London: Members of the European Parliament have voted to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035. The move aims to step up the fight against climate change through the faster development of electric vehicles.
The voting was held on an amendment that would have allowed some auto emissions from new vehicles after 2035, which was rejected by Members of Parliament.
The European Union assembly voted in Strasbourg, France to require automakers to cut carbon-dioxide emissions by 100 percent by the middle of the next decade. The mandate would amount to a prohibition on the sale in the 27-nation EU of new cars powered by gasoline or diesel.
Members of the European Parliament still have to negotiate the final law with ministers from the EU’s 27 national governments. Yesterday’s vote has however increased the pressure on governments for a clear end to the internal combustion engine in the EU single market of 447 million people.
Negotiations to determine the final shape of the law are set for later this year. If an agreement is reached, it effectively spells the end of the combustion-engine car in Europe, marking a radical overhaul of a form of transport.
EU lawmakers also endorsed a 55 percent reduction in CO2 from automobiles in 2030 compared with 2021.
The move deepens an existing obligation on the car industry to lower CO2 discharges by 37.5 percent on an average by the end of the decade.
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