Mathilde Carlier
Research Expert covering transportation and logistics
Electric vehicles in Norway - Statistics & Facts
In August 2024, Norway once again broke records in the electric vehicle sphere. This month was the first time that the amount of all-electric cars on the road in the country overtook that of petrol cars. Norway is also the European country with the largest share of battery-electric vehicles in its new car sales. In contrast, petrol, diesel, and non-rechargeable hybrid vehicles only amounted to 9.61 percent of new passenger car sales in 2023, making Norway the European country with the most dynamic new electric vehicle (EV) market.
EVs' growing success in Norway is partly due to governmental policies. Norway offers VAT cuts for electric vehicles, making them cheaper than ICE or hybrid cars. Additionally, the government supports a shift toward shared e-scooter services, and public bus fleets are progressively electric-powered. E-mobility can burden the national electricity grid, but Norway boasts a robust renewable electricity industry. Primarily supplied by hydroelectric, Norway's grid has so far coped with EVs' increasing hunger for electricity.
The electrification of other vehicle types recorded a similar success. The electric van, electric bus, and electric truck fleets have all been consistently growing since 2018. This progress is especially impressive for electric trucks, which more than doubled in fleet size between 2022 and 2023.
Norway continues to make great strides in the expansion of its electric vehicle market through investments in the sector which aim to boost consumer adoption. However, the country still faces hurdles to its fleet and charging network growth: regional disparities between urban, densely populated areas and more rural areas present a future challenge for Norway.
EVs' growing success in Norway is partly due to governmental policies. Norway offers VAT cuts for electric vehicles, making them cheaper than ICE or hybrid cars. Additionally, the government supports a shift toward shared e-scooter services, and public bus fleets are progressively electric-powered. E-mobility can burden the national electricity grid, but Norway boasts a robust renewable electricity industry. Primarily supplied by hydroelectric, Norway's grid has so far coped with EVs' increasing hunger for electricity.
Investments in electric vehicles' success
Norway's national government established incentives for electric vehicle purchases in the 1990s. However, it was not until 2016 that the battery-electric vehicle market exploded. That year, the government set the target of phasing out new fossil-fuel light vehicles by 2025. Between 2017 and 2023, the electric vehicle fleet more than quadrupled. The world's most extensive electric vehicle subsidies drove this success. In 2023, purchasing a small electric vehicle received average financial benefits of nearly 14,600 U.S. dollars, which climbed to some 27,100 U.S. dollars for large EVs. Policy instruments included free parking, bus lane access, tax reduction, and toll exemption. Despite changes to Norway's unparalleled EV subsidies in January 2023, consumer interest for EVs did not wane.The electrification of other vehicle types recorded a similar success. The electric van, electric bus, and electric truck fleets have all been consistently growing since 2018. This progress is especially impressive for electric trucks, which more than doubled in fleet size between 2022 and 2023.
Challenges for Norway’s charging network expansion
To cope with the orchestrated growth of battery electric vehicle ownership, the government had to make charging points accessible and widely distributed. The number of publicly accessible chargers grew to around 27,500 units in the second quarter of 2024. However, while Norway has considerably scaled its EV charging network, it faces similar challenges to other European countries. Alternating current chargers were the most common public charger connector type in the country in 2023. These chargers tend to be slower than direct current chargers, as the electricity then needs to be transformed into direct current by electric vehicles' onboard chargers. Furthermore, as Norway invests in its public charging infrastructure, some counties are left behind in Norway's electrification. Akershus, the Norwegian county with the most extensive charging network, had over seventeen times more public charging points than Finnmark, the county with the smallest charging network.Norway continues to make great strides in the expansion of its electric vehicle market through investments in the sector which aim to boost consumer adoption. However, the country still faces hurdles to its fleet and charging network growth: regional disparities between urban, densely populated areas and more rural areas present a future challenge for Norway.
