The Trump administration may be sending us straight to hell (or something just as hot) with its environmental policy (or lack thereof), so thank god for countries like Norway. In 2017, sales of electric and hybrid cars accounted for more than half of new registrations in the Scandinavian country. The numbers are up to 52 percent from 40 percent in 2016, according to the independent Norwegian Road Federation. Of course, generous subsidies had a lot to do with progress.
Ya hear that, Scott Pruitt? Get ready to take some notes. Norway exempts electric cars from most taxes. It also incentivizes green ownership through free or subsidized parking, use of toll roads, ferries and tunnels, as well as recharging. In other words, the government helps with the costs that, in other countries (cough...America....cough), discourages car buyers from going green in the first place. Even car manufacturers recognize the value of state support. “We view Norway as a role model for how electric mobility can be promoted through smart incentives. The situation would probably be different if these incentives were dropped,” said a spokesman at BMW’s Munich HQ.
It seems like everything’s going according to plan for Norway, which set a non-binding goal for all cars to be at zero-emission by 2025. "It’s an ambitious goal only seven years away,” says Christina Bu, head of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association, but the numbers are definitely pointing in the right direction. In just one year, sales of zero-emission cars have gone up from 16 to 21 percent. And it’s not just on the road that Norway’s leading the charge toward a greener future: It also uses hydropower to generate most of its electricity, which helps reduce air pollution.
