Norway has reached a historic milestone, with electric cars outnumbering their petrol counterparts for the first time.
The Guardian reported that the Norwegian Road Federation, known as OFV, said in a statement that there are now 754,303 electric cars registered in Norway, compared to 753,905 petrol cars. Diesel cars still outnumber each of those, at just under one million, but their sales are also rapidly falling, which can only be positive news for the country that aims to reach the ambitious goal of ensuring that all new cars sold are zero-emission vehicles by 2025. This is 10 years ahead of the EU's goal.
In a bid to encourage EV sales, the government has offered generous tax rebates on EVs, which has made them comparable in price to fuel-powered vehicles.
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EVs offer a number of benefits over fuel-powered cars, including being cheaper to run and maintain. You can also charge them at home, which means no more trips to the gas station.
A 2020 Consumer Reports study found that EV drivers spend about 60% less on fuel each year on average compared to people driving gas-powered cars. A more recent study suggests 90% of Americans would save money by trading their gas-powered car for an EV.
Another great benefit is that EVs are much better for the environment as they don't produce any pollution from their exhausts. This can help reduce air pollution, which is a positive for our health. A report from the American Lung Association found that switching to EVs could help reduce asthma attacks and other respiratory issues, especially in children.
The U.S. created tax breaks for EV purchases in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act to encourage Americans to switch to EVs. From 2024, these tax credits are available at the point of purchase, and you could be entitled to up to $7,500 for purchasing a new EV and $4,000 for buying a secondhand EV.
Norway is hoping to become the first country in the world to have mostly electric vehicles on the road.
"This is historic. A milestone few saw coming 10 years ago," Norwegian road federation director Øyvind Solberg Thorsen said in a statement.
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