Norway, a country where oil and gas have shaped the economy for decades, is now confidently demonstrating an alternative development scenario. Electric cars in this Scandinavian country have become not just a trend, but the norm. As of the first half of 2025, more than 93% of new cars in the country are electric.
For Oslo and other major cities in the country, this means almost complete EV dominance on the streets. In the capital, the share of fully electric cars in the total fleet reached 40%. In other urbanized regions — about 30%. Norway is ahead of not only the European Union, where the share of sales of electric cars in 2025 was 15.4%, but also the United States, where the figure reached 10%.
The result is not an accident, but the result of many years of systemic policy. The state has offered a full range of incentives for drivers: from VAT exemption and road tolls to the right to drive in dedicated lanes and free parking. At the same time, taxation of cars with internal combustion engines was consistently tightened.
The support was not limited to benefits. The developed charging infrastructure played a key role. According to the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association, more than 10,000 fast charging stations have already been installed in the country. And although they are not evenly distributed (with a predominance in the south of the country), the power system copes with the load, despite the criticism of skeptics.
Interestingly, the transition took place almost without pressure from automakers. The absence of a powerful car lobby has given the government the freedom to act in the best interests of the environment and users. According to experts, this is what accelerated the transition process and increased its transparency.
Since 2010, EV sales in the country have grown from less than 1% to near-total dominance. At the same time, Norway does not abandon its ambitions in other sectors. Full electrification of city buses is planned by 2025, and by the end of the decade 75% of heavy machinery will be powered by renewable energy sources.
However, it was not without criticism. Some politicians and experts point out that EV support can create a social skew, making eco-friendly transport more accessible to high-income groups of the population. It is also ironic that the Norwegian economy is still dependent on oil and gas exports.
At the same time, the Norwegian government emphasizes that the transport industry generates about 30% of carbon emissions, and radical measures in this direction are the only way to achieve the goals for carbon neutrality by 2030.
For countries that are just beginning to decarbonize, the Norwegian experience can serve as a model for a technologically and politically sound transition-even in the presence of a historically "carbon" economy.
