Norway is known for the Fjords, Scandinavian architecture, and the Northern Lights. Now it can also lay claim to the title of being the most prominent country in the world for electric and hybrid cars. According to data retrieved by the Norwegian Road Federation, hybrids and pure electric cars accounted for 52 percent of all new car sales in 2017, an increase of 12 percent from its 40-percent share in 2016.

It’s not surprising to see hybrids and electric cars getting embraced by Norwegian motorists. The Norwegian government has been proactive in championing electric cars compared to their gas-powered counterparts. It’s even taken steps to make it easier for citizens to own EVs, including exempting the cars from taxes and road tolls and providing free parking and charging to EV owners.

These incentives have helped turn Norway into the runaway leader in the national share of electric cars. “No one else is close,” OFC chief Oeyvind Solberg Thorsen told Reuters. "For the first time, we have a fossil fuel market share below 50 percent."

Even if you take hybrids out of the question, Norway’s electric car sales rose to an impressive 39 percent, an increase of 10 percent from where it stood in 2016 and well ahead of second-place Netherlands, which saw a 6.4-percent increase in electric car sales. Likewise, sales of pure electric cars like the Tesla Model X also increased to 21 percent in 2017, a nice increase from 16 percent the year before. Given the country’s goal of reducing sales of gas-powered vehicles by 2025, expect Norway to continue leading the world in national shares of electric cars.

References

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