Norway is leading the world's electric vehicle market, having registered its 50,000th electric car in April of this year. In the first quarter of 2015, 8,112 plug-in electric (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) vehicles were sold in Norway, accounting for a third of the country's total vehicle registrations, according to IHS Automotive.
While 14,832 electric vehicles were registered in the United States in Q1 of 2015, that number represents only 0.8% of all the vehicles registered in the U.S., compared to Norway's 33.1%.
The brisk sales in Norway are actually turning out to be a little bit too positive. The government has offered a number of tax cuts and benefits as an incentive, including exemptions from tolls and parking fees in some cases. However, the subsidy-driven sales boom has actually created a tax shortfall of 2 billion crowns ($267.79 million), according to Reuters.
Norway is now reviewing its policy of tax breaks for electric car buyers amid the shortfall in state revenue, though the government has stressed that benefits will remain in place to ensure the success continues.
The following infographic shows new EV and PHEV registrations and the share of total registrations in Q1 2015.
You will find more statistics at Statista.
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