Norway’s roadways are seeing an onslaught of charge-to-drive newcomers.
We spoke to Unni Berge, Head of Communication and PR of the Norwegian Electric Car Association to find out more.
2020 sales figures for electric cars in Norway
The market share of battery-powered cars in Norway reached 54,30% in 2020. With a 42% share in 2019, electric cars have officially crossed the 50% threshold for a whole year.
Norway is the #1 country in the world in terms of electric car sales.
The Audi e-tron (an electric passenger vehicle) was the most sold car in Norway in 2020. This is the third year electric cars were the best-selling; the Tesla Model 3 was first in 2019 and the Nissan LEAF in 2018.
December 2020, in particular, was a record-breaking month: the electric car percentage in Norway reached 66,70%!
Leading electric car municipalities
Berge gave us the breakdown on car sales per Norwegian region for 2020. Vestland has the largest electric car market share.
- Let’s look at the leading Vestland. 15,895 cars were bought here in 2020. 10,051 of these were electric, making the electric car share in Vestland 63,20%.
2. Next comes Oslo. 20,840 cars were bought here in 2020. 13,098 of these were electric, making the electric car share in Oslo 62,90%.
3. Then we have Rogaland. 11,446 cars were bought here in 2020. 6,375 of these were electric, making the electric car share in Rogaland 55,70%.
4. Fourth is Trøndelag. 10,611 cars were bought here in 2020. 5,741 of these were electric, making the electric car share in Trøndelag 54,10%.
5. Next is Viken. 41,371 cars were bought here in 2020. 22,129 of these were electric, making the electric car share in Viken 53,50%.
6. Then comes Vestfold og Telemark. 11,994 cars were bought here in 2020. 6,228 of these were electric, making the electric car share in Vestfold og Telemark 51,90%.
7. Seventh we have Agder. 8,430 cars were bought here in 2020. 4,212 of these were electric, making the electric car share in Agder 50%.
8. Next up is Møre og Romsdal. 5,880 cars were bought here in 2020. 2,701 of these were electric, making the electric car share in Møre og Romsdal 45,90%.
9. Then there’s Innlandet. 7,900 cars were bought here in 2020. 3,618 of these were electric, making the electric car share in Innlandet 45,80%.
10. Tenth is Nordland. 3,381 cars were bought here in 2020. 1,389 of these were electric, making the electric car share in Nordland 41,10%.
11. Eleventh and last is Troms og Finnmark. 3,638 cars were bought here in 2020. 1,241 of these were electric, making the electric car share in Troms og Finnmark 34,10%.
Here’s the total for all of Norway: 141,412 cars were bought in 2020. 76,789 of these were electric, making the electric car share 54,30%.
Why do you believe switching to an electric car is important?
Berge tells us, “Norway is leading the way for a transition to zero-emission in transport.
That is important so we can combat climate change, and it’s also reducing local air pollution.”
Are any incentives offered to companies and consumers?
“The Norwegian success story is first and foremost due to a substantial package of incentives developed to promote zero-emission vehicles into the market”, says Berge, continuing:
“In Norway, we have high taxes for high emission cars and no purchase taxes zero-emission cars.”
You can read more about the Norwegian EV policy here.
What are the biggest challenges for the electric car industry in Norway?
“Norway doesn’t have its own car industry.
But the biggest challenge is to build enough fast chargers fast enough”, explains Berge.
Are consumers who purchase electric cars in Norway satisfied?
“Yes.
In a big survey with 14.000 respondents, 94% of the EV owners said that they were satisfied with their car”, Berge concludes.
Source: #Norway Today, #NorwayTodayNews
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