Norway has seen great success in the adoption of electric vehicles – 82% of new cars sold in the country in 2023 will be electric, according to the Norwegian Road Federation. This high adoption rate can be attributed to the generous subsidies offered to EV owners in the Scandinavian countries and investments in charging infrastructure.
Tesla’s Sales in the country may account for just a fraction of the 1.8 million vehicles the company delivered globally last year, but its importance to the electric-car maker goes beyond revenue. Tesla’s early foothold in Norway made the country a key proving ground for the company and a national model for the electric vehicle transition. As a result, Tesla CEO Musk has made several trips to the small Nordic country and often praises its support for technological change.
Norwegians were the first European customers to receive Tesla Model S in 2013. In April 2014, Tesla broke the record for the most monthly sales of a single vehicle model (electric or gasoline) in Norway with its Model S.The model is Tesla’s Model Y. According to the Norwegian Road Federation, Tesla accounted for about 20% of all car sales in the country last year.
But it remains to be seen whether Norwegians will continue to favor Tesla in the future as competition intensifies from other electric car makers such as Toyota, Skoda, Volkswagen and BYD.
CNBC traveled to Norway to meet with locals, government officials and experts to learn how Tesla has become so successful in the Scandinavian country. watch video full story.