from Hacker News

Top-Selling Car in Norway Now Electric Car Two Months in a Row

by ggjain on 12/1/13, 11:07 AM with 50 comments

  • by dagss on 12/1/13, 11:57 AM

    As a Norwegian this keep coming up in lunch conversations. I just bought an old used car from somebody buying a Tesla.

    What we come back to is the very high sale taxes on new cars in Norway (our "rule of thumb" is that cars are close to twice as expensive in Norway as in some other countries), but that most(/all?) of those taxes are waived for electric. So the alternative to getting, e.g., a Tesla is paying almost twice as much for a "similar" BMW. Same story for lower-end cars.

    Also, on the commuter high-ways leading in to Oslo, there's one lane that's reserved for bus+taxi+electric (similar to the 2+ or 3+ person-per-car lanes in California). There's a joke that there's a standing queue of Teslas in that lane now (though I don't drive there so I haven't seen how much of an exaggeration that is).

    Also, electric don't pay on the toll roads, which saves you 3-4$ each time if you're living outside towns and commuting in.

  • by ggjain on 12/1/13, 11:17 AM

    And the Best part its not Tesla. In September, it was the Tesla Model S and in October, it was the Nissan Leaf.

  • by rsendv on 12/1/13, 5:47 PM

    As a Norwegian I would like to see sale numbers in Oslo compared to the rest of the country.

    My educated guess is that the vast majority of EVs are bought and driven in the larger Oslo area, and if I'm right, I think we actually should be discussing Oslo and not Norway as a country.

    Edit: Reorganized two words.

  • by bhewes on 12/1/13, 7:34 PM

    Norway is one of the richest countries in the world. Here in LA a bunch of my neighbors have bought the Tesla S. The tax incentive on a luxury car is nice, but it is still a luxury car. I do like how hydrocarbons are the main driver of green tech in Norway.

  • by riggins on 12/1/13, 2:22 PM

    I can't wait for widespread adoption of electric cars and reduced pollution.

  • by embro on 12/1/13, 1:04 PM

    I am proud of you Norway! Can't wait for Canada to do the same.

  • by aquadrop on 12/1/13, 5:43 PM

    Wow, a country with Tesla Model S as top selling car... powerful :)