Norway has become the poster child for the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). Last year, official government statistics showed that almost nine out of every 10 cars sold were electric.

In 2023 — the most recent year that data is available — the global EV adoption rate was just 18%, according to the International Energy Agency.

The Nordic country has made a remarkable commitment to combating climate change, driven by strong government policies, robust infrastructure, and a supportive public.

Norway aims for all passenger cars sold to be zero-emission vehicles by the end of this year, a decade ahead of the European Union — of which it is not a member.

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Norway's wealth and size undoubtedly played a role in its EV success. The country has a population of 5.5 million and is one of the world's richest nations, thanks to substantial oil reserves — the largest in Europe after Russia. However, these factors alone don't fully explain the remarkable progress made.

Robbie Andrew, a senior scientist at the Oslo-based CICERO Center for International Climate Research, thinks Norway's decades-long commitment to domestic EV development was a critical factor.

"In the 1990s, Norway made efforts to create a company to manufacture EVs," Andrew told DW, noting how the absence of a powerful domestic auto industry lobby facilitated........

© Deutsche Welle