Norway On Its Way To Electrify The Country By Storm: Porsche

It is reported that half of the new vehicles registered in Norway in 2020 are fitted with an all-electric powertrain. It is not surprising as the enthusiasm for electric cars goes back a long way in Norway, as early as the 1970s. 

It began with the Strømmens Verksted company experimenting with electric vehicles, and later, ABB Battery Drives went on to develop a powertrain that was used on a trial basis in the VW Golf Citystromer back in 1989. A series of road tests was continued from 1990 to 1999. Still, the height of e-mobility was significant 30 years ago - thanks to the support from the government as well as the initiative of the Bellona Foundation environmental group and the pop stars of aha. 

A majority of Norwegian customers are already opting for electric vehicles, with almost 77,000 electric vehicles sold in 2020 - and this figure doesn’t include plug-in hybrids, which accumulates a share of nearly 75 percent of electric vehicles in Norway. So when the country announces to be fully committed to having only zero-emission cars registered in the country by 2025, it does not really come off as big news. 

Fast forward to this year; a significant boom has been seen in March, with 56 percent of all new cars sold being electric models. With a population of 5.4 million, Norway is in fourth place globally for electric vehicle sales, and no other country in Europe has more electric cars per capita. 

“Norway is about five years ahead of many countries, and e-mobility is completely commonplace there. Drivers of electric cars also benefit from other advantages and government support, such as an electric-car-only parking garage in Oslo. The range is no longer a problem, with nearly 1,000 new rapid charging stations installed in 2020 alone. This is how you make e-mobility attractive and convenient for customers. That makes all the difference.” said Porsche AG director area Northern Europe Thomas May.

Electric vehicle sales are expected to reach 400,000 by the end of 2021, and Porsche has had a fair share of success, with the Taycan launched on the Norwegian market in January 2020. The thousandth Taycan customer has been delivered at the beginning of November 2020 - contributing to double the sales in the country compared to the same period last year. 

When asked where Norway would be in a few years, May states, “All the basic questions regarding e-mobility – range anxiety, the installation of charging stations at home – are no longer an issue in Norway. People have total confidence in electric vehicles and have grown to love them. While they were initially only used as a second or third vehicle, they have become the car for daily use. In a few years, this could also be the case here if the right conditions are created.”