Norway to become the first country in the world without fossil fuel cars – In 2025, only EV!
Norway has made history by becoming the first country where electric vehicles (EVs) outsell petrol or diesel cars. Of the 2.8 million registered private cars, 754,303 are fully electric, outnumbering 753,905 diesel cars. This result was made possible by incentive policies that equalize the prices of EVs and internal combustion engines, and a record 94% share of electric car sales in August 2024. By comparison, in the European Union, the share of EVs in sales the new one was only 14.4 percent.
Jøvind Sulberg Thorsen, director of the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV), called it a historic breakthrough: "Just ten years ago, such a scenario seemed impossible." The achievement coincided with Norway's ambitious goal to sell only zero-emission cars by 2025, a decade ahead of EU plans.
However, the drive towards decarbonisation presents Norway with a difficult dilemma. Despite advances in clean transportation, the country remains a major exporter of oil and gas. As Askeir Thomasgaard of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology has pointed out, natural gas plays a key role in Europe's energy security, but the industry also requires a transition to zero emissions through carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies.
One such solution is a recent development, the North Lights project in Eigarden, which has the capacity to store 1.5 million tons of CO2 per year in the first phase. Thomasgaard emphasizes that an integrated approach to climate policy is the only effective way forward. Electrification is in the spotlight, from an almost entirely renewable national grid to reducing emissions in transport and industry. The next challenge is converting heavy transport and freight to EVs, achieving similar success to passenger cars.
Norway shows the world that the future of transport is already here, but at the same time reminds us of the complexity of the road to full decarbonisation in an oil-dependent environment. It is an example to follow and at the same time a reason to reflect on the global challenges of the energy transition.
Luxembourg is not yet able to repeat the success of its northern friend. Although the Grand Duchy has taken the idea of switching to renewable energy and clean transport to the masses, it is still a long way from realizing its ambitious goals.
Steady efforts and steady movement towards an energy transition are certainly helping the country, but for now it does not have the same resources and capabilities as Norway. That said, however, electric cars remain quite popular: in 2023 alone, sales of electric cars increased by 127% compared to 2022. The year 2024 is expected to continue the positive trend.
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