Electric cars outnumber petrol cars in Norway for the first time ever, the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) has announced.
Of the 2.8 million private cars registered in the Nordic country, 754,303 are all-electric compared to 753,905 that run on gasoline, OFV said, calling it a "historic" transition.
Diesel models remain the most numerous at just under one million, but sales are declining fast, OFV said.
"This is a historic event. It's a milestone that few expected 10 years ago," OFV director Øyvind Solberg Thorsen said in a statement.
"The electrification of the passenger car fleet is progressing rapidly and Norway is thus fast approaching becoming the first country in the world with a passenger car fleet dominated by electric vehicles," said Director Thorsen.
Norway, which is a major oil and gas producer, has set a target of selling only zero-emission vehicles by 2025 - mostly electric cars, as the share of hydrogen cars is very small - 10 years ahead of the EU target.
In August, all-electric vehicles accounted for a record 94.3% of new car registrations in Norway, supported by sales of the Tesla Model Y.
In an effort to electrify road transport to help meet Norway's climate commitments, Norwegian authorities have offered generous tax rebates for electric vehicles, making them competitively priced compared to fuel-powered, diesel and hybrid cars.
Norway's success in the field of electric vehicles contrasts sharply with the problems seen in other parts of Europe.
Electric car sales began to decline at the end of 2023 and now account for just 12.5% of new cars sold on the continent.| BGNES
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