BRUSSELS: The European Commission wants to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035, under a massive plan to fight climate change unveiled Wednesday. According to one of a dozen draft laws revealed in Brussels, emissions from motor vehicles must fall by 55 percent by 2030 and drop to zero by 2035. “As a result, all new cars registered as of 2035 will be zero emission,” the statement announcing the plan said. This would in practice mean that all cars and light vans sold from that date will be battery-powered electric cars, which currently represent less than a tenth of new registrations in the EU. The move is sure to be fiercely opposed by some in the industry lobby as it makes its way through an intense negotiating and drafting process and scrutiny in the European parliament. The European Automobile Manufacturer´s Association (ACEA) said it supported efforts to make the EU carbon neutral by 2050, as envisaged by draft climate laws. “However, banning a single technology is not a rational way forward at this stage,” it added, referring to plans to reduce road traffic emissions to zero by 2035. Pressure group Transport and Environment welcomed the plan as a “turning point” for green motoring. But executive director William Todts warned: “The problem is carmakers will only have to start selling those cleaner cars in 2030. “Our planet cannot afford another nine years of big talk but little action from the auto industry.” And there is caution among member states like France, Germany, Spain and Italy which have a large sectors manufacturing traditional combustion engine vehicles and hybrids that support hundreds of thousands of jobs.
