Norway sees boom in Electric Vehicles and UK could follow
21,000 EVs now registered in Norway and dealers expect there to be more in Oslo than in Los Angeles and San Francisco combined within a year
Electric Vehicles (EVs) are outselling conventional cars in Norway, and estimates have suggested that within a year there will be more EVs in the capital, Oslo, than in Los Angeles and San Francisco combined.
In the last three months of 2013, the Tesla Model S and the Nissan Leaf electric car models, outsold all conventional models and sales of EVs are currently around 1,200 a month, over 10 per cent of all car sales.
The latest figures suggest that over 21,000 EVs are now registered in Norway which has a population of 5 million.. That compares with a total of around 70,000 EVs registered in the US with a population of 313 million, and just 5,000 in the UK with apopulation of 63 million.
Recent attempts by the Norwegian government to encourage an EV boom have included offering tax breaks, free parking and allowing drivers access to bus lanes.
The UK deputy prime minister Nick Clegg announced a strategy that he hopes will boost the popularity of EVs in Britain last week. The government will spend £9.3 million on charging infrastructure and an industry campaign to promote the benefits of emissions-free transport.
