Since August, more electric cars than combustion-engine models have been driving on the roads of Norway. This milestone has been reached and is a world first.
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In August 2024, all-electric cars accounted for 94% of new Norwegian registrations, a level unmatched anywhere else on the planet. With just over 754,000 electric cars compared to 753,000 thermal cars in circulation, the shift is very real. However, the issue of diesel cars, which are still very numerous in this country, a major oil producer, remains to be resolved.
To achieve its goal of becoming the first country in the world in this category and electrifying road traffic, the Norwegian authorities have implemented ultra-favorable taxation for decades. This has made all-electric models competitive with thermal vehicles, which are heavily taxed. Other advantages have been put in place, such as free urban tolls, parking in public car parks or the possibility of using collective traffic lanes such as those reserved for buses and taxis.
This is a great performance from Norway, which is nevertheless a major producer of hydrocarbons. As an oil producer and the world’s fourth largest exporter of natural gas, Norway is successfully undergoing its energy transformation. The electric car is considered all the more virtuous there since this country now draws almost all of its electricity from its hydroelectric dams. The gradual but rapid exit from carbon is a reality for this northern kingdom.
On the other hand, the success of the Norwegian model contrasts with the situation in other European states. The country is currently the only one able to meet its objective of selling only new zero-emission cars by 2025, ten years before the deadline set by Brussels. If the Norwegian government continues its fiscal effort in the 2025 budget project, the kingdom, which is not part of the Europe of 27, will be able to serve as an example to its smaller neighbours, who are still struggling to reach an agreement on the subject.