Electric vehicles outsell ICE cars in Norway, forecasting a combustion engine decline

The Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council (OFV) reported that most new passenger car sales in July were zero-emission cars, taking up 64.1% market share last month.

There were 10,507 vehicles sold in July 2021, up by 7.5% compared to July 2020. In total, 6,731 new zero-emission passenger cars were registered last month, up 52.7% year-over-year.

Last year, OFV reported that zero-emission cars made up 45.1% market share in the new passenger cars sector. As of July 2021, zero-emission vehicles make up the majority of new passenger car sales. Cars running on petrol and diesel engines made up 4.3% (451 vehicles) and 4.1% (430 vehicles) of new passenger car sales in Norway last month.

Nettavisen calculated that nearly 16 electric vehicles were sold in Norway for every diesel car sold in July. Camilla Ryste, the Norwegian Automobile Association (NAF) communications manager, forecasted that petrol and diesel cars will be a “rare bird” on Norwegian roads.

Ryste acknowledged that there were still more petrol and diesel cars on Norwegian roads. She calculated that it would not take long before more electric vehicles were on the road, given that two out of three new cars were fully electric.

Zero-emission car sales include hybrids and electric vehicles. The OFV reported that 2,895 hybrids—both rechargeable and non-rechargeable—were sold in July 2021. Hybrid sales dropped by 6.4% compared to July 2020, hinting at a declining interest in hybrids over electric vehicles. More electric vehicles were sold in Norway last month compared to hybrids.

As all-electric vehicles become the dominant choice for new passenger cars, the NAF believes authorities should address the charging infrastructure needed to support EVs. Ryste pointed out that many places still lacked fast chargers, leading to long queues at charging stations.

Tesla already seems acutely aware of the charging challenges that will eventually arise once the transition to full electric vehicles comes to pass. It is already preparing to open its charging stations to non-Tesla EVs.