By John Ensor • Updated: 21 Dec 2023 • 14:18
Car emissions. Credit: Arthito/Shutterstock.com
A recent report indicated that the end of diesel and petrol cars in Europe is closer than we thought.
In a landmark move, the European Parliament has set 2035 as the deadline to stop the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles in Europe. This decision originally made in June 2022, brings the deadline five years closer than its initial 2040 target.
The European Parliament’s resolution marks a seismic shift for the automotive industry. Manufacturers must now aim towards electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles.
Recognising the policy’s ambition, industry leaders acknowledge the significant industrial adaptation challenge it presents.
Currently, the electric vehicle market has not met expectations, especially in Spain where sales are below 10 per cent of the total.
This scenario has led the European Union to offer a concession. They stipulate that synthetic fuels could substitute traditional fossil fuels.
This flexibility allows combustion cars to remain on the market after the deadline of 2035, under the condition they are adapted for synthetic fuel use.
March 2023 saw an agreement between Germany and the European Commission, that synthetic fuels, derived from renewable energy, are a promising option for combustion engines.
These fuels don’t increase atmospheric CO2 levels, aligning with the EU’s goal of CO2-neutral new vehicles.
This development presents an alternative to electric and hydrogen-powered cars, enabling the continued sale of hybrid models, both plug-in and non-plug-in, combining electric and combustion engines.
Spain had set 2040 as the deadline to ban combustion vehicle sales, aligning with the Climate Change and Energy Transition Law. However, as an EU member, Spain will now adjust to the earlier 2035 EU deadline.
A significant shift in consumer preferences emerged in 2018, with gasoline vehicles outselling diesel for the first time in decades. Since then, interest in diesel cars has waned, while hybrids have gained popularity.
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Originally from Doncaster, Yorkshire, John now lives in Galicia, Northern Spain with his wife Nina. He is passionate about news, music, cycling and animals.
They had better get building a few more nuclear electricty plants for when the wind dont blow.
Yeah yeah yeah and how is all the electricity required going to be generated? This whole net zero/carbon footprint agenda is nothing but control. Anyone who cares about the planet should be concentrating on stopping and reversing the pollution of our seas, water courses and land by big corporations
Spot on, couldn’t agree more
Until there is a similar price for electric vehicles v ICE, and electricity prices are capped or controlled, and there is a significant improvement in battery technology, and public charging stations become much more widespread than now…. Spain will not advance… The normal person in the street simply can’t afford an electric car right now…
I’ll keep buying petrol /diesel cars, electric cars are not environmentally perfect. These pollute more to make than combustion cars but they don’t tell you this, so to the government, you’re corrupt and the rich govern to world
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