Electric vehicle market share - selected markets H1 2021

In Norway, over half of all new vehicles registered in the first half of 2021 were all-electric vehicles. The Tesla Model 3 electric vehicle was the second best-selling car model in 2020: Norwegian car owners purchased some 7,770 Model 3 cars in 2020. The most popular model in the country, the Audi e-tron, was also an electric vehicle.

Taking the wheel

Norway is at the center of the electric vehicle movement; this is despite having an overall population of around 5.4 million. Notwithstanding the country’s high penetration rate of electric vehicles, a car parc of around 2.8 million suggests that the level of electric car sales is lower than in some of the larger markets, including the United States and China. An estimated 340,000 electric vehicles were in use across Norway in 2020.

Knowing your BEVs from your PHEVs

A BEV has no internal combustion engine or fuel tank; it runs entirely on electricity. The rechargeable battery can be powered at home, work, or at a charging station – Norway had just under 17,000 publicly accessible electric vehicle charges in 2020. A PHEV also has a rechargeable battery that is capable of powering the car on its own and can be charged by plugging into a power source. However, the range of a PHEV is usually much smaller (usually between 15 and 50 miles). Hence, should the electric charge deplete, the vehicle also has an internal combustion engine that will start operating.