EU Votes To Ban New Fossil Fuel Cars From 2035
Most automakers have some plan in place to electrify their respective lineups at some point in the future. Already, there are many hybrid or full electric versions of cars from Ford, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and many other major automakers. But the full electrification process may still take a few years to get going. The Ford F-150 Lightning EV sold out immediately in the United States, and Ford is scrambling to get production back on track so it can sell more trucks.
In Europe, it's a bit of a different story. For one, the average travel distance is much shorter, making the environment better suited for short range electric vehicles. EVs and hybrids also sell incredibly well in European countries. Still, the global car buying public and European automakers are still years off from adopting a pure EV transportation infrastructure. That may change soon, as the European Union just voted to curb new C02-emitting vehicles once and for just over a decade from now.
The clock is ticking
According to a press release from European Parliament, the European Union voted to have no new cars emit C02 by 2035, effectively giving all automakers a timeline to get in shape and start making EVs. By 2025, the European Union plans to start mapping C02 data throughout the lifespan of a car.
It's important to note that this bill has a few stipulations. It only applies to passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. Separate legislation, also passed today, wants to curtail carbon dioxide emissions almost entirely for diesel trucks by 2040. The law also gives a grace period to small automakers (between 1,000 and 10,000 annual cars produced or 1,000 to 22,000 vans produced) until the end of 2035. Very small manufacturers that make less than 1,000 cars a year are exempt from the ruling.
The legislation notes that every two years after 2025, the EU will re-evaluate and see how it's proceeding towards its goals. As of now, there is no word as to how this will be enforced or if European automakers have any comment.