Norway Goes Electric

When it comes to electric cars, Norway is charging forward. The European country recently became the first nation in the world to have more electric vehicles than gas-powered cars on the road.

Electric vehicles run on batteries powered by electricity. They emit fewer greenhouse gases than cars fueled by gasoline. Greenhouse gases trap the sun’s heat in the atmosphere, causing the planet to warm. 

There are 2.8 million passenger cars in Norway, according to recent government data. Of them, 754,303 are fully electric, edging out gas-powered vehicles, which total 753,905. (The remaining vehicles run on other types of fuel.)

Norway uses incentives to promote electric vehicles. People who buy the vehicles don’t pay taxes on them, pay lower toll and parking fees, and can even drive in bus lanes. The nation, however, sells gas and oil to other countries to help fund those incentives.       

—Lisa M. Herrington