With the rise of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) in Norway, there has been a significant drop in diesel-fueled vehicle sales in the country. Some models, such as Volvo’s V40, V70, and the XC60, saw decreases around 95% in sales since 2013. During that same time period, the consumer market share of diesel and gasoline vehicles overall were nearly cut in half while the first half of 2019 alone saw 55% of all car sales go to BEVs. These figures were provided in a press release published by independent energy research firm Rystad Energy.
“This adoption of electric vehicles has resulted in a dramatic decrease of traditional gasoline and diesel vehicle sales, with the steepest decline seen in the diesel segment,” Artyom Tchen, senior analyst on Rystad Energy’s oil markets team, stated in the release. “High-range battery electric cars have reduced the sales of high-end diesel vehicles, primarily SUVs and sedans, which are also the most energy-consuming private vehicles on the market.”
Tesla’s Model 3 has led the charge recently in Norway’s BEV sales, capturing 13.5% of newly registered vehicles in 2019 thus far. The Director of the country’s Information Offices for Road Traffic (OFV), Øyvind Solberg Thorsen, commented that it’s unusual for one model to have such dominance in the market, according to a report in local publication E24!. In June, the total number of Teslas registered in Norway overall surpassed 40,000 vehicles, and Model 3 sales made up around 70% of the all-electric car maker’s sales in May. Notably, the Standard Range Plus variant of the Model 3 only began arriving in Norway this month.
The reason for the sharp decline in Norway’s diesel car purchases seems to be linked to the country’s efforts supporting clean energy vehicle sales. “As for the steep decline for new diesel vehicles, two factors are at play,” Rystad’s report revealed. “A high proportion of vehicles sold have traditionally been mid- and high-end diesel models which would naturally take the biggest hit in terms of market share. Secondly, sales reductions of new diesel vehicles are tied closely to consumer fears concerning potential restrictions or even a ban against diesel vehicles in the country.”
Other policies supporting this market change include a system of tolls, fees, and taxes favoring electric vehicles that’s currently in effect. For instance, electric vehicles only pay a 50% maximum of tolls for ferries, public parking, and toll roads, and all cars are subject to a progressive tax system based on their emissions – high emissions have high taxes. Norway is also committed to the long-term goal of banning fossil-fueled vehicles entirely by 2025.
As a global leader in the transition to a clean energy economy, Tesla’s success in Norway is a nod towards the company’s overall mission to drive that same transition worldwide. CEO Elon Musk has praised Norway for its clean energy vision several times in the past, citing its hydropower-driven grid, its transition to emissions-free vehicles, and commitment to a carbon free environment. “Norwegians should be proud. You’re in the front seat and a world leader in this field,” he said during a talk in 2016.
News
Tesla offers interesting promo to future ride-hailing rival’s drivers
Lyft drivers will get $1,000 in vehicle credits if they complete 100 rides by the cutoff date for the promo.
Tesla has offered an interesting promotion for its vehicles to the drivers of one of its future ride-hailing rivals as it continues to work toward the launch of its autonomous Robotaxi platform.
This morning, Tesla launched a $1,000 off promotion to Lyft drivers who plan to utilize one of the company’s EVs for ride-hailing purposes. The promo applies to all five Tesla models: the Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, and Cybertruck.
It is not offered at the point of sale. Instead, to ensure the vehicle is properly utilized for ride-hailing purposes and to prove the discount, Tesla will offer $1,000 in vehicle credits to the Lyft driver after they complete 100 trips on or before July 13, 2025. Delivery must be taken by June 30.
🚨 Tesla is offering $1,000 off for those who purchase a vehicle for Lyft purposes! https://t.co/ND9sKiykMW pic.twitter.com/AP8tSP1cbN
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) May 16, 2025
It is an interesting move by Tesla because Lyft, along with Uber, will become a rival in the coming years as the companies continue to develop driverless ride-hailing platforms of their own. Lyft has partnered with May Mobility and Mobileye to develop driverless, fully autonomous vehicles purpose-built for ride-hailing.
Tesla plans to launch its Robotaxi platform next month in Austin, Texas.
Meanwhile, Lyft’s plans are more down the road. Earlier this year, the company said it would launch autonomous rides sometime next year.
For now, the move seems to be just another way Tesla is incentivizing consumers to buy one of their vehicles. Earlier this week, it also launched another $1,000 off promo for teachers, students, retirees, active-duty members, their spouses, and surviving spouses.
Previously, Tesla only offered that discount to military members.
It is unclear why Tesla would be offering these discounts, but it could be more of a thank you or an act of recognition, more than anything. If it were a measure that was taken to increase demand, it would be substantially more of a discount. For example, when Tesla was trying to rid its inventory of legacy Model Y units as the new, updated vehicle was set to be released, discounts were over $5,000.
News
Tesla Giga Berlin seems to be using FSD Unsupervised to move Model Y units
Tesla may be doing something quite special in the Giga Berlin-Brandenburg complex.
Tesla may be doing something quite special in the Giga Berlin-Brandenburg complex. Based on observations from a recent drone flyover of the site, it appears that Tesla may also be using FSD Unsupervised to move freshly produced Model Y vehicles to the factory’s staging area.
New Drone Footage
Recent footage of the Giga Berlin complex from longtime Tesla watcher Tobias Lindh included several interesting updates around the Model Y factory. These include a new warehouse that is currently being built, as well as a tunnel is currently being constructed. More interestingly, the drone operator observed that some cars now seem to be moving to Giga Berlin’s distribution area without human drivers.
If the drone operator’s observations prove accurate, it would be quite an impressive accomplishment for Tesla. FSD Unsupervised, after all, has only been confirmed in vehicles that are produced at the Fremont Factory and Gigafactory Texas.
Potential Next Steps
If Giga Berlin is now using FSD Unsupervised to transport some Model Y units from the factory building to the site’s staging area, it might only be a matter of time before Tesla also implements a similar system for Gigafactory Shanghai. The Shanghai-based Tesla plant, after all, is the company’s largest factory by volume, and it also serves as a primary vehicle export hub. FSD Unsupervised could then pave the way for Giga Shanghai to operate in an even more optimal manner.
FSD Unsupervised is the cornerstone of Tesla’s robotaxi business, which is expected to start rolling out in Austin, Texas, next month. Previous reports have suggested that Tesla is pushing hard in its preparations to roll out its robotaxi service this June. Tesla has reportedly even worked and trained with Austin’s first responders from the fire and police departments as part of its robotaxi service preparations.
Check out a recent flyover of the Tesla Giga Berlin complex in the video below.
Investor's Corner
Tesla welcomes Chipotle President Jack Hartung to its Board of Directors
Tesla announced the addition of its new director in a post on social media platform X.
Tesla has welcomed Chipotle president Jack Hartung to its Board of Directors. Hartung will officially start his tenure at the electric vehicle maker on June 1, 2025.
Tesla announced the addition of its new director in a post on social media platform X.
Jack Hartung’s Role
With Hartung’s addition, the Tesla Board will now have nine members. It’s been a while since the company added a new director. Prior to Hartung, the last addition to the Tesla Board was Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia back in 2022. As noted in a Reuters report, Hartung will serve on the Tesla Board’s audit committee. He will also retire from his position as president and chief strategy officer at Chipotle, and transition into a senior advisor’s role at the restaurant chain, next month.
Hartung has had a long career in the Mexican grill, joining Chipotle in 2002. He held several positions in the company, most recently serving as Chipotle’s President and Chief Strategy Officer. Tesla highlighted Hartung’s accomplishments in a post on its official account on X.
“Over the past 20+ years under Jack’s financial leadership, Chipotle has seen significant growth with over 3,700 restaurants today across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Jack was named ‘CFO of the Year’ by Orange County Business Journal and Best CFO in the restaurant category by Institutional Investor,” Tesla wrote in its post on X.
Tesla Board and Musk
Tesla is a controversial company with a controversial CEO, so it is no surprise that the Board of Directors tend to get flak as well. Two weeks ago, for example, Tesla Board Chair Robyn Denholm slammed The Wall Street Journal for publishing an article alleging that company directors had considered a search for a potential successor to Elon Musk. Denholm herself has also been criticized for offloading her TSLA shares.
More recently, news emerged suggesting that the Tesla Board of Directors had formed a special committee aimed at exploring a new pay package for CEO Elon Musk. The committee is reportedly comprised of Tesla board Chair Robyn Denholm and independent director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson, and they would be exploring alternative compensation methods for Musk’s contributions to the company.
Tesla offers interesting promo to future ride-hailing rival’s drivers
Tesla Giga Berlin seems to be using FSD Unsupervised to move Model Y units
Tesla welcomes Chipotle President Jack Hartung to its Board of Directors
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