Norway is the first country in the world where there are more electric vehicles than internal combustion engine cars, according to new figures published by the Norwegian Road Federation.
The Nordic state and its population of just over 5.5 million people benefit from a U.S.$1 trillion sovereign wealth fund derived from its oil and natural gas reserves. The money has funded free battery chargers throughout the country, tax breaks and other incentives, making battery EV ownership more convenient.
The proportion of alternative fuel vehicles in the Norwegian fleet has risen steeply in the past 10 years, from around 2.5% in 2014 to about 22.5% currently. There are 754,303 battery electric vehicles and 753,905 that run on fossil fuel, from a fleet of 2.8 million.
Sales of new zero-emissions cars reached 96.4% in September, up from 87% in the same month 2023, according to the federation’s data. The government is also aiming to phase out sales of new ICE cars by 2025.
The effect on automotive lubricant suppliers has been considerable, with one lubricant manufacturer saying sales had nosedived.
Norway is untypical of the rest of Europe, where EV sales have steeply tapered to 12.5% of new passenger car sales.