EU Lawmakers Approve Deal to Ban Combustion-Engine Cars by 2035
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On Tuesday this week, the European Parliament formally approved a new law that will effectively ban the sale of new combustion engine cars in the European Unition as of 2035. This new law has been approved in hopes to combat climate change and accelerate the shift from petrol and diesel cars to electric.
This law requires that carmakers need to reach a net zero target by 2035, this is a 100% cut in CO2 emissions from new cars sold. With this language in place it will make it impossible to sell new fossil fuel powered vehicles in the EU. On top of eliminating the sale of combustion engine cars, the law also set a 55% cut in CO2 emissions for new cars sold from 2030 versus the 2021 levels. This is a much higher reduction goal compared to the current target of a 37.5% cut in CO2 emissions.
“These targets create clarity for the car industry and stimulate innovation and investments for car manufacturers… Purchasing and driving zero-emission cars will become cheaper for consumers.” Jan Huitema, the lawmaker responsible for overseeing the file in parliament.
Photo by Lenny Kuhne on Unsplash
According to an article by John Ainger at Bloomberg, it’s thought that this new law will have global impacts. The EU being the largest trade bloc is likely going to be a trend setter in this regard, and because many of the biggest car manufacturers are in the EU it’s inevitably going to change what they produce and sell globally.
Also according to Bloomberg, “In a sign of the change, Ford Motor Co. said it will cut about 3,800 jobs across Europe, with workers in Germany and the UK set to be the hardest hit.”
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