Hybrid and electric cars steal the spotlight from diesel cars in Norway
Norway is the European country that leads the ranking when it comes to electric cars, according to EV Volumes. In fact 84,000 electric cars were sold in Norway last year. The Nordic country has gone from buying 80% of diesel cars to 20%, while hybrid or electric cars have increased their sales to 60%.
The best-selling models are the Hyundai Kora, the Volkswagen eGolf and the Tesla Model 3. According to Inside EV, in September last year Norway saw a large increase in electric and hybrid cars, compared to the previous year.
Benefits of having an electric or hybrid car in the Nordic country
Subsidies for electric cars in Norway work differently than in Spain. According to the Norwegian media TU.no, until a few days ago the electric charging infrastructure has been free, thanks to aid and subsidies from municipalities and local administrations that totaled 40 million crowns, that is, about 600 million of euros.
In Norway, electric cars have been able to avoid the 25% VAT that cars with internal combustion engines have had to pay. E-cars can enjoy free highways, permitted circulation in the BUS/HOV lane and free parking in some cities such as Oslo, the capital of Norway.
Towards a fully electric mobility model
Norway, as one of the most advanced countries with the highest quality of life in all of Europe, is clearly committed to a sustainability model based on electric mobility. Protecting the planet is the only way we can fight climate change, which is why it is essential to have a transportation model that adds instead of subtracts. In fact, in Norway, they have proposed reaching zero carbon emissions by 2050, a truly impressive challenge but one that should be the goal for all European countries.
Pollution greatly affects our health, taking into account that 9 out of 10 people breathe contaminated air and that, according to the latest data from the WHO, there are seven million deaths annually caused by pollution. The replacement of gasoline or diesel vehicles with electric vehicles in cities is a great measure, which could end a good part of this CO2 emission that is generated day after day.
The challenge that Norway has set itself translates into a truly effective environmental commitment, which covers many areas; City buses and vans, the railway network, green construction, etc. We still have a lot to learn from Norway and many other countries in Europe, which take the need to help the planet really seriously. But it is never too late to collaborate in this fight, which belongs to everyone.
