The European Union took another step toward banning the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars last week. This comes in the wake of the European Parliament’s approval last year of new reduction targets of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
The latest vote, which took place on Valentine's Day, finally pushed the legislation into law. New rules state that automakers must reduce CO2 emissions from new cars to zero by 2035.
According to motoring website, Motor1.com, European automakers will have another target to reach before the cut-off date. The law states that automakers must slash CO2 emissions by 55% for new cars and by 50% for vans by 2030.
The next several years will also see the EU alter its zero- and low-emission vehicle incentives, removing them entirely by 2030.
Automakers that produce between 1 000 and 10 000 new cars a year could have until 2036 to meet the emissions targets. Manufacturers registering fewer than 1 000 new vehicles per year could continue to be exempt from the new rules.
The new law effectively bans the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars in the 27-member bloc.
However, it doesn’t specifically mention banning internal combustion engines as the law dictates the emissions targets and not how they are achieved. This leaves open the door for synthetic fuels and hydrogen power.
Porsche began synthetic fuel production late last year, which is just one avenue for automakers looking outside of battery-electric vehicles. Even Lamborghini expressed interest in exploring alternative fuels, with Toyota experimenting with hydrogen-fuelled combustion engines.
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