Europe Wants To Ban Combustion-Engined Car Sales In 2035

The fears of traditional gearheads appear to be happening, though the big change is still several years away. According to a report from Bloomberg, the European Union is expected to propose for all new passenger vehicles sold from 2035 to be zero-emissions only. Translation: pure battery electric vehicles only in 14 years' time.

The continent that gave birth to driving icons like the Porsche 911 and BMW 3 Series sees the overhaul as part of a larger effort to curtail greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050, and the changes will be done gradually. The European Commission regulatory body wants emissions from new vehicles, including vans, to decrease by 65 percent by 2030 before dropping to zero five years later. At the same time, these new anti-pollution laws will force EU block countries to increase their respective national charging infrastructures.

Presently, the fleet-wide emissions targets require a 37.5 percent emissions reduction for cars by 2030. These passenger cars currently make up around 12 percent of total EU C02 emissions. The EU's upcoming new rule should not come as much of a surprise, especially to automakers. Legacy brands like General Motors and Ford have already committed to electrified futures, though the Blue Oval has only done so for Europe at this time.

European automakers like the Volkswagen Group, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz are not expected to fight the new legislation, but will rather embrace it. VW in particular will be fully on board. The complete package proposal is expected to be announced this Wednesday, July 14, though we first got wind of it last month.