The European Parliament has approved this Tuesday the legislation that sets an expiration date for combustion cars. It will be from 2035, when all new cars and vans registered in Europe will be zero emission.
The MEPs have ratified the agreement reached last October between the European institutions with 340 votes in favor and 279 against. Under the pact, the new legislation provides that, first, by 2030, polluting emissions from cars and 50% from vans must be reduced by 55%, compared to 2021 levels. Then, by 2035, the ban for combustion vehicles it will be total.
Also, by 2025, the European Commission will present a methodology to assess and report CO2 emissions data over the life cycle of cars and vans sold in the EU and ensure progress towards achieving the targets.
During the negotiation, countries such as Germany and Italy made a commitment that, by 2026, the European Commission proposes, if necessary, to authorize vehicles with CO2-neutral fuel, that is, with synthetic fuels (such as hydrogen) that do not pollute.
The measure, however, will not affect all manufacturers equally. Those who produce between 1,000 and 10,000 new cars will be able to benefit from an exemption until the end of 2035 (for example, some luxury and exclusive cars could benefit from the exemption). Those who make fewer than 1,000 new vehicles will have a full exemption.
Likewise, the approved mechanism provides for the application of a series of incentives for manufacturers that produce zero or low emission vehicles (such as electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids), depending on the sales expectations of these cars. During this period, according to sales, they will still be able to continue manufacturing 25% low-emission vehicles and 27% vans. Starting in 2030, this type of incentive will disappear.
The legislation is part of the Fitfor55 legislative package that aims to reduce at least 55% of polluting emissions by 2030, according to 1990 values.
“Buying and driving clean cars will be cheaper, and a used market will appear sooner. Sustainable driving will finally be within everyone's reach”, congratulated the MEP who brought the report forward, the liberal Dutchman Jan Juitema.
