Norway Considers Delaying Electric Van Target to 2027
Norway, a leader in electric vehicle (EV) adoption, is likely to postpone its target for phasing out sales of new fossil-fuel vans. The Norwegian Environmental Protection Agency and the National Public Roads Administration have proposed shifting the deadline for sales of only zero-emission vans from 2025 to 2027.
This potential change comes after the Norwegian Association for Electric Vehicles (Norsk elbilforening) expressed concerns about the feasibility of meeting the original 2025 goal. Unlike passenger cars where EVs have seen strong adoption, the transition to electric vans has been slower.
Last year, electric vans accounted for less than 29% of light commercial vehicle sales in Norway. This is a significant contrast to the 82% market share of electric passenger cars during the same period.
At the beginning of 2024, Norsk elbilforening stated that achieving the 2025 decarbonization target for vans was ‘impossible.’ According to data from Elbil, approximately half a million vans are registered in Norway, representing around 15% of the total vehicle fleet. However, vans are responsible for up to 27% of the country’s CO2 emissions.
The Norwegian Environmental Protection Agency and the National Public Roads Administration now support the 2027 target and have announced measures to help achieve it. These measures include:
- Reducing the tax burden on electric vans
- Promoting the development of charging infrastructure
- Providing tax and usage benefits for electric van owners, such as exemption from tolls and favorable tariffs.
It’s important to note that these measures are currently recommendations, and an official resolution from the authorities is still pending.
