Norway is accelerating its transition to the electric vehicle era by ending the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles. According to the New York Times (NYT), eight out of ten new cars sold in Norway last year were electric vehicles, and the Norwegian government plans to completely stop the sale of internal combustion engine cars by 2025.
The Norwegian government aims to achieve zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. To this end, they are implementing policies such as replacing all city buses with electric buses by the end of the year and giving additional points to companies bidding on public projects if they use equipment powered by electricity or biofuels. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the construction sector is also a significant goal.
However, the lack of electric vehicle charging stations remains a challenge. Sirin Hellvin Stav, Oslo's Deputy Mayor for Environment and Transport, said at a recent meeting with local councilors and residents, “The city wants to install more public chargers, but at the same time, we want to reduce the number of cars by one-third to make the streets safer and create more space for walking and cycling.”
While greenhouse gas emissions have decreased, concerns have been raised that electric vehicles, which are heavier than internal combustion engine vehicles, may cause more road wear and increase the number of harmful fine particles in the air. The NYT predicts that as the number of electric cars increases, existing car manufacturers may face a crisis if they fail to adapt to the changing times.
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