It is often said that pure electric vehicles will never catch on in Ireland because it too rural and will never be able to support the necessary infrastructure. However, Norway, an even more sparsly populated country, has largely dispelled this myth with news that in 2018 nearly a third of new cars sold were all electric. The country is now aims to end sales of fossil-fuelled vehicles by 2025 and some experts can foresee a total electric future. 

A major factor in the success of electric vehicles in the Scandinavian state is government policy. Battery powered cars are free from tax and are even offered free parking and charging. This means that sales have show dramatic growth rising from just 5.5% in 2013 to 31.2% in 2018. This is in country where new car sales, of just under 150,000, make it similar in market size to Ireland.

According to the International Energy Agency, Norway is now far ahead of other nations in its shift to electric. It says that when plug-in hybrids are taken into account, Norway’s electric vehicle sales stand at 39%, with Iceland the next in line at just 12% and Sweden with 6%. In Ireland less than 1% of sales of new cars were all electric in 2018. 

Despite these figures observers doubt the 100% all electric new car sales goal for 2025 is feasible, mainly because not all drivers have access to a dedicated parking place. There are also some reservations about the availability of electric cars with many willing customers put off by long waits for delivery.