The European Union will mandate a shift to electric vehicles by 2035. The European Parliament approved a ban on the future sale of fossil fuel powered cars and light vehicles making it the largest car market to make the transition.
The ban is part of an agreement called “Fit for 55,” which was reached between the European Parliament and European Council to reduce gas emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030, EcoWatch reported.
“Today’s vote is a historic vote for the ecological transition… it is a victory for our planet and our populations,” Karima Delli, transport committee chair, said.
The “Fit for 55” is part of the EU’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
The ban “also mandates that new cars sold in the EU cut their emissions to 55 percent of 2021 levels by 2030 and that vans reduce them by 50 percent by the same date,” according to a European Parliament press release.
“These targets create clarity for the car industry and stimulate innovation and investments for car manufacturers,” Jan Huitema, Rapporteur and Dutch Member of European Parliament, said. “Purchasing and driving zero-emission cars will become cheaper for consumers and a second-hand market will emerge more quickly. It makes sustainable driving accessible to everyone.”
According to EcoWatch, some members of Parliament said that switching to electric vehicles (EVs) too quickly could harm automotive workers.
Ford Motor made an announcement after the EU voted on the ban on Tuesday saying the automaker would “reduce its European workforce by around 11 percent over the next few years as it re-centers its business around EVs,” The New York Times reported. But some major European carmakers have already started their transition to EV production.
“Let me remind you that between last year and the end of this year China will bring 80 models of electric cars to the international market,” Frans Timmermans, EU vice president, said. “These are good cars. These are cars that will be more and more affordable, and we need to compete with that. We don’t want to give up this essential industry to outsiders.”
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