Final! Sale of new petrol cars banned from 2035
The emission-free bullet goes through the church. Europe has finally decided that the sale of new petrol cars will be banned from 2035. The ban applies in all 27 EU countries.
However, there are some exceptions to the decision. Small manufacturers producing less than 10,000 vehicles per year will be allowed to negotiate less stringent requirements until 2036. The European Union is also presenting a proposal to allow CO2-neutral fuels after 2035.
2035 Ban on tankers and delivery trucks
From 2035, new petrol, diesel or LPG cars and vans will no longer be allowed to be sold in the EU. By 2030, the CO2 emissions of new cars are to be reduced by 55 percent (compared to 2021). In 2030 there will be a 50 percent reduction for delivery vans.
In practice, the ban on fuel-powered cars means that manufacturers must switch to fully electric cars. Models with a fuel cell, in which hydrogen is converted into electricity, are also considered emission-free.
Resistance of the European automotive industry
Until recently, the European plan met with opposition from the auto industry. Even now, some manufacturers are dissatisfied with it. At the Paris Motor Show, Autovisie spoke to Uwe Hochgeschurtz, CEO of Stellantis in Europe. He believes that electric cars will still be too expensive in 2035.
“Europe must ensure that by 2035 almost everyone can afford an electric car,” said Hochschurtz. “The ban on new gasoline cars is coming, but I think a lot of people won’t be able to afford an all-electric car even then.” Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said the same thing earlier.
Production costs of electric cars are not falling quickly
Of course, by 2035 there will be a second-hand market for consumers to go to, but ideally you want to send as few people that way as possible, Hochschurtz says. Otherwise you will give the used car market a huge boost and the EU’s climate targets will not be good.
Hochschutz: “The production costs of an electric vehicle are on average 10,000 euros higher than those of a conventional car. At Stellantis, we benefit more and more from economies of scale, but the raw materials required are becoming more and more expensive. And I don’t see the latter going away any time soon.”