Norway – the EV capital of the world

“In 2020, 54 percent of new cars sold in Norway were EVs. And it's important to note that when we talk about EVs, we mean fully electric cars. Plug-in hybrids aren’t part of that number. If we included those, as they do in many other countries, we would reach a whopping 74 percent!” says Christina Bu, secretary general of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association.

How has Norway managed to reach such a high uptake? The political goal is for the entire Norwegian car fleet to be zero-emission (electric or hydrogen) by 2025. That's why there are all sorts of incentives to get people to go green: subsidies, cheaper parking, tolls and ferry tickets, and use of bus and taxi lanes.

“But the strongest incentive may be that we heavily tax the purchase of polluting petrol and diesel cars,” explains Bu.

It's no wonder then that no other country in the world has more EVs per capita.

Secondly, electric cars are cool! They are silent and don't create noxious fumes. And you can drive for several hundred kilometres before you need to charge. Not that charging is a major problem in Norway – we have more than 16,000 charging stations, including 3,300 fast chargers, all over the country. So no need for 'range anxiety'!

The easiest way to find a charging point is on ladestasjoner.no's map. To make sure you have access to the charging stations, it's important to register with the major providers in advance. Norway has about ten of them.

“Even in the northernmost parts of Northern Norway – an area with huge distances, more reindeer than people, and really low temperatures in the winter – you can easily get around with an EV,” claims Christina Bu.

According to her, about 40 new electric car models were launched in Norway in 2021. “That's more than all the new petrol, diesel, and plug-in hybrid models combined!”

If you want to go on a road trip through the country, you can easily rent an electric car from most rental companies. In Geiranger and Flåm, eMobility has even set up a rental service for a car/scooter hybrid with two seats and open sides. Perfect for sightseeing!

But why stop there? Cruise the fjords and lakes or go whale-watching on electric boats, travel with electric cable cars up mountainsides, and hop on good old-fashioned metros and trams in the big cities. Not to mention all the electric bikes you can rent. You can also visit a destination that is part of the Sustainable destination labelling scheme, or check out 10 ways to explore Norway for the eco-conscious traveller. 

The future is electric!