Despite a sharp decline in global electric vehicle sales, Tesla has found an unexpected bright spot in Norway, a longtime leader in EV adoption that appears unfazed by the company’s tarnished brand image. Tesla has sold more than 26,000 vehicles in Norway so far this year, putting it on track to surpass Volkswagen as the country’s top-selling automaker, according to Teslarati.
Norwegian consumers are rushing to buy Teslas ahead of changes to the VAT that will make EVs more expensive. More importantly, Norway offers a glimpse of what Tesla can achieve in a fully mature EV market—though its success there also masks broader challenges in Europe and around the world.
Norway, which is not a member of the European Union, has long been at the forefront of EV adoption. A combination of higher-income consumers, ambitious climate targets and generous government incentives has electrified the country’s car market far more rapidly than the rest of Europe. As of May, more than 97 percent of new cars registered in Norway were electric, with Tesla leading the pack, according to the European Alternative Fuels Observatory.
Norway aims to be carbon neutral by 2030, ahead of the E.U. and U.S., which target 2050. To get there, the government has used tax policy to make internal combustion vehicles more expensive while eliminating or reducing VAT, registration taxes and road fees for electric vehicles. Norway has also invested heavily in charging infrastructure—a striking paradox given its status as Europe’s largest oil and gas producer.
The profits from that oil and gas production flow into the Government Pension Fund of Norway, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund with $1.7 trillion in assets. That wealth has allowed the country to offset EV incentives and build out a robust public charging network, including widespread fast chargers along major roadways.
Tesla’s image problems—largely tied to Elon Musk’s politics—have mostly bypassed Norway, according to Reuters. The company’s long-standing presence in the country has “bred brand loyalty and insulated against blowback,” the outlet reported.
Tesla’s strength in Norway contrasts sharply with its performance elsewhere. In Sweden and Denmark, both E.U. members, Tesla registrations have dropped in recent months even as EV adoption rises. Some of the decline stems from heightened competition from Chinese and European automakers, while some reflects growing distaste for Musk’s politics and public behavior.
Across Europe, Tesla sales fell 28.5 percent in the first nine months of the year, according to Reuters. In China, sales slid to a three-year low, and in the U.S., Tesla accounted for only 40 percent of EV sales in October.
Norway offers a clear look at how an EV company can thrive in a mature electric market and what the next stage of the EV transition in the U.S. could resemble if incentives, infrastructure and vehicle pricing were aligned, though such a scenario remains highly unlikely under the current administration.