High-speed trains make Norway a less vulnerable country

Electric vehicles are the most effective single solution both for cutting oil use and reducing oil dependence, according to Transport & Environment.

12.11.2026 14:50 | Updated 14:52

What happens to electric vehicles if the power goes out? This question often arises when discussing preparedness.

But what about gasoline and diesel vehicles if oil supplies are disrupted?

It’s a highly relevant question at a time when Trump’s military actions in the Middle East and Iran’s disruption of the Hormuz Strait have plunged the world into a prolonged oil crisis.

Putting Norway in the spotlight

Over one million Norwegian cars do not require gasoline or diesel. This gives us a better advantage when oil prices soar in hot weather.

This is one of the reasons why the environmental organization Transport & Environment (T&E) cites Norway as a country better prepared for future oil crises.

“Electric cars are the most effective single solution to reduce demand for oil,” says Antony Froggatt, director at T&E.

He believes countries like Norway, Denmark, and Hong Kong, where electric cars now dominate new car sales, are much less vulnerable to future price spikes.

Replace 1.2 million barrels of oil daily

According to T&E’s new analysis, the world’s electric cars now replace 1.2 million barrels of oil consumption each day.

In 2021, the corresponding figure was 215,000 units. The amount of oil avoided through electric vehicles has thus more than quintupled over five years.

This still represents only around 1.2 percent of the world’s total oil consumption. But since road transport accounts for nearly half of global oil consumption, T&E believes electrifying transportation is particularly important to reduce oil dependence.

Over one million electric vehicles in Norway

Norway has a particularly favorable starting point. As of the end of September, there were 1,048,702 electric passenger cars in the country. These vehicles made up 35.5 percent of the total car fleet and were the most common type of vehicle nationwide.

Meanwhile, 98 percent of all new passenger cars registered by 2026 were electric.

The difference also lies in where the energy comes from. While gasoline and diesel prices are directly affected by the global oil market, most of the electricity we use here at home is generated locally.

In 2025, 89.9 percent of Norway’s power production came from hydroelectric power, and 8.6 percent from wind power.

When diesel prices reached 27 kroner per liter earlier this year, we calculated that a diesel car could cost about 1,400 kroner more per month than an electric car charged at home.

“A volatile global oil market shows that gasoline and diesel are not either the ultimate backup fuels,” said Secretary General Christina Bu at the Electric Vehicle Association at the time.

Less vulnerable — not the screen

T&E goes a long way in claiming that Norway has effectively shielded itself from future oil crises.

Almost two out of three Norwegian cars still use fossil fuels, either in whole or in part. In seven counties, diesel remains the most common fuel, and heavy transport, aviation, and parts of the food industry continue to rely on oil products.

It is therefore more accurate to say that electric cars have made Norway less vulnerable—not immune.

And for every fossil fuel car replaced by an electric car, the link between Norwegian car trips and the volatile oil market weakens slightly.

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The post Elbilene gjør Norge til et mindre sårbart land appeared first on Norsk elbilforening.