Lessons From Norway’s Journey To Becoming The Global Leader In EV Adoption

Norway leads electric vehicle (EV) adoption, boasting the highest share of new EV purchases worldwide. In the last five months, zero-emission vehicles have made up over 50% of its overall car sales, up from 31.2% in 2018 and 42.4% in 2019. Compared to the USA, where EVs make up only 2% of new car sales, this gives one a good idea of Norway’s strong leadership position in terms of EV market share. So how did this largely rural Scandinavian country become the global leader in EV adoption? To learn from its experience, let’s look back through Norway’s 30-year journey to becoming an EV giant: it all started with a mission to curb the country’s CO2 emissions.