A European ban on fossil-fuel powered vehicles has gained further momentum after Germany’s Bundesrat voted to ban petrol and diesel powered vehicles by 2030.
Although not binding, the resolution passed by the Bundesrat (the federal council of all 16 German states) calls on the European Commission to evaluate how member states are promoting zero emission vehicles.
This may include a series of taxes and tightening of regulations concerning internal combustion engines (ICE) starting in 2030, Germany’s Spiegel online magazine reported.
The magazine added the Bundesrat wants the EU Commission to “evaluate the past tax and duty practices of the [EU] member states on their effectiveness with regard to the promotion of emission-free mobility … so that only emission-free passenger cars are permitted at the latest from 2030 onwards”.
Good news for the electric vehicle market, which the International Energy Agency says will reach a global target of 100 million EVs and 400 million electric 2/3 wheelers in 2030. Note, these figures are lifted from The Paris Declaration on Electro-Mobility and Climate Change and Call to Action.
Last year the main markets for EVs, accounting for 90% of sales, were: China, the US, the Netherlands, Norway, the UK, Japan, Germany and France.
Of the five European countries, Norway (reportedly) wants to ban ICE vehicle by 2025. Other countries include the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland are said to be considering a ban by 2030.
Nothing quite this strong has been reported in the UK, but a recent government report stated air pollution is causing 40-50,000 deaths a year.
The short-term answer to current and forthcoming CO2 emissions regulations is lead-acid stop-start vehicles, but the long term?
But this is all a long way off. EV OEMs still have to make battery packs that are cheaper and with more specific energy to convince drivers to step out of their ICE and hybrid vehicles.
And of course these various country’s would have to build the hugely expensive infrastructure to cope with 100million EVs.
Then there is the thorny issue of bottlenecks in production when lithium— never mind manganese, cobalt, nickel, aluminum— reserves start to be stretched. Especially as there is no industrial scale lithium-ion battery recycling process in place at the moment.
Hybrid and stop-start vehicle OEMs may have a while before the axe falls, if indeed it does, but it would be churlish not to take note.