and hybrid cars.

The success of electric cars in Norway contrasts with the difficulties experienced in other parts of Europe. Electric car sales began to decline in the second half of 2023 and now account for just 12.5% ​​of new cars sold on the continent.