According to the short press release, the Ministry of Transport will ask the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to prepare the necessary “legislative and regulatory proposal on zero-emission zones.” It will specifically look at the technical, legal and practical aspects, the statement continues. It also stresses that the final decision on whether or not to introduce these zero-emission zones is up to local authorities.
Norway has just released its registration figures for February. Last month, nearly 95 per cent of newly registered cars were electric. This is the second consecutive month with numbers that high. In January, 8,954 new electric cars hit the road in Norway, which corresponds to a market share of 95.8 per cent.
However, as the government notes in its statements, the goods and commercial transport sectors “has not progressed as far as for passenger cars” in terms of electrification.
In 2024, the number of electric truck sales actually declined compared to 2023, according to figures from the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association (Norsk elbilforening). And that even though all new trucks must be electric in Norway by 2030. That said, in terms of sales share, things are looking up ever so slightly. Electric trucks accounted for 12.6 per cent of all new trucks sold in Norway in 2040 – a plus of 0.3 percentage points YoY.
Things sound even more positive when just looking at electric trucks over 12 tonnes. In 2024, 371 heavy-duty electric trucks hit the road in Norway – an increase of 91 per cent compared to 2023. Most of these trucks (65 per cent) were delivered by Volvo, while 18 per cent came from Scania.
Nevertheless, the sector has some catching up to do. It remains to be seen how much zero-emission zones can help push companies towards electrifying commercial vehicle fleets more quickly.
