On June 8th, 2022, the European Parliament voted in favor of banning the sales of the novel internal combustion engine cars in the European Union from the year 2035 and onwards. The European Parliament aims to discourage the use of vehicles that emit CO2, which is why in 13 years, only cars that don’t emit CO2 will be used.

Lawmakers in Europe sat together to revise the vehicle CO2 emission standards legislation. In the parliament, around 339 people were in favor of this revision, while 249 people were against this proposal. The parliament marked 24 abstentions.

What Does the New Mandate Say?

According to the new standards, gasoline and diesel engines will no longer be allowed to roam the streets. Along with these, other engines such as synthetic fuel, hybrid, agrofuel such as ethanol and agrodiesel, and gas such as LPG and CNG engines will also be banned.

The idea is to allow only engines that don’t emit CO2 to occupy the streets. So by the year 2035, hydrogen and electric cars will be seen more frequently than cars.

This revision of standards is a component of a package called “Fit for 55”. According to this ideology, companies manufacturing cars should take significant steps to reduce their fleetwide emission averages by 100% from the year 2035. 

What Will Happen Next?

The vote in the European Parliament is the first step toward the proposal of this law. At the moment, it is far from being implemented. Before it can be applied, the novel regulation must be put forward to the European Council of environment ministers on 28th June. 

The council is primarily responsible for implementing the law by making amendments to the text. After that, the regulation will have to pass through three significant bodies comprising the European Commission, MEPs, and the European Council.

Why is This Mandate Important?

This regulation holds particular importance for the environmentalists who have been raising awareness about the deteriorating conditions of the environment and the impact of CO2 on the atmosphere.

According to Jan Huitema, the European Parliament’s lead negotiator on the policy, implementing this law would have a positive impact on the consumers as buying and driving zero-emission cars will be cheaper for the consumers.

By applying this law, we might be taking a significant step towards reverting the climate changes and preventing the complete destruction of the already fragile environment.

The mandate has been opposed by a lot of people as propaganda against innovation and technology. However, the parliament has defeated such objections by considering them baseless. The aim of the regulation is not to discourage innovation but to reduce its harmful effects on the environment and the generations to come.

If this mandate is successfully approved and passed, it will mark the end of 150 years of combustion engines. Their role in shaping the transport industry, innovation and technology, and the subsequent impact on the environment will also seize to continue.