Norway becomes FIRST country with more electric cars than petrol!

Norway has become the first country in the world where the number of electric vehicles exceeds the number of petrol vehicles, according to reports.

Roshni Tamta

First Published Sep 21, 2024, 3:31 PM IST | Last Updated Sep 21, 2024, 3:31 PM IST

The world is striving to reduce its dependence on traditional fuels, including petrol and diesel. Electric vehicles are considered the best option for this. Many countries around the world are coming forward to promote the use of electric vehicles. In India too, the government is providing subsidies and other benefits for buying electric vehicles. However, currently, the number of electric vehicles in countries like India is limited. But now, Norway has become the first country in the world where the number of electric vehicles exceeds the number of petrol vehicles, according to reports.

According to vehicle registration figures released by the Norwegian Road Federation, there has been a huge increase in the number of electric vehicles in Norway. Of the 2.8 million private passenger cars registered in the country, 7,54,303 units are fully electric, the Norwegian Road Federation said in a statement. There are 7,53,905 petrol vehicles. In addition to this, the registration of diesel-powered vehicles is the lowest.

This miracle didn't just happen
Norway laid the foundation for this success years ago. From the early 1990s, the government and people there realized that electric vehicles were the future. In such a scenario, the Norwegian Parliament set a national target that all new cars sold by 2025 should be zero-emission (electric or hydrogen). By the end of 2022, more than 20 percent of cars registered in Norway were battery electric (BEV). The market share of battery electric vehicles in 2022 was 79.2 percent.

Many countries around the world are implementing plans to promote the use of electric vehicles. But the awareness shown by the government and the public towards electric vehicles in this country of 5.5 million people is different from everyone else. The government has launched several new schemes to promote EVs that not only make buying electric vehicles affordable and accessible but also significantly reduce the cost of daily operations. It provided all kinds of exemptions for this.

Tax Policy
The biggest action taken to promote electric vehicles was the tax levied on them. The Norwegian government decided to impose higher taxes on high-polluting cars and lower taxes on low- and zero-emission cars. Since then, electric vehicles priced up to NOK 5,00,000 (approximately Rs 40 lakh) have been exempted from VAT. Further, for vehicles priced above NOK 500,000, the 25 percent VAT rule is applicable only on the excess amount.

Exemption from import duty
Not only this, from 1990 to 2022, no purchase or import duty was levied on electric vehicles in Norway. This made it affordable for locals to buy electric vehicles imported from abroad. Tesla's electric cars are in high demand here. In addition, local electric vehicle manufacturers have been given benefits for vehicle manufacturing for years.

In addition to VAT and import duty, electric vehicles have been exempted from toll road fees in Norway from 1997 to 2017. In addition, some special discounts were offered for years to attract people to electric vehicles. People were encouraged to switch to EVs through free municipal parking for electric vehicles and EV access on bus routes.

Great job charging infra
Range and charging infrastructure are major concerns for any electric vehicle owner. But the Norwegian government has done a great job in this direction and has set up a large network of electric vehicle charging stations across the country. Between 2017 and 2021, legislation was introduced to establish charging rights for people living in apartment buildings.

While EV owners charge at home and manage without fast charging on a daily basis, they say it's important to have the option to fast charge when needed. For long journeys, it is important to have a good charging network. Fast charging stations have been installed on all major roads in Norway.

Consumers were willing to pay more for fast charging services, but initially, free charging was offered in most parts. Those available even at the shortest distance. More than two thousand charging stations have been set up in Oslo alone. This increased people's confidence in EVs and people adopted them very quickly.

This is a historic moment
This is a historic moment, said Norwegian Road Federation director Øyvind Solberg Thorsen. Not many people would have thought 10 years ago that the number of electric cars would exceed that of petrol and diesel vehicles, he said, adding that Norway, a major oil and gas producing country, aims to sell zero-emission vehicles by 2025. Reports suggest that 94.3 percent of new vehicles registered in Norway last August were electric vehicles.

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