EVs capture 58.4-percent market share in Norway in March

Getting the public to embrace electrification is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Some countries are far more willing to jump on the EV bandwagon than others. Norway is helping lead this charge, and the latest sales figures from the Scandinavian country continue to impress.

58.4 percent of vehicles sold in Norway in March were electric, Reuters reports, citing data from the Norwegian Road Foundation. Proper EVs held a 31.2-percent market share in Norway in 2018, rising from 20.8 percent in 2017, numbers that are "far ahead of any other nation," as Reuters puts it. The chief of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association told Reuters that the country is on track to hit 50 percent EV market share in 2019, yet another big leap forward.

Norway, which is Western Europe's largest producer of gas and oil, offers a serious complement of incentives to help its citizens make the move to zero-emission vehicles. Electric vehicles are exempt from taxes applied to gas and diesel vehicles, and over the years, various other incentives have come and gone, like the ability to drive an EV in the bus lane, the promise of free municipal parking or reducing prices on toll roads and ferries. These incentives have clearly proven effective, as Norway's market has clearly shifted heavily toward vehicles from the likes of Nissan and Tesla .

It's a stark contrast from other countries. In the US, for example, Reuters reports that electrified vehicles carry just 1.2 percent of the market, with China's market share at 2.2 percent, according to data from the International Energy Agency.

Now that Tesla has ramped up deliveries of its in Europe, including Norway, the automaker has proven a vital component of the Norwegian market. The Tesla Model 3 was the best-selling EV in Norway in March, and when all three of its electric models are lumped together, Tesla capture a 31.7-percent market share last month. The has also proven popular, taking the podium as Norway's most popular car in 2018. Norway hopes to sell nothing but zero-emission vehicles within its borders by 2025.

Tesla Model 3 barrels through the snow in Track Mode

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