The European Union considers ending the sale of cars with combustion engines in 2035

The European Union will present next week a proposal to reduce CO2 emissions from vehicles to zero by the 2030s, a step that opens the possible final chapter for cars with internal combustion engines, according to Bloomberg and AFP. In return, it would force states to ensure sufficient charging infrastructure.

According to Bloomberg, the European Commission is considering setting a cut in emissions for new cars and vans of 65% by 2030 (currently set at 37.5% and 31% compared to 2019) compared to this year’s levels, and 100% in 2035, which would mean the end of the era of combustion cars. The final proposal will be presented on July 14 and, until then, is subject to change. It should be remembered that the Spanish Law on Climate Change sets this goal for 2040, that is, five years later.

In 2020 the EU has already increased its emission reduction targets and aims for carbon neutrality by 2050. And now he wants to propose new regulations to reach that goal. Coincidental sources also told AFP that it would be considering the complete elimination of car emissions by 2035. As battery-electric vehicles are in fact the only ones that will be able to meet that goal, they will become the only ones authorized in the new market.

The final figures are the subject of discussions but in any scenario they would represent an immense limitation for an industry that from 2027 will have to live with a significant tightening of measures against pollution.

While the car market emerges from the pandemic in decline, electric cars, on the other hand, do not cease to gain ground. And brands such as Jaguar, Ford, Opel or Audi have confirmed their intention to sell only electric models throughout this decade or early next year.

Cars powered by electricity accounted for almost 8% of new registrations in Western Europe in the first five months of this year, a total of 356,000 vehicles, “more than in the whole of 2019,” said German analyst Matthias Schmidt.

The new regulations will further boost those vehicles and help abandon hybrid or rechargeable models that combine fuel and battery engine.

“We are open to further CO2 reductions in 2030,” Oliver Zipse, president of the European Manufacturers Association (ACEA), recently said. But the sector, which has long struggled to slow the transition, is deeply divided.

Most of its members believe that too rapid electrification would raise the price of vehicles, destroy jobs and promote China’s competitiveness, especially in the strategic battery segment.

German giant Volkswagen, which accounts for one in four sales in Europe, will play a central role and has joined Tesla in promoting 100% electric models after becoming embroiled in the rigged engine scandal that became known as ‘Dieselgate’.

“There is a big conflict within the ACEA. Thanks to the ‘Dieselgate’, Volkswagen leaned towards the electric to improve its image. The group has made large investments and now has all the products to comply with future legislation,” Schmidt said. In June, the brand announced that it would stop selling combustion engines in Europe between 2033 and 2035.

“A car usually stays active for 15 years. If we want to have completely carbon-free transport by 2050, the last car with a combustion engine must be sold by 2035 at the latest,” said Diane Strauss, France director at the NGO Transport and Environment.

The end of combustion engines in 2035 “is an appropriate commitment between 2030, too early at an industrial and social level, and 2040, too late at the climate level,” said Pascal Canfin, president of the Environment Committee in the European Parliament. However, Canfin advocates the creation of a fund of “a few billion euros” to support the hundreds of small and medium-sized companies in the sector, threatened by technological change.

Source: ABC