European legislators have persuaded the EU’s 27 member states to support a plan that effectively prohibits the sale of gas-powered cars and vans by 2035.
They have reached an agreement to approve the Commission’s revised reduction targets for carbon dioxide emissions from passenger cars and light vehicles.
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The Commission’s proposal, which European lawmakers approved in June, aims to cut emissions from new vehicles in those categories by 100 percent in 13 years.
That would be impossible unless gas-powered vehicles were phased out and only zero-emission models were sold.
European Parliament’s lead negotiator Jan Huitema said: “[P]urchasing and driving zero-emission cars will become cheaper for consumers.
“I am pleased that today we reached an agreement with the Council on an ambitious revision of the targets for 2030 and supported a 100% target for 2035. This is crucial to reach climate neutrality by 2050 and make clean driving more affordable.”
According to the agreement, new cars manufactured after 2030 must comply with a 55% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to 2021 levels. Vans must comply with a 50% reduction.
Furthermore, the agreement states that existing EU funding will be used to transition to zero-emission vehicles and related technologies in the future.
Starting in 2025, the Commission also promises to publish a report every two years detailing the region’s progress toward zero-emission road mobility.
Before the agreement becomes official, the European Parliament and Council must still approve it, and changes may be made before then. According to Reuters, the EU intends to draft a proposal on how to sell carbon-neutral vehicles after 2035.
However, automakers have been preparing for the transition to zero-emission vehicles for some time, as governments around the world pass legislation to combat climate change.
Ford, for example, announced last year that its consumer vehicles will be fully electric by 2030, while General Motors aims to eliminate emissions from all new “light-duty vehicles” by 2035.
