Norway hits electric car milestone

The Norwegian EV association has announced that there is now more than 100,000 electric vehicles on the roads of Norway.

The news was announced by the Norwegian Association Secretary General, Christina Bu, on 12th December 2016 at an event held at the Munch Museum in Oslo.

She said in a speech: “We reached 100,000 battery electric vehicles (BEV) way earlier than most people expected. By 2020 our aim is 400,000.”

She added: “The present fleet cuts approximately 200,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. Even though BEVs only account for 3% of the total passenger car fleet, we have achieved a substantial reduction. But there is more to come.”

Electric vehicles currently make up 24 per cent of Norway’s total vehicles – 13 per cent of which are electric vehicles and 11 per cent of which are plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

This percentage is approximately 8 times higher than Sweden – the next leading country with just under 3 per cent electric vehicles.

Bu went on to offer Norway’s plans for the future, including offering substantial benefits to zero emissions car buyers.

She continued: “In particular there is uncertainty about electric car benefits at the local level, regarding exemption from tolls (road and ferries) and parking fees. This responsibility has been delegated to municipal politicians, and they must be absolutely clear that they wish zero emissions a warm welcome. This means continuing the electric car benefits for another period, until they are fully competitive.”

She also noted that, despite being a small country, Norway is recognised for its impact on the global adoption of zero-emissions vehicles: “Norway inspires other countries to implement similar measures, and we show the international automotive industry how to create consumer demand for electric cars. We get ever more proof supporting this notion.”

The Norwegian government has recently announced plans to aim for 100 per cent of new vehicle sales to be zero emissions models by 2025.