European Parliament votes to ban new cars with combustion engines by 2035
The European Parliament has approved a proposal to ban the sale of new combustion engine cars from 2035. This means that the relevant law is one step closer. The EU is now entering into negotiations with individual EU member states.
The European Parliament voted in with the proposal to reduce CO₂ emissions from new cars by 100 percent, effectively banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from that year. A number of lawmakers wanted to water down the proposal to a 90 percent reduction, but that was rejected, writes Reuters news agency† Eventually the proposal adopted unchanged with 339 votes in favour, 249 against and 24 abstentions.
This proposal was submitted by the European Commission last year and is part of the Fit for 55 package, which aims to reduce CO₂ emissions by 55 percent by 2030. The proposal to ban the sale of new combustion engine cars is intended to accelerate the switch to electric driving in Europe. This is supported by a bill that requires EU countries to install more charging stations.
Several car manufacturers have previously supported the EU’s proposal, including Ford and Volvo† Volkswagen also wants to stop selling cars with a combustion engine by 2035. At the same time, not all automakers seem happy with the potential sales ban. Reuters says it has seen emails showing that industry groups such as the German auto organization VDA have lobbied lawmakers to reject the 2035 target.
According to them, the targets would penalize “alternative low-carbon fuels” and it is too early to lay down the ban due to “the uncertain rollout of charging infrastructure,” the news agency writes. “Our positions are transparent. It is our mission to develop the best solutions with all those involved”, a spokesperson for the VDA responds.
The proposal has not yet been finally adopted. Individual EU countries must first agree to the law. Members of the European Parliament will enter into negotiations with the Member States for this purpose. Parliament did not say how long that is expected to take.