Norway boasts the best electric vehicle adoption rate on this planet. Some 82% of recent automobile sales were EVs in Norway in 2023, in keeping with the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV). Compared, 7.6% of recent automobile sales were electric within the U.S. last yr, in keeping with Kelley Blue Book estimates. On the earth’s largest auto market, China, 24% of recent automobile sales were EVs in 2023, in keeping with the China Passenger Automotive Association.
“Our goal is that each one latest cars by 2025 will likely be zero-emission vehicles,” said Ragnhild Syrstad, the state secretary of the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment, “We predict we’re going to achieve that goal.”
The Norwegian government began incentivizing the acquisition of EVs back within the Nineteen Nineties with free parking, using bus lanes, no tolls and most significantly, no taxes on zero-emission vehicles. However it wasn’t until Tesla and other EV models became available about 10 years ago that sales began to take off, Syrstad said.
Norway’s capital, Oslo, can also be electrifying its ferries, buses, semi trucks and even construction equipment. Gas pumps and parking meters are being replaced by chargers. It’s an electrical utopia of the longer term. Norway’s grid has been in a position to handle the influx of EVs thus far due to its abundance of hydropower.
“Electric cars are perhaps a 3rd of the value of gasoline because we have now near 100% hydropower. It’s low-cost. It’s available and renewable. In order that’s a giant advantage,” said Petter Haugneland, the assistant secretary general of the Norwegian EV Association.
CNBC flew across the globe to satisfy with experts, government officials and locals to learn how the Scandinavian country pulled off such a high EV adoption rate.
Watch the documentary for the total story.