Norway, a country that produces a lot of its own oil, has become the leader in electric vehicle sales.   According to a report by Reuters, 48.4% of all new car sales for the first half of 2019 have been electric vehicles.  This is up from just over a quarter of the market in the same period of 2019.  Tesla is the sales leader with a 24.5% share of all vehicles sold during the month of June, most of that being the Model 3. Telsa is not the only benefactor of the sales gain,  Nissan, Hyundai, and BMW all offer fully electric vehicles that have seen growth as well.  Mercedes and Ford, two makers without a full EV offering have seen their sales drop.
 

Norway is seeking to end the sales of diesel and gasoline engines by the middle of the next decade and uses strong taxes on gasoline and diesel vehicles which EVs are exempt from to encourage that switch.  EVs also enjoy a discount on toll roads and auto ferries. 

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Leading the way, America will get there 20 years after them.

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Interesting the mix for Norway according to their latest June Report.

https://ofv.no/bilsalget/bilsalget-i-juni-2019-1

As of June here is the official mix of new auto's:

• 13% of new auto's were Diesel
• 16% of new auto's were gas
• 22.2% of new auto's were Hybrid
• 48.4% of new auto's were Zero Emission Electric

Of the Vehicles sold, 56.3% were 4wd.

Interesting numbers.

I wonder if that is sustainable over the course of a year or two.  Also, I wonder if this will actually spread throughout Europe in the next two years.  Then we will know that EVs have truly arrived.

54 minutes ago, riviera74 said:

I wonder if that is sustainable over the course of a year or two.  Also, I wonder if this will actually spread throughout Europe in the next two years.  Then we will know that EVs have truly arrived.

The laws about auto's for the European Union are consistent so I expect this to stay consistent but at least by this time next year we will have the 2019 results and can tell if a trend is happening.

The only part I see is the lack of choice (total phase out) be the issue I have here with this.  And this seems to be where more countries are headed as well.

As long as I can have both my ICE and EV, I am a happy camper.....

Apparently, Norway's electric take rate is booming because EVs are hugely subsidized.

• EVs are exempt from VAT and other taxes on car purchases and sales.
• Parking in public parking spaces is free.
• EVs can use most toll roads and several ferry connections free of charge.
• EVs are allowed to use bus and collective traffic lanes.
• The company car tax is 50 per cent lower on EVs, and the annual motor vehicle tax/road tax is also lower.
• Battery charging is free at a rapidly growing number of publicly funded charging stations.

Meanwhile, Internal Combustion vehicles see :

• 25% VAT.
• CO2 Tax.
• NOx Tax.
• Weight Tax.
• Exorbitant gas & diesel taxes.
  
  All told, an audi A7, which starts at $319,000, and a Tesla Model S, which starts at $636,000, end up having their prices cross, where the A7 ends up being $697,000 and the Model S, $638,000 (NOK).  No wonder sales are jumping.
  
  Now… this is what I've said for a long while; once pricing becomes competitive, EVs will likely take off and get out of the niche corner of the market (in the U.S.). Unfortunately, Tesla is STILL not making a profit there this way, even tho coming in nearly double in price to its competition. That's akin to a Model S starting at $140K here.

Edited September 2, 20196 yr by balthazar