We’re not trolling you — this nation is on track for EVs to overtake gas-powered cars next year
When it comes to electric vehicles, one nation freezes out the rest. Yes, Norway, home of fjords, ice fields, reindeer and colorful sweaters is not only the hands-down leader in EV adoption but also is near a notable milestone in the race to putting fossil-fueled vehicles in the rearview mirror.
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Yes, the Land of the Midnight Sun is predicted to see the number of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on the nation’s roads exceed those of gasoline powered autos, according to calculations by Reuters and industry analysts.
There’s still a bit of way to go — diesel vehicles, which are hugely popular in the Nordic state, are still a factor, with the forecasters seeing a few years to go in that arena. Still, the Norwegian government aims to become the first nation in world — next year — to end the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars.
BEVs accounted for 24.3% of Norway’s 2.9 million cars as of March 15, versus 26.9% for petrol vehicles, according to data from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration seen by the news agency. That equated to a lead of nearly 76,000 for gas-powered cars — well below the 104,590 new BEVs sold in Norway last year.
“If that (trend) is continued for the next 12 months and given that sales of pure-[gasoline] cars are negligible now, this time next year there will be more BEVs on the road than pure-[gasoline] cars, and probably before the end of this year,” Robbie Andrew, a senior researcher at climate change think-thank CICERO, told the outlet. Meanwhile, with almost 370,000 more diesel cars on Norway’s roads than BEVs at present, it will likely take three to four years for BEVs to overtake diesel vehicles, he added.
So, how did this happen? Did Norway’s famed trolls just wave a magic wand? No, ironically it happened because the sparsely populated nation — only 5.5 million people — has made a load of money from its oil and gas reserves, some of which has been stashed away in its $1.6 trillion (yes, trillion) sovereign wealth fund. And from that fund the government has issued a raft of tax breaks to tempt car owners. These have included the removal of import tariffs on EVs and an exemption on Norway’s 25% sales tax, as well as subsidies on toll road charges. It also set up incentives for homeowners and developers to build charging infrastructure on their property.
Makes it all much more afjordable. (Ouch! Blame the trolls for that one.)
