There are parts of the world that electrification is struggling to win a sufficient portion of new car sales, and then there is Norway. This country in Europe’s far-north will probably be the first one where hybrids and electric vehicles will account for all of its new car sales, with forecasts showing this could happen as early as April 2022!
Norway’s official target for ending petrol and diesel car sales is 2025, which is the earliest in the world as other countries are aiming to achieve that during the ’30s or later. However, analyzing the steady decline of ICE-powered vehicle sales in Norway since 2017, Norwegian Automobile Federation (NAF) claims that point zero could come this April.
This of course doesn’t mean that sales of ICE-powered vehicles will be dead zero in spring, since there are certain categories like pickup trucks or exotics that do not offer fully electric or plug-in hybrid options yet. However, the number of ICE-powered vehicle registrations will be so low by 2025 that an official ban would be unnecessary.
Looking at the new car sales figures of August 2021 in Norway, fully electric vehicles accounted for 72 percent, while hybrids and plug-in hybrids accounted for 20.4 percent. Together they make up for a staggering 92 percent, leaving a mere 4.6 percent for gas-powered vehicles and only 3.2 percent for diesel-powered ones.
Read Also: 92% Of New Cars Sold In Norway Last Month Were Electric Or Hybrids
Among the 50 best-selling vehicles in Norway from January to August 2021, 30 are fully electric, 14 are plug-in hybrids, 3 are hybrids and 3 are diesel. In fact, 14 out of 15 best-sellers are fully electric. For the record, the fully electric Tesla Model 3 is in first place, the first plug-in hybrid is the Toyota RAV4 Prime in second place, the first hybrid is Toyota Corolla Hybrid in 16th place and the first non-electrified vehicle is the VW Tiguan diesel in the 38th place.
Government contact in Norwegian Automobile Federation (NAF) Thor Egil Braadland told Motor.no that “In 20 years, there will be almost no petrol or diesel cars left on Norwegian roads. It feels very strange to say out loud, but all of us who love cars or who work with cars must take this upon ourselves”, issuing a warning to car importers, workshops, and petrol station chains.
If you are wondering why Norwegian buyers have embraced electrified mobility in droves, it all started thanks to strong tax incentives which make EVs more attractive compared to conventional cars. The government even offered EV owners free parking and free tolls for a period of time, while the charging infrastructure in Norway is significantly better than in other European countries.
