Germany overtakes Norway as Europe’s No. 1 EV market

Germany has overtaken Norway for sales of full-electric cars since the start of the year, putting Europe’s biggest auto market in position to become the regional leader on an annual basis for the first time.

Through November, 57,533 new EVs were registered in Germany, compared with 56,893 for Norway, according to statistics published by transportation agencies in both countries, Automotive News reads.

The Nordic country has sold the most electric cars of any in Europe each year since at least 2010, when the Nissan Leaf, the first mass-market full-electric car, made its debut.

The numbers offer fresh evidence that the technology is becoming more mainstream in Europe’s automaking heartland, where Germany’s Volkswagen Group, BMW Group and Daimler are preparing for a major EV push.

While Norway emerged as an early regional hot spot thanks to generous government incentives, the country has about 6.4 percent of the population of Germany and so growth is limited. Across the region, governments are ramping up subsidies.

“The electric model offensive of the German manufacturers is in full swing,” Bernhard Mattes, head of the country’s VDA auto lobby, said last week.

German automakers will triple their electric car offerings to 150 models by 2023 and invest 50 billion euros by 2024, he said.