Soon every fifth car in Bergen will be electric

Norway’s second city leads the way for the rest of the world

Photo: CLEVER and E.ON partnership
An electric car charging station in Norway.

Brian Kerr
Norway Today

Bergen will pass 20% in electric car ownership before long. The city will be the first in the world where one in five cars runs on electricity. 

“Let’s just congratulate the politicians in Bergen. They’ve shown the world that emission-free motoring is possible,” said Christina Bu, secretary general of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association (Norsk elbilforening).

Figures from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen) show that there are 21,910 electric cars in Bergen. This represents 19.3% of the total car fleet of 113,422 cars. Bergen will be the first major city in the world to pass 20% in electric car ownership, according to the association.

The share of electric cars in Norway’s car fleet is about 9%. In Oslo, the share is 16.3%, Trondheim is 11.9%, and Stavanger has 13.2%, according to figures from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.

“Studies show that discount in road tolls is one of the main reasons people choose electric cars. It is important to remember that it is still the case that the vast majority drive petrol and diesel cars, in both Bergen and the rest of the country,” Bu said.

This article was originally published on Norway Today.

This article originally appeared in the December 27, 2019, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.