Deadline For Europe's Combustion Engine Ban Isn't Moving

A year ago, we reported on the European Union's plan to bring an end to the saleof all combustion cars by 2035. This proposal was more aggressive than all that came before, and many opposed the idea. The European Union's environmental committeebacked this proposal, and evenFord went on record supporting the petitionto ban the sale of internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. Still, industry groups lobbied against the 2035 target, saying that the goal was too early to commit to due to the fact that charging infrastructure is far away from supporting these regulations. Nevertheless, the European Parliament voted on Wednesday to reject an amendment that would have eased the requirements from a 100% ban to 90%, reportsAutomotive News Europe.

However, the law has not been passed yet. The vote simply confirms the parliament's stance for upcoming negotiations with individual EU countries on the final law. But if these nations vote in favor of the ban, then the death certificate of the gas engine will effectively be signed,despite the protests of BMWand others.

It's not all doom and gloom for Europeans contemplating the cost of transitioning to an electric future, as another EU law will require member states to install millions of EV chargers. "Purchasing and driving zero-emission cars will become cheaper for consumers," said Jan Huitema, parliament's lead negotiator on the policy.