Norway leads the way for global EV growth

Hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) totalled more than half of Norway's passenger car market last year, as it aims to be fully electric by 2030 — the most ambitious target of any European country.

The latest data for 2019 show the market share of hybrid and electric vehicles in Norway stood at 54.4pc. Excluding hybrid EVs, the market share for pure battery EVs was 41.3pc, equating to over 60,000 cars. This compares with around a 1.4pc market share for EVs Europe-wide.

Sigve Aasebo, senior adviser to the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA), told delegates at today's Advanced Automotive Battery Conference in Wiesbaden that generous subsidies and strict penalties should be a model for other countries to electrify their vehicle fleet in a similar way.

Other European countries have similar but less ambitious targets. The Netherlands is targeting 2035 for full electrification, while the UK, Germany and France expect to achieve it by 2040. Outside Europe, the US, China and Canada do not expect to fully electrify until at least 2045.

The NPRA said incentives including cutting value-added tax (VAT) rates, free public parking, access to bus lanes as well as penalties such as a tax of up to €40,000 on the most polluting vehicles could help speed up electrification.

Most carmakers in Europe have committed to the electrification of their entire fleet by 2025. The NPRA estimates that there will be over 45 new EV models launching in Europe in 2020. German firm Volkswagen has committed to 70 new models by 2025. Worldwide, carmakers are expected to invest more than $300bn in EVs over the next decade.

By Thomas Kavanagh