During the opening speech of the NORDIC EV SUMMIT, considered Europe’s most important conference and meeting on electric mobility, Christina Bu, Secretary General of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association (Norsk elbilforening), discusses the advancements in charging infrastructure.
“We have begun to implement chargers for heavy transport,” Bu reveals.
Indeed, last year, the market shares of heavy-duty electric vehicles (HDEV) were significantly positive, at 12 per cent.
In the case of buses, more than half of those registered were electric.
Regarding the infrastructure in general, Bu explains that the country currently has 8,000 fast chargers, of which approximately 80 per cent deliver 150 kilowatts or more.
Of the total, 2,000 were built last year.
“Now, we see that chargers are surpassing cars; we’ve never had better capacity. We are at 91 per cent,” the Secretary General indicates.
Can Norway achieve its climate objectives?
On January 8, 2021, the Norwegian government presented a comprehensive climate action plan to reduce emissions in all sectors, including transportation, following an agreement with the European Union (EU) to participate in climate legislation for the period 2021-2030.
In this regard, Bu states, “For the first time in history, Norway can achieve a national climate target.”
“It’s about wanting to and using the policies we have, the measures we have to achieve it,” she adds.
The project primarily aimed at a gradual increase in taxes on petrol cars and even on plug-in hybrids, while tariffs for fully electric cars remained.
Thanks to the promotion of electromobility, during the first quarter of this year, they reached a market share of 90 per cent of passenger car sales compared to 82 per cent in the same period of 2023.
Consequently, now 25 per cent of the total passenger cars nationwide are fully electric, meaning over 700,000 units.
“It’s not just in the most populated areas but even in the far north. This is happening everywhere,” the Secretary General declares.
It’s worth mentioning that from January 1, 2030, greenhouse gas emissions will be offset by reductions from other countries, either through the EU emissions trading scheme, international cooperation, emissions trading, or project-based cooperation.
Regarding this, the CEO of Norsk elbilforening comments on Norway’s position: “We are ahead of the game, but they are following us quickly.”
According to an analysis by Bloomberg, the tipping point for electric vehicles is actually around five per cent in car sales, which is termed as the threshold marking the beginning of mass adoption.
“Now, more than 30 countries worldwide have over five per cent, including Greece, Romania, Costa Rica, and Thailand,” Bu asserts.
And she adds, “This is happening in many places.”
