European Union confirms plan to ban internal combustion cars by 2035

One of the worst-kept secrets in motoring has been announced; the European Union hopes to ban the sale of new internal combustion engine cars by 2035.

The news had been reported earlier in the week following a document detailing the plans, uncovered by Bloomberg. The EU has since announced its full proposal.

Confirming earlier reports, The EU’s proposal details aims of reducing emissions from new vehicles by 55 per cent by 2030, compared to current rates, and then all the way to zero per cent in 2035. “All new cars registered as of 2035 will be zero-emission,” states the proposal.

The push aims to “tackle rising emissions in road transport” by implementing “stronger CO2 emissions standards for cars and vans will accelerate the transition to zero-emission mobility.”

The proposal gets fairly detailed, even naming requirements for EV charging stations to be built every 60km on all major highways, and hydrogen stations every 150km.

At one point it states that “600kW [of] installed charging capacity every 60km in each direction by 2030 (1.2MW total), including at least two 150kW charging points per direction” will be the requirement for charger networks across the region.

It’s been reported that Germany and France are opposed to the proposal, with reports that both groups would like to see a longer phase-out period for plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Evidently, BMW is also hesitant to back the proposal. BMW CEO Oliver Zipse says that the terms outlined by the proposal will be very difficult for manufacturers to achieve.

“Without significantly increased efforts by all stakeholders – including member states and all involved sectors – the proposed target is simply not viable,” he said.