Norwegen, das durch den Verkauf von Öl reich geworden ist, tötet die Verbrennungsmotorfahrzeuge mit eigenen Händen.

Fuel-powered cars are experiencing an “abnormal death” in Norway.

Data released by the Norwegian Road Federation in January this year showed that electric vehicles accounted for 88.9% of new car sales in Norway in 2024.

In June this year, 97% of new car sales in Norway were electric vehicles, setting a new historical record.

Zero-emission vehicles will account for new car sales in Norway

Another set of data showed that by the end of 2024, the number of electric vehicles on Norwegian roads had accounted for 28.6% of the total number of vehicles.

Don't think the figure of 28.6% is low.

After years of rapid development of new energy vehicles in China, the proportion of pure electric vehicles in all vehicles has only reached a mere 6.26%.

Only through such a comparison can we understand the significance of Norway's achievement.

In 2016, Norway decided to stop selling fuel-powered cars in 2025.

Who would have thought that Norway could really achieve this goal?

It should be noted that Norway is an important exporter of oil and natural gas in the world.

In 2024, Norway's total oil and gas production reached 240 million standard cubic meters of oil equivalent, breaking the record since 2009, and most of it was for export.

Oil and gas exports are the pillar industry of Norway's economy, accounting for about half of the total value of foreign exports and more than 20% of the GDP.

Isn't it like “cutting off its own financial resources” for Norway, which makes money from oil, to ban the sale of fuel-powered cars?

In addition, Norway is located in northern Europe, and one-third of its territory is within the Arctic Circle.

Winters are severely cold and long, with an average temperature as low as -10 to -20°C from December to February of the following year, and the extreme low temperature can reach -40°C.

Norwegian scenery

Common sense tells us that cold weather will lead to increased energy consumption, reduced range, and lower charging efficiency of electric vehicles.

Will electric vehicles be “unable to adapt to the local environment” in Norway's cold climate?

More importantly, in 2016, the production and sales of pure electric vehicles were still on the verge of an explosion.

Taking the Chinese market as an example, the sales volume of pure electric vehicles that year was 409,000, accounting for only 1.4% of the total vehicle sales.

Fuel-powered cars were still the mainstream. Did electric vehicles represent the “right direction”?

Facing these doubts, Norway still firmly chose to phase out fuel-powered cars and embrace electric vehicles.

With a firm attitude, Norway also adopted a radical approach.

To put it simply, it's about differential treatment.

When it comes to electric vehicles, the Norwegian government has come up with the most generous support policies.

In Norway, when buying an electric vehicle, you can enjoy multiple benefits such as a 25% VAT exemption, exemption from vehicle registration tax, free parking, and reduced tolls.

For two cars with the same selling price of 700,000 Norwegian kroner, the on-road price of a fuel-powered car is as high as 1 million Norwegian kroner, while an electric vehicle only costs 775,000 Norwegian kroner.

Coupled with lower vehicle usage and maintenance costs, the competitiveness of electric vehicles has been greatly enhanced.

From this perspective, fuel-powered cars were indeed “killed” by the Norwegian government.

Although electric vehicles are cheap, they are bought for use. How did Norway solve the range anxiety problem?

Norway is not very large, with a land area of about 385,000 square kilometers, roughly equivalent to Yunnan Province in China.

Map of Norway

Norway's population is mainly distributed in several large cities such as Oslo, Trondheim, and Bergen.

Small places have their own advantages.

In Norway, driving an electric vehicle is more than enough for daily commuting in the city. Even when traveling long distances between cities, there's no need to be overly anxious.

Norway has also made great efforts in the construction of charging facilities.

66% of electric vehicle owners in Norway have the conditions to charge their cars at home.

In addition, as of July 2024, Norway had built 3,500 public charging stations, providing more than 25,000 charging points.

Charging stations in Norway

In terms of distribution, there is a fast charging station every 50 kilometers on the main roads in Norway.

This allows electric vehicles to charge conveniently and replenish energy quickly when traveling long distances.

Electric vehicles have also lived up to expectations, with longer and longer ranges, greatly alleviating range anxiety.

It should also be noted that the Norwegian people have a strong sense of environmental protection.

As the usage cost of electric vehicles decreases and their convenience increases, the Norwegian public is naturally more and more willing to choose electric vehicles.

From an industry perspective, Norway's automotive market is small, but the competition is quite fierce.

According to data from the Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council, the sales volume of new cars in Norway in 2024 was only 128,000, less than 1% of the Chinese market.

In such a small market, more than 160 electric vehicle models have crowded in.

Tesla, the best-selling brand, only sold nearly 25,000 vehicles in Norway, accounting for only 1.4% of its global total sales.

Best-selling car models in Norway in 2024

Is it still necessary for Chinese car companies to enter the Norwegian market?

Of course, it is necessary.

From a macro - policy perspective, Norway has an open attitude towards Chinese car companies.

Norway is not a member of the EU. After the United States and the EU imposed high tariffs on imported Chinese electric vehicles, Norway did not follow suit.

Norway does not produce cars domestically, and all car brands are treated equally.

The open Norwegian market is definitely not to be missed.

From the perspective of market characteristics, Norway's cold climate actually makes it convenient for Chinese car companies to test new technologies and new models.

More importantly, Norway is the world's first country to stop selling fuel-powered cars and is a benchmark market for new energy vehicles.

For Chinese car companies to enter and gain a foothold in the Norwegian market has a milestone - like strategic significance.

This is not only a direct proof of product competitiveness but also an important springboard to open up the high - end new energy markets in Europe and even the world.

Take NIO as an example. When NIO first went global in 2021, it chose Norway as its first stop.

In September of the same year, NIO delivered its first model, the ES8, in Norway, opened its first overseas NIO House, and simultaneously launched the construction of battery - swapping stations.

The following year, NIO fully entered the markets of four European countries: Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark.

As of now, NIO has deployed a total of 50 battery - swapping stations and 19 charging stations in five European countries including Norway, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands, and connected to more than 600,000 third - party charging piles.

The NIO Center located at 33 Karl Johans Gate, the commercial and cultural center of Oslo, Norway

In fact, Chinese car companies have become a force that cannot be ignored in the Norwegian market.

Currently, dozens of electric vehicle companies such as NIO, MG, BYD, Polestar, XPENG, SAIC Maxus, SERES, JAC, VOYAH, Lotus, Hongqi, and Volvo have entered the Norwegian market.

In 2024, Chinese - brand electric vehicles accounted for 8.8% of new car sales in Norway, an increase of 4.7 percentage points compared with 2021.

Chinese car companies, march towards Norway!

This article is from the WeChat official account “Zhengjieju” (ID: zhengjieclub). Author: Zhengjieju. Republished by 36Kr with permission.