Hybrids, EVs comprise majority of Norway new car sales
It doesn't hurt that the government incentivizes such purchases.
In 2016, EVs and hybrids accounted for about 40 percent of Norway's new-car registrations. In 2017, they grew to take the lion's share.
Electric cars and hybrid-electric vehicles comprised 52 percent of all new Norwegian car sales in 2017, Reuters reports. In terms of how Norway stacks up against other countries in this regard, "No one else is close," said Oeyvind Solberg Thorsen, chief of the Norwegian Road Federation, in a statement to Reuters.
While it might seem like Norwegian buyers are just ahead of the curve, there's some behind-the-scenes efforts at work. Not only does Norway push electrified cars by reducing or eliminating taxes and tolls, but many owners get access to free parking and charging, as well.
The incentives are part of a forward-thinking push to eliminate fossil fuel sales in the country before 2030. Reuters reports that some parts of the country have already begun charging additional road tolls for owners of diesel vehicles.
Incentivizing electrified vehicles exists here in the US, too, albeit in a greatly reduced fashion. Buyers of eligible vehicles can claim up to $7,500 in federal tax incentives, and some states offer additional benefits on top of that. Electrified vehicle ownership has risen in the US, and the rebate became a point of contention when the House of Representatives' 2017 tax bill removed that incentive. It reappeared in its current form in the version of the bill that became law, as well as the Senate's version prior to that.
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