The EU will ban cars with internal combustion engines from 2035

On Thursday, October 27, European Union lawmakers reached a political agreement on emission rules that will effectively ban the sale of new internal combustion engine cars starting in 2035, writes www.wsj.com.

The proposed law will require significantly lower carbon emissions from new cars and vans by 2030 and the achievement of zero emissions by 2035. This will put additional pressure on automakers and suppliers to accelerate the transition from gasoline-powered cars to electric vehicles.

“This agreement paves the way for a modern and competitive automotive industry,” said Josef Síkela, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, which holds the EU presidency.

According to him, the agreement reached by lawmakers should give car manufacturers enough time to transition to zero-emission production.

The law still needs to be officially approved by member states and the European Parliament, but it is unlikely to change significantly from what lawmakers agreed on Thursday evening.

Although car manufacturers are increasingly shifting to electric vehicles, some industry representatives believe the EU’s plan is too rapid, citing concerns about charging infrastructure and raw material availability.

Oliver Zipse, President of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association and CEO of German automaker BMW AG, stated that the industry is meeting the challenge of producing zero-emission vehicles. However, he stressed that more efforts are needed to ensure sufficient renewable energy, charging infrastructure in Europe, and access to raw materials necessary for producing electric vehicles and their batteries.

“We now need to ensure that the framework conditions necessary to achieve this goal are reflected in EU policy,” Zipse said.

According to the association’s data, approximately one in five new cars sold in the EU last year had a plug for charging. The group expects that by 2030, this figure will rise to three out of five.

The proposed legislation is part of the EU’s broader efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

Lawmakers who supported the new rules for cars and minibusses argued that allowing the sale of new carbon-emitting vehicles after 2035 would undermine the bloc’s overall climate ambitions.

Under the planned law, emissions from new cars sold in 2030 must be 55% lower compared to 2021 levels, while new vans must be 50% lower than 2021 levels.

The zero-emission target for 2035 applies to both new cars and new minibusses.

The agreement indicates that the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, may also propose additional rules allowing the sale of vehicles running exclusively on carbon-neutral fuels after 2035.

It also includes a review clause requiring the Commission to assess progress toward zero-emission goals in 2026.