The EU approves a 2035 effective date for a ban on new fossil fuel vehicles
In order to hasten the transition to electric vehicles and battle climate change, the European Union reached an agreement on Thursday regarding a law that will effectively ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles beginning in 2035.
Carmakers must achieve a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2035 in order for the EU’s 27 member states to allow the sale of new fossil fuel-powered vehicles. This requirement was reached through negotiations between representatives of the EU’s member states, the European Parliament, which must approve new EU laws, and the European Commission, which draughts new laws.
For drivers of cars, this agreement is fantastic news… According to Parliament’s chief negotiator Jan Huitema, new zero-emission automobiles will get cheaper, making them more accessible and affordable for everyone.
Frans Timmermans, the head of the EU’s climate policy, said the accord sends a clear message to businesses and consumers. He remarked, “The transition to zero-emission mobility is being embraced by Europe.
In addition, the agreement called for a 55 percent reduction in CO2 emissions for new cars sold starting in 2030 compared to 2021 levels, much beyond the previous goal of a 37.5 percent reduction by that time.
The CO2 emissions from new vans must be reduced by 50 percent from 2021 levels by 2030 and by 100 percent by 2035.
The pressure from regulators on automakers to reduce their carbon impact has led to many of them announcing investments in electrification. This Monday, Thomas Schaefer, the CEO of Volkswagen, said that starting in 2033, the company will only make electric vehicles in Europe.
The European Automobile Industry Association (ACEA) warned against outright banning technology and called for internal combustion engines and hydrogen vehicles to play a part in the low-carbon transition when the EU rule was first proposed in July 2021.
The EU will prepare a proposal on how vehicles that run on “CO2-neutral fuels” could be sold after 2035, according to a deal reached on Thursday.
Small automakers who build fewer than 10,000 vehicles annually are allowed to bargain for weaker standards until 2036, when they will be subject to the zero-emission rule.
The bill is the first of a larger set of new EU regulations, intended to achieve the bloc’s targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, to be finalized.
In an effort to demonstrate that the union is moving forward with its climate targets despite an impending recession and skyrocketing energy prices, Brussels is seeking agreements on two further measures from the package in time for the United Nations climate conference in November.
