EU Lawmakers Support Proposed Ban on Combustion Engine Cars by 2035

Lawmakers calling it the next step in fight against “climate change.”

QUICK FACTS:

• A proposal before the European Parliament on Wednesday would put an end to the sale of vehicles with combustion engines in 2025.
• The  European Union is assembled in Strasbourg, France where they voted to require automakers to cut carbon-dioxide emissions by 100% in the next few years.
• If enacted, the rule would prohibit 27 countries from procuring new gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles.
• Lawmakers indicated they believe this ban will encourage car companies to push for faster development of electric vehicles.
• In addition, EU legislators agreed to a 55% decrease in CO2 emissions from autos in 2030 compared to 2021.

BREAKING: The European Parliament has voted to set a 2035 deadline for zero-emissions cars and vans👏

It's huge step forward for climate action, air quality and the affordability of electric vehicles.https://t.co/I0RS8HqN9Y

— Transport & Environment (@transenv) June 8, 2022

MIXED RESPONSE TO THE VOTE:

• Environmentalists applauded the legislature’s actions. The vote gave “a fighting chance of averting runaway climate change,” according to Transport & Environment, a Brussels-based coalition.
• However, the VDA, a German auto industry lobby group, slammed the vote, claiming that it overlooked Europe’s lack of charging infrastructure. The group also claimed that the vote was “a decision against innovation and technology.”
• The group took particular offense to business demands that synthetic fuels be exempted from the ban, which European legislators rejected.

BACKGROUND:

• In the United States, less than a month ago the Wall Street Journal published a piece admitting that “The Power Grid Isn’t Ready for a Switch to Electric Vehicles,” as similar proposals for electric cars are pushed by environmental groups in the United States.
• Ford’s new electric trucks are reportedly able to power a house for as much as 10 days, with some reports indicating that the F-150 Lightning “can support the grid on a hot summer day, when we have demand spiking.”
• “At scale, when these vehicles are enabled to send energy back to the grid, flex alerts and notices of grid emergencies will be a thing completely of the past,” says Jason Glickman, executive vice president for engineering, planning, and strategy at California utility PG&E Corp.