Norway’s Electric Vehicle Revolution
This week’s Convenience Matters podcast dives into how sales of new electric vehicles in Norway hit 45% last year.
Jan 23, 2019
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – On this week’s episode of Convenience Matters, “Globally Charging Ahead With Electric Vehicles,” hosts Jeff Lenard of NACS and Donovan of the Fuels Institute, spoke with Magnar Møkkelgård, a retired executive of Reitan Convenience AS who is now a global consultant for NACS, on how Norway has embraced electric vehicles.
Forty-five percent of all new cars sold in Norway in September 2018 were all-electric vehicles, bringing the total number of EVs on the road in the country to roughly 50%. “The growth of electric vehicles in Norway basically started in 2012, and it’s been rapid because of the cost parity between regular and electric cars due to governmental subsidies,” said Møkkelgård.
In Norway, the average life of a car is 15 years, so the mix of electric to gasoline powered cars will be changing soon. For retailers, Møkkelgård noted that most vehicle charging takes place at home or work, with about 15% of charging divided among gas stations that offer charging, commercial and public charging points. “Retailers need to provide chargers along highways,” he said. “But stores need to become an even bigger destination for food and drinks” because of the move toward EVs.
Each week a new Convenience Matters episode is released. The podcast can be downloaded on iTunes, Google Play and other podcast apps, and at www.conveniencematters.com. Episodes have been downloaded by listeners more than 60,000 times in 80 countries.
