In 2022, 79% of cars sold in Norway were electric. This is a substantial increase from the previous year, making Norway one of the global leaders in electric vehicle adoption.
In December alone, Norway issued a total of 36,271 new and used zero-emission passenger cars. This is an increase of 147.9% compared to numbers from the same month during the previous year. The country also saw an increase of 14,848 new plug-in hybrid passenger cars in 2022, as well as 6,726 new zero-emission vans.
Across the board, these numbers are certainly encouraging, showing us that Norway's push towards electric vehicle adoption is most certainly working. Not only does this benefit the residents of the country, it also likely benefits the local environment, as electric vehicles do not release CO2 emissions. They instead run off an electric battery.
RELATED: Shell Plans To Install 50,000 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations By 2025
So, how did Norway achieve such a feat? Firstly, Norway gets most of its electricity from hydropower, a renewable energy source. In fact, hydropower provides around 90% of the country's energy on an annual basis. This means that driving an electric vehicle in Norway is considerably 'greener' and 'cleaner' when compared to driving an EV in a country that is heavily reliant on fossil fuels.
The country also imposes heavy important duties and car registration taxes. This makes cars generally more expensive when compared to other countries, thus pushing consumers toward electric vehicles.