Norway is, perhaps inarguably, the most electric vehicle-friendly country in the world. In 2024, almost 90% of all new cars sold were EVs, according to Reuters, a figure that has been rapidly increasing since the late 2010s.
Earlier this summer, I visited the rugged, Northern European nation with my fiancée — not because of its EVs, but because it has an unbelievably pretty cross-country train ride — and was, frankly, shocked by what I saw.
I had never been to a country where there are more electric cars than standard gas ones (in fact, Norway may be the only place in the world like this, although China is on its way), and couldn't help but imagine how something like this would look in the U.S.
For Americans, this kind of transition is far off at best, and even if that did happen someday, it would look completely different here — even putting driving trends and government policies aside, our population is over 60 times bigger than Norway's. But for anyone who loves EVs, there are still plenty of things to learn from it:
1. Chinese models are everywhere
Last year, Chinese EV brands accounted for nearly 10% of new car sales in Norway, and that fact was deeply apparent when walking around Oslo, the capital.
The logos of brands like BYD, MG, and NIO could be found on cars and SUVs everywhere, which makes sense, since many of these EVs are extremely affordable. And things are only getting cheaper, with BYD sending its $10,000 Seagull model to Europe this year (under a different name).
This is a massive difference from the U.S., where tariffs and other regulations have made Chinese EVs basically nonexistent. In Norway, it's too early to know if a major American concern — that these cheap EVs will push other brands out of the market — will come true, although it is true that Norwegian interest in Chinese vehicles has shown no signs of slowing down.
2. Even the heavy-duty vehicles are electric
Last year, only about 0.5% of America's new heavy-duty vehicles were zero-tailpipe-pollution vehicles. Meanwhile, in Norway, over 12% of trucks and nearly 30% of vans were electric, a trend that represents the country's goal of having all new heavy-duty vehicles run on electricity or clean fuel by 2030.
This feels like a small difference, but considering the massively outsized amount of pollution per vehicle created by heavy-duty vehicles compared to regular cars, it goes a long way in reducing the amount of toxic and planet-warming gases a country creates each year.
3. E-scooters are not a problem
In the U.S., e-scooters are often the scourge of many cities, with safety concerns, bad parking jobs, dangerous rider behavior, and more turning people against the vehicles, which are usually run by companies like Uber, Lyft, and Bird.
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Scooters were similarly everywhere in Norway, but they somehow seemed less obnoxious, probably due to designated lanes that only scooters, e-bikes, and bicycles can drive in. The fact that these lanes are a third option — separate from both pedestrians and cars — means they clog up less traffic and, in theory at least, present fewer safety risks.
Legally, e-scooters are treated almost exactly like bicycles, with strict laws about passengers, age limits, helmets, parking, and more. The result is a rideshare system that works hand-in-hand with — rather than in contrast to — other transit options like buses, bikes, and streetcars.
4. Tesla still reigns supreme
Just like in the U.S., plenty of Europeans are tired of Tesla, and yet they were unavoidable in Norway. The Tesla Model Y has long been the most popular EV model in Norway (as it still is in the U.S., by the way), and after a mini-slump, its sales have started to bounce back following the model's latest refresh.
Interestingly, many other European countries haven't jumped back on board with Tesla, so why is the world's most EV-friendly country going against the grain? It's hard to say for sure, but it's possible that in a country where electric vehicles are totally ubiquitous, people are less concerned about outside factors when shopping for a car.
5. VW's awesome electric van is getting its time in the sun
When it's summer in southern Norway, the sun only sets for a few hours each night, so there was plenty of time to notice that Volkswagen's retro-futuristic electric van, the ID. Buzz, was out and about in Oslo.
The colorful, spacious EVs were out in the streets (even being used as work vans in some cases), which is a big difference from the U.S., where the model was launched with a lot of excitement but has so far been marred by modest sales and a brief model recall.
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