Internal combustion dead by 2050?

The zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) alliance has used the United Nations Conference on Climate Change to announce an intended ban on sales of conventionally-powered (petrol and diesel) vehicles by 2050, as reported by influential US publication Car and Driver.

The conference, held in Paris from November 30 to December 11, was used as a platform by the ZEV to put forward the ban as part of its commitment to reducing global vehicle emissions by up to 40 per cent by that time… though whether they have the legal capability to impose such a mandate remains up for discussion.

Crucially, Germany is a key ZEV member, meaning this decision could have a massive traditional vehicle market impact as the likes of Mercedes-Benz, BMW and the Volkswagen Audi Group move towards a greener future.

Other countries represented within the ZEV include the United Kingdom as well as The Netherlands, Norway and the Quebec region in Canada. The group was formed in August 2014.

Eight states within the United States of America follow a similar Californian ZEV mandate to ban conventionally-powered vehicles by the half-way point of this century. They include California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon and Vermont.

These initiatives hope to build on the one million cumulative global plug-in vehicle sales achieved to September this year, according to Car and Driver.

But with the proposed ban applying only to sales of new vehicles, it seems there's plenty of life left in your old dog and you've got at least another three decades to buy the internal combustion car of your dreams.