One in five cars on Norwegian roads is now electric, a ratio that has doubled in less than three years, the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association announced on Monday.
Norway, the largest producer of hydrocarbons in Western Europe, is also the world champion in electric cars with by far the largest number of emission-free vehicles on the road per capita, and the largest share of the national car fleet.
“The snowball is rolling faster and faster and there are more and more good models of electric cars on Norwegian roads,” said the association’s general secretary, Christina Bu, on its website.
The milestone of 30% in 2 years
If the share of electric vehicles in the Norwegian car park had taken almost ten years to increase from 0 to 10%, a milestone reached in March 2020, it took less than three years to double this proportion, the ‘association’ noted. The 30% mark could be reached in two years, he estimated. By way of comparison, electric cars represented 0.64% of the French car parc on January 1, 2021, according to official statistics.
Undoubtedly the most ambitious in the world, the Scandinavian country has set itself the goal that all its new cars are “zero emissions” -via electric or hydrogen- from 2025. Clean cars benefit from multiple advantages: exemption from almost any tax, price reduction of urban tolls and parking in public car parks, possibility under certain conditions to use public transport corridors…
80% of new registrations
As a result, electric cars now account for around 80% of new registrations, especially as more and more models are available on the market. However, given the expansion of these vehicles and the huge deficit that this generates for public finances, the Norwegian authorities have begun to cut certain benefits.
As of January 1, the VAT exemption (at a rate of 25%) when purchasing a new electric vehicle will no longer apply except within the limit of a purchase price of 500,000 crowns (approximately 47,000 euros), subject to the quantities above this limit. to taxes This mechanism will therefore weigh on the relatively high-end segment such as Tesla or certain electric models from manufacturers such as Mercedes and Audi.
Source: BFM TV
