In Norway’s most northernmost region, EV sales are genuinely remarkable. According to Road Traffic Information Council data, the Finnmark region’s vehicle sales in January were 80 per cent electric.
The figures over the years show just how quick the shift to electric can take place. In 2015 only 3% of cars were electric. By 2019 that had increased to 11%, 23% in 2020, and 34% last year.
In the first month of 2022, four out of five cars sold were electric.
This comes as a surprise, as for many, the question of cold climates and EV’s has been a non-starter.
However, once a country invests in infrastructure, the citizens are willing to electrify.
There are currently 24 fast-charger stations open to all EVs and an additional six Superchargers for Tesla vehicles in the region.
Tesla’s northernmost Supercharger in the world opens in Varangerbotn, Norway
As well, the Norwegians government tax incentives also help.
Some of the incentives include zero sales tax on the purchase of the car, reduced road tolls, free parking and reduced ticket prices on government ferries, according to Eye On The Arctic.
Even in this remote area of Norway, the distance between each charging station is no more than 100 kilometres. The publicly available chargers are between 50 kW and 250 kW and can charge a battery from 20 per cent to 80 per cent in as little as a half-hour.
Norway now has the highest proportion of EVs on the road globally. Nearly half a million EVs are on the road, with a total population of 5.4 million.
Canada could be taking some notes; Norway, much like Canada, is a northern climate that also produces oil.
If infrastructure and government supports are in place, the push to electrify can be a gentle nudge rather than a shove.
