EU Member Nations Approve Zero-Emission Rule For Cars And Vans By 2035
After months of intense debate and reconsideration lobbying by automakers, the EU has finally sealed the fate of fossil fuel cars in the bloc. The European Parliament and the European Council have agreed to impose a ban, effective 2035, on the sale of new cars and vans running on fossil fuel derivatives like petrol and diesel. As automobile industry stakeholders prepare for the transition, they will also be required to cut down the average emission from cars by a margin of 55% before the next decade comes to an end. Vans manufacturers are supposed to reduce emissions by half by 2030.
The latest move comes as part of the "Fit for 55" resolution that was first accepted via a vote in the European Parliament in June, moving ahead with goals of reaching zero on-road emission by 2035. The bloc says it will bring forth the system for "assessment and data reporting of full life-cycle CO2 emissions of cars and vans sold on the EU market," by 2025. The European Commission will release reports documenting the zero-emission goal progress every second year.
The European Parliament notes that the report will detail the net environmental impact of the resolution, and how it affects the affordability metrics of vehicles, industry-scale employment, and the end beneficiary, that is the customer. On a yearly basis, another report will be released that will analyze the emission limits with regard to data on fuel consumption based on real-world driving figures in the transition period.
Towards a greener, more breathable EU
The ulterior motive is to steer the bloc's transportation system towards sustainability, provide cleaner air for folks, and deliver on the promise of the European Green Deal. Now that the proposal has been provisionally agreed upon, it now needs to be formally adopted by members of the European Parliament and the European Council. Once the adoption formalities are over, the proposals will formally be indoctrinated Official Journal of the Union to become a law for all member countries.
The EU approval sets the greenhouse gas emission levels in 1990 as the benchmark for achieving a net 55% reduction by the year 2035. In an official press release, the European Commission notes that the agreement will help Europe become "the world's first climate-neutral continent by 2050."
As the bloc moves toward its goal of halting the sales of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles by 2035, the funding infrastructure will also be diverted towards the development of environment-friendly automobile innovations and easing the transition away from gas-guzzling vehicles to greener alternatives like electric vehicles. Notably, the provisional agreement doesn't mention any plans for the driving of fossil fuel combustion vehicles on roads in the EU member nations. The idea here appears to be on eventually phasing out such vehicles as EV adoption goes up.