The European Union (EU) has confirmed that it will ban the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles from 2035.
A deal was struck between EU lawmakers and the European Parliament to require all new cars and vans in the EU to be emissions-free by 2035.
The deal falls under the ‘Fit for 55’ package which requires carmakers to reduce CO2 emissions by 55 percent by 2030 compared with 2021 levels, and then by 100 per cent by 2035.
That means the sale of new ICE vehicles will effectively be banned as manufacturers will no longer be able to sell emissions producing cars and vans.
Niche carmakers like Ferrari which produce up to 10,000 cars a year will be given an exemption from the 2030 target but will be required to meet the zero emissions target by 2035.
“Europe is embracing the shift to zero-emission mobility. European car makers are already proving they are ready to step up to the plate, with increasingly affordable electric cars coming to the market,” said Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President of the European Green Deal, European Commission.
More and more electric vehicles are appearing on European and global markets with carmakers phasing out their petrol and diesel lineups ahead of the ban.
However, there’s still hope for CO2-neutral fuels like Porsche’s eFuel. The European Commission says it will “make a proposal for registering vehicles running exclusively on CO2-neutral fuels after 2035 in conformity with EU law, outside the scope of the fleet standards.”