Norway Sets Record as Electric Cars Hit 98.81% of New Sales in September
Norway sold a record 98.81% electric cars among new vehicles in September, while the UN climate summit in Antalya pushes countries to raise electricity to 35% of energy use by 2035. An Oslo resident explains daily life, and officials warn of a possible power deficit.
Electric cars accounted for a record 98.81% of new cars sold in Norway in September, as the UN climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, pushes countries to electrify faster.
The summit's co-hosts are asking governments to promise that electricity will make up 35% of all energy used by 2035. The global figure now stands at 23%. About 100,000 delegates, negotiators and world leaders are negotiating the details.
Norway is already far ahead. Hydropower produces 90% of its electricity. But demand is rising fast, including from new datacentres, and authorities warn the country could soon face a power deficit and higher energy prices.
A day on Norwegian power
Unni Berge, 47, lives in a three-bedroom flat in Oslo with her husband and two teenage sons. She heads communications at the Norwegian EV Association. Her flat uses district heating, a system that pipes heat from a central source to many buildings.
Her electricity bills are low. In October the family spent 730 Norwegian kroner (£57) on electricity for the apartment, and 500 kroner in September.
Berge commutes by bus. Almost all buses in Oslo are fully electric. "In my street, the bus comes every fifth minute, so I don’t have to plan," she said. "I go outside and a bus comes."
She owns an electric car but rarely drives it in the centre of Oslo, where restrictions on cars are heavy. She uses it mostly at weekends, taking her children, aged 18 and 15, to sports events and driving to matches and tournaments as a handball coach.
Charging and cost
Her building's garage has a collective charging system, like most apartment garages in Oslo. Charging would slow if every resident plugged in at once, she said, but that does not happen in practice.
With a large battery, she charges the car once every two to three weeks. She pays for the electricity and a system fee. "It’s much cheaper than petrol and diesel," Berge said.
At work, the office uses district heating, and electricity runs lights, computers and the canteen kitchen. Berge uses Microsoft Copilot, an AI assistant, and sees a catch. "Energy demands will get too high if everyone is using AI more," she said.
Electricity has long been part of Norwegian life, she said. What changed is transport. Passenger cars, buses and ferries now run on rising amounts of electricity, and heavy goods vehicles are increasingly electric too.
