Europe to ban new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars from 2035

The European Commission has proposed the reduction of emissions from new cars sold in Europe to zero by 2035, effectively banning the sale of all combustion-powered passenger cars in the region within 14 years.

However, European car-makers have criticised the proposal, saying that banning petrol, diesel and hybrid cars in Europe by the middle of next decade is “simply not viable”.

Leaked earlier this week, the European Commission’s new auto emissions target also proposes a 55 per cent cut in new car CO2 emissions by 2030 on the way to a 100 per cent reduction by 2035.

The current target is only a 37.5 per cent reduction by 2030.

The radical new proposal, announced as part of a broader 12-point ‘Fit for 55’ plan to combat climate change in the EU yesterday, aligns the European car market with the EC’s call to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 55 per cent from 1990 levels by 2030.

The EU’s CO2 output is currently around 24 per cent lower than it was in 1990. Longer term, as part of the Paris climate accord, the EU has committed to “net zero” carbon emissions by 2050.

“We’re not just faced with an industrial revolution, we’re also faced with an existential threat, which is the climate crisis,” said the EC’s executive vice-president in charge of the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, at a press conference yesterday.

“You don’t have the luxury to say, ‘Let’s very smoothly develop toward this change.’ We have to do it quite radically.”

Other proposals in yesterday’s wide ranging climate package include taxes on aviation fuel, increased renewable energy targets, a carbon border tax and incentives for energy-efficient building construction.

Some European cities have already proposed future bans on driving combustion vehicles, and earlier this year the UK, which is no longer part of the EU, announced a plan to ban sales of new petrol and diesel (but not hybrid) cars from 2030.

Japan is considering similar measures by 2030 and such a proposal has even been mooted in Victoria.

At the same time, some car-makers including Ford have already committed to selling only EVs in Europe, where passenger cars currently account for about 12 per cent of total CO2 emissions, by 2030.

To help incentivise the uptake of zero-emission cars and reduce EV range anxiety in Europe, the EC is also asking member states to install public EV charging stations every 60km along major roads, and hydrogen fuel stations every 150km.

The commission has forecast 3.5 million public charging stations for cars and vans by 2030, rising to 16.3 million by 2050, and estimates €80-120 billion will need to be spent on public and private chargers across the EU by 2040.

Similarly, the US government is proposing to spend $US15 billion to build 500,000 EV charging stations across North America.

Europe’s ambitious new emissions legislation needs to be approved by all 27 EC member states and passed by the European parliament before it becomes law across the EU – a process that industry experts say could take two years.

It has been welcomed by some environmental groups including the Brussels-based Transport & Environment green lobby group.

“This is a turning point for the auto industry and good news for drivers,” said executive director William Todts.

“The new EU rules will democratise electric cars and give a major boost to charging, meaning clean cars will soon be affordable and easy to charge for millions of Europeans.”

However, European auto industry body ACEA said the proposed emissions targets were unviable in the absence of a further increase in demand for EVs.

“We urge all EU institutions to focus on innovation rather than mandating, or effectively banning, a specific technology,” said ACEA president Oliver Zipse, who is also BMW Group CEO.

“Without significantly increased efforts by all stakeholders – including member states and all involved sectors – the proposed target is simply not viable.”

Germany’s auto industry association, VDA, also criticised the EU CO2 plan, saying it would cut jobs, innovation and consumer choice.

“With the fleet limit value of zero grams planned for 2035, the EU Commission is in effect proposing a ban on internal combustion engines – including in hybrids,” said VDA president Hildegard Müller.

“This is anti-innovation and the opposite of open to technology. It also restricts consumers’ freedom of choice.”

While Volvo welcomed the new CO2 targets, saying they give the industry sufficient time “to phase out technology of the past”, Daimler development chief Markus Schaefer told Automotive News Europe the targets are “very, very ambitious”.

“It’s not unrealistic, but it will require a major restructuring of society,” he said. “Setting up a charging infrastructure alone is a Herculean task including restructuring the energy industry.”

Before the new 2030 and 2035 CO2 targets were proposed by the EC yesterday, a spokesman for the French government advocated for plug-in hybrid cars to remain available in Europe beyond 2030.

Meantime, Germany’s transport minister Andreas Scheuer told the DPA press agency that “all car and truck manufacturers are aware that stricter specifications are coming, but they have to be technically feasible”.

And French auto industry body La Plateforme Automobile (PFA) estimated that phasing out combustion engines could see about 100,000 jobs cut in France.