Modification of EU Rules to Prevent the Sale of New Cars in 2035
The European Union (EU) has decided to ease its plans to ban the sale of new gasoline or diesel-powered cars by 2035. Current rules stipulated that new cars sold from that date must be “zero-emission,” but car manufacturers, particularly in Germany, launched extensive lobbying campaigns to obtain preferential advantages.
According to the new European government plan, only 90 percent of new cars sold starting in 2035 will need to be emission-free, rather than 100 percent. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), market demand for electric vehicles currently remains low, and without a change in the rules, producers would face the risk of “fines estimated in the billions of euros.”
The remaining 10 percent can be standard gasoline or diesel cars, as well as hybrid vehicles. Car manufacturers will also be expected to use low-carbon steel manufactured in the EU for the vehicles they produce. The government expects an increase in the use of biofuels and synthetic fuels known as “e-fuels,” which are made from captured carbon dioxide, to offset the additional emissions generated by gasoline and diesel cars.
Critics of this decision warned that it jeopardizes the EU’s transition toward electric vehicles in the face of foreign competition. The green transport group T&E warned that the UK should not follow the EU’s lead by weakening its own plans to stop the sale of standard cars under the Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) mandate.
“The UK must stick to its guns. Our ZEV mandate is already creating jobs, investment, and innovation in the UK. We are major exporters and we cannot compete unless we innovate in a global market that is rapidly shifting to electric vehicles,” said Anna Krajinska, UK Director at T&E.
Prior to the EU decision, Sigrid de Vries, Director General of ACEA, stated that “flexibility” is “essential” for car manufacturers. “2030 is just around the corner, and market demand is too low to avoid the risk of billions of euros in fines for manufacturers,” she said. “It will take time to build charging stations, financial incentives, and procurement to put the market on the right track. Officials must provide manufacturers with a window of time to preserve jobs, innovation, and investments.”
Car companies in the UK have called for better incentives to encourage drivers to switch to electric vehicles before the government’s ban on the sale of new gasoline or diesel cars in 2030. Companies worldwide are shifting their production lines and pouring billions of dollars into the transition as governments try to persuade people to use greener cars to achieve environmental goals.
Colin Walker, Transport Manager at the ECIU, said that having a “stable policy” in the UK would give companies the confidence to invest in charging infrastructure and avoid “jeopardizing investment.” He added, “It was government policy that allowed Sunderland to be chosen for the original Nissan Leaf electric car build, and today the latest Nissan EV started rolling off the production lines in the North East, securing jobs for decades to come.”
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