Norway, one of the world’s biggest oil exporters, now has more electric cars on its roads than gasoline-powered vehicles.
Of the 2.8 million private cars registered there, 754,303 are now fully electric, compared to 753,905 that run on petrol, according to new figures from the Norwegian Road Federation.
The Scandinavian country of 5.5 million people aims to become the first country to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars – by 2025.
Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) have been boosted by tax breaks and other incentives, largely financed by the money Norway makes from oil and natural gas.
The country has a sovereign wealth fund worth more than $1.7 trillion (£1.3 trillion), built up from revenue from its oil fields, to act as a “pension fund” when it runs out.
This cash cushion has enabled the government to offer green incentives to motorists, including exempting electric car buyers from sales tax.
In the early days of the EV revolution, environmental activists in Norway even enlisted the help of the country’s biggest pop group, A-ha, to promote the use of the vehicles.
Despite this milestone, there is still work to be done. Diesel models remain the most numerous at just under a million, but their sales are falling rapidly, says the Norwegian Road Federation.
Currently, nine out of 10 new cars sold in Norway are electric vehicles, according to industry figures. And it’s not hard to see why when you consider how much the authorities go to favor them.
Many places offer free parking for electric vehicles and their drivers do not have to pay city tolls.
And while electric car owners in many countries complain about the lack of charging facilities, there are numerous free chargers in every town and city in Norway, with 2,000 of them in Oslo alone.
