Major US car market California is planning to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and trucks from 2035, meaning that anyone in the state wanting to buy a new car will have to opt for electric. Meanwhile, the UK is expected to do the same from even earlier – 2030 – in a sign that the writing is on the wall for fossil-fuel-powered vehicles.
In California – America’s most populous state – officials estimate that all new cars being electric would reduce local greenhouse gas emissions by 35%. The move is even more significant because many other US states have traditionally adopted California’s environmental policies as a matter of course.
In the UK, the ban is hoped to both provide a huge boost to the electric car industry while aiding the country in meeting its greenhouse gas emissions target of net zero by 2050. As of 2020, electric cars made up only about 7% of the new car market in the UK, and like in California, shifting this proportion to 100% would obviously have an enormous climate impact.
Germany, France and Norway are among the other countries that have made similar commitments, in recognition of the fact that environmental targets will be almost impossible to achieve without removing one of the biggest polluters from the equation – gas-powered vehicles. Although, of course, it should be noted that the electricity used to power new cars will have to be generated from renewable sources in order for the vehicles to be truly green.
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Major US car market California is planning to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and trucks from 2035, meaning that anyone in the state wanting to buy a new car will have to opt for electric. Meanwhile, the UK is expected to do the same from even earlier – 2030 – in a sign that the writing is on the wall for fossil-fuel-powered vehicles.
In California – America’s most populous state – officials estimate that all new cars being electric would reduce local greenhouse gas emissions by 35%. The move is even more significant because many other US states have traditionally adopted California’s environmental policies as a matter of course.
In the UK, the ban is hoped to both provide a huge boost to the electric car industry while aiding the country in meeting its greenhouse gas emissions target of net zero by 2050. As of 2020, electric cars made up only about 7% of the new car market in the UK, and like in California, shifting this proportion to 100% would obviously have an enormous climate impact.
Germany, France and Norway are among the other countries that have made similar commitments, in recognition of the fact that environmental targets will be almost impossible to achieve without removing one of the biggest polluters from the equation – gas-powered vehicles. Although, of course, it should be noted that the electricity used to power new cars will have to be generated from renewable sources in order for the vehicles to be truly green.