Norway is the first country in the world with more electric cars than petrol:how he did it and what oil has to do with it

According to estimates, by 2026 full electric cars will also surpass diesel ones.Thanks to the ambitious emissions reduction objectives, but also to the revenues from Oil & Gas

Norway is the first country in the world to have more electric cars than petrol cars.This was announced by the Norwegian Road Federation (Ofv), based on the latest data on registrations.Of the 2.8 million private cars circulating in the Scandinavian country, 754,303 are electric, compared to 753,905 powered by petrol.Diesel vehicles remain by far the most numerous, with just under a million units, but projections seem to indicate that they will be overtaken by electric cars by 2026.Finally, as regards hybrids, there are around 350 thousand vehicles in circulation.

The comparison with Europe

Norway, which is not part of the European Union, is on its way to becoming the first country in the world with an electric-dominated car fleet.From January to August 2024, 94.3% of new registrations were fully electric cars.Data very different from what is recorded in EU countries, where sales are struggling to take off and new registrations full electric they represent just 12.5% ​​of the total.In the United States, the figure is even lower and stands at around 9%,

The recipe from Norway

The exponential growth of electric car sales in Norway is the result of a careful incentive framework.The Oslo government has set the objective of reaching one hundred percent of new "zero emission" cars (therefore electric or hydrogen) by 2025, i.e. ten years ahead of the expiration set by the European Union.To achieve this ambitious goal, the Norwegian government offers strong purchase incentives, which include, for example, the exemption of some taxes and the possibility of taking advantage of preferential rates for motorways and parking, especially for commercial vehicles.

The role of oil

These measures have a considerable economic cost and are covered thanks to the enormous revenues that Norway collects from the sale of oil.The Scandinavian country generates much of the electricity it consumes from renewable sources (mainly hydroelectric power plants), but is also a large producer and exporter of oil and gas.In 2022, in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Oslo has become one of the major suppliers of fossil fuels to European countries.The increase in oil and gas production has outraged environmentalists, with Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion activists who recently they occupied the Kårstø oil terminal in protest.

On the cover:An electric car charging station in Oslo, Norway (Baloncici/Dreamstime)