Electric Vehicles Outsell Traditional Cars in Norway
Last month, 58% of newly purchased cars were battery-powered.
Apr 04, 2019
OSLO, Norway – Norway has become the first country where electric cars have outsold gasoline and diesel vehicles, according to a report in EEnews. Of the news cars sold in the country last month, 58.4% were battery-powered.
For the first three months of 2019, electric cars were 48.4% of all new cars purchased in Norway, and that figure is expected to hover around 50% for the year. "Norway shows the whole world that the electric car can replace cars powered by gasoline and diesel and be an important contribution in the fight to reduce CO2 emissions," said Christina Bu, general secretary of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association.
Norway is a wealthy European nation of 5.3 million people, and the boom in electric cars has been assisted by major incentives designed to boost electric-vehicle ownership. The country has waived hefty vehicle import duties, registration and sales taxes for people purchasing electric cars. Plus, owners don't pay road tolls and may use bus lanes in congested city centers. But those perks won’t continue forever. In 2021, the incentives will be phased out.
Norway's parliament has voted that by 2025 all new cars sold in the country must be electric.
Global
