Some Countries Are Already Talking about Walking Back Fossil Fuel Car Bans

by Bradley Brownell (Jalopnik) Will anyone be ready for their own EV mandate deadlines? --- In the wake of the United Kingdom Prime Minister opening discussions on potentially delaying the country’s ban on the sale of new gas and diesel cars, we thought it might be a good idea to look at how well some countries are prepared for their own self-imposed bans. How many countries are actually on track to meet their zero emissions mandates, and what are they doing—or not doing—to keep things on track. We’ll also take a look at some states here in the U.S.

Thirty countries have signed the Glasgow Declaration, which stipulates all new vehicle sales must be zero emissions by 2040. Twenty-one other countries have created their own plans to ban new ICE vehicle sales earlier than a 2040 deadline. Further, there are dozens of major cities, states, and municipalities that have drafted their own bans. Perhaps most notoriously, California has said it will ban all ICE vehicle sales by 2035, despite no federal country-wide proposal even having been considered. Connecticut, Maryland, Massachussetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington have also signed on to follow California’s strict emissions plan.

China has seen the largest quantity of EVs sold, and it’s a growing number every year.

China has managed to make this happen because of the low cost of EVs made in the country, the most comprehensive state-supported charging infrastructure, consumer subsidies, tax incentives, manufacturer subsidies, penalties for buying a gas car, and penalties for producing gas cars.

India is an example of a country that is lagging behind much of the rest of its global power contemporaries, despite having signed the Glasgow Declaration. As much as 70% of India’s car consumers have indicated they’re willing to consider an electric car, but the country simply isn’t ready. Infrastructure is certainly behind the 8 ball, and even availability of EVs is lacking in the country.

In 2020 California rolled out a plan for mandating zero-emissions vehicle sales. Under the plan, confusingly, plug-in hybrids are considered zero-emissions vehicles, and the state doesn’t differentiate between battery electric vehicles, PHEVs, and hydrogen fuel cell sales.

California might be able to meet this mandate by 2035, but only if it heavily invests in charging infrastructure and shoring up its electric grid. READ MORE

Excerpt from Bloomberg/Yahoo!: An area of about 20 blocks that straddles the Swedish capital’s finance area and main shopping drags will only allow electric cars, some hybrid trucks and fuel-cell vehicles, according to rules to be presented on Wednesday, SVT reported on its website. An expansion of the zone could be decided in the first half of 2025.

Stockholm could be the first major capital to introduce such a wide prohibition and goes further than plans by Paris, Athens and Madrid to ban diesel cars. Other cities, including London, have introduced low-emission zones that include daily fees for entering the city center in older combustion engines.

Whether the plan may actually spur sales of electric vehicles in Sweden remains to be seen. EV sales are struggling in the country as consumers feel the pinch of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

Elsewhere, Brussels in December banned non-essential and non-local car traffic on 10 key streets in the city’s core. In August, London completed one of the world’s most ambitious vehicle emissions policies by expanding its ultra low emissions zone. Still, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last month softened key parts of the UK government’s green agenda, pushing back by five years to 2035 a plan to bar the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.

In the capital of neighboring Norway — the trailblazer on EVs — the Oslo municipal environment agency earlier this year recommended introducing a zero emission zone in the inner city that would first target heavy transport and trucks in 2025 before extending it to cars in 2027. READ MORE