California regains right to set own emissions standards
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has officially restored California’s right to set its own emissions limits and standards for the sale of zero-emission vehicles.
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EU to demand stricter CO2 standards for new cars
There are signs of a possible further tightening of the EU targets for CO2 emissions from new cars. After the EU Commission had submitted its proposals for this in July 2021, it is now the EU Parliament’s turn – and it has apparently demanded stricter interim targets until 2035.
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Italy to ban sales of new ICEs in 2035
Italy’s government has decided to ban new passenger cars with combustion engines from 2035 in line with the EU Commission’s plans. For light commercial vehicles, this is to apply from 2040. This has now been decided by the Italian government’s Committee for the Ecological Transition (CITE).
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Greece stop fossil fuelled car sales in 2030
Greece wants to ban the sale of new cars with combustion engines from 2030. This was announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. As early as 2025, all new taxis and one third of rental cars in Athens and Thessaloniki will have to be electric.
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Volkswagen refuses to commit to 2030 ICE phase out
Volkswagen is the third car manufacturer to defend itself against the demand of environmental associations for a forced phase-out of internal combustion engines by 2030. “Volkswagen will not issue the cease-and-desist declaration you demand,” reads a letter from Volkswagen to Greenpeace.
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Ireland announces EV subsidy programme details for 2022
Ireland’s Department of Transport announced details of electric car subsidies in the coming year: 100 million euros will be made available for this purpose in 2022, almost twice as much as in 2021. Purchase subsidies for fully electric cars and vans will continue at existing levels.
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UK announces new EV regulations with Net Zero Strategy
The UK government wants to introduce a new mandate requiring manufacturers to sell an increasing percentage of emissions-free vehicles each year from 2024 onwards as part of its new Net Zero Strategy.
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Chile to ban sale of light and medium internal combustion engines in 2035
Chile has announced the ban of sales of most internal combustion vehicles in favor of battery-electric variants starting in 2035. Under the new electric transport strategy, all sales of light and medium vehicles, public transport and heavy trucks will have to be zero-emission vehicles.
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No more ‘small off-road engines’ for Californian lawns
Californian Governor Gavin Newsom has just signed a ban for ‘small off-road engines’ (SORE) primarily used in gas-powered lawn equipment. The measure also includes generators and emergency response equipment and other “assorted categories”, but also allows some leeway with the regulations based on what is found to be technologically feasible.
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Czech PM baulks at EU emissions targets
The Czech Republic has joined a growing number of countries and manufacturers that oppose the EU Commission’s climate package. The ‘Fit for 55’ plan effectively bans the sale of combustion engine cars in Europe from 2035 – an unwelcome move for some.
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Italy wants emissions exceptions for Ferrari & Lamborghini
The Italian government wants to obtain an exemption from the EU for domestic sports car manufacturers such as Ferrari and Lamborghini from 2035, as these cars are a niche market with small production numbers.
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Renault wants to prolong the fossil fuel era
Renault opposes the EU Commission’s Fit for 55 climate package, which will effectively ban new cars with combustion engines, including hybrids, in the EU from 2035.
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Ukraine extends VAT exemption for BEVs
Ukraine is sticking to its strategy for imported electric vehicles and renewing a VAT exemption first approved by parliament in early 2018. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed legislation to this effect, meaning that VAT on the import of electric vehicles will no longer apply until the end of 2025.
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Wind change for electric vehicles in Pasadena
As temperatures continue to soar and wildfires rage out of control in parts of the country, the City Council of Pasadena in California voted to hold a $672,512 purchase order for gasoline-powered vehicles, so that zero-emission vehicles may be considered for the same purposes.
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Minnesota adopts California emissions standards
Minnesota has announced a new policy to adopt California’s stricter tailpipe emissions standards and mandate for automakers to get more zero-emission vehicles onto sales lots. This makes Minnesota the first state in the U.S. American Midwest to do so.
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Austria considers combustion ban for 2030
In Austria, only zero-emission passenger cars, two-wheelers, light commercial vehicles and heavier commercial vehicles are to be newly registered by 2030 at the latest. This is one of the ‘Mobility Master Plan 2030’ measures now presented by Infrastructure Minister Leonore Gewessler. However, the plan is not binding.
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EU Commission presents ‘Fit for 55’ climate package
The EU Commission has presented its ‘Fit for 55’ climate package. It contains legislative initiatives with which the Commission wants to achieve the goals of the ‘Green Deal’. Crucial for the car industry: CO2 emissions from new cars are to be reduced to zero by 2035, which would mean the end of petrol and diesel.
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UK sets sights on ICE truck sales ban in 2040
The British government has presented a plan to decarbonise the transport sector. It includes the goal to stop the sale of all road vehicles with combustion engines by 2040. The end date for passenger cars was already set for 2030 – now there is also a roadmap for commercial vehicles.
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Canada to now end combustion vehicle sales by 2035
The Canadian government has set a binding target that only zero-emission passenger cars and light commercial vehicles will be sold in the country from 2035. This brings forward the previous target of achieving this by 2040 by five years.
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Could EU law cut national bans of ICE vehicles?
National bans on sales of cars with internal combustion engines may not be implementable under European law and would instead have to be introduced at the European level. This is at least the view of a legal opinion commissioned by the Climate Neutrality Foundation in Germany.
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IEA recommends 60% vehicle electrification by 2030
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has presented a step-by-step plan on how the world may achieve net CO2 neutrality by 2050. According to the IEA, the climate protection pledges made by governments to date – even if they would fully achieve them – fall far short of the requirements necessary for this.
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New York to ban ICE sales as of 2035
The US state of New York is following California’s example and ensuring that only zero-emission passenger cars and light commercial vehicles may be sold from 2035. By 2045, all new medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles in the US state are also to be electric.
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Thailand to only allow BEV sales from 2035
The Thai government will only allow purely electric vehicles to be sold from 2035 onwards. Along the way to this goal, the aim is also for electric vehicles to account for 50 per cent – and not 30 per cent as previously planned – of all new car registrations by the end of this decade.
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US Senators demand date for ICE phase out
Two Californian Democrat US Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein are putting pressure on President Joe Biden to enforce a fixed phase-out date for cars with combustion engines nationwide, following California’s example.
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Audi abandons combustion engine development
Audi has stopped the development of new combustion engines. In an interview, Audi CEO Markus Duesmann justified the decision with the EU plans for a stricter Euro 7 emissions standard.
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Nine European nations call for EU combustion phase-out
In a letter, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Malta, Ireland, Lithuania and Luxembourg call on the EU Commission to set a phase-out date for the sale of new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles with combustion engines in the EU that is in line with the goal of climate neutrality by 2050.
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California city bans new gas stations
The Petaluma City Council has decided that no new gas stations can be built in the city and no new pumps can be installed at existing gas stations. However, the Californian town still needs to approve the ban on second reading to make it official.
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Washington State & Virginia mandate stricter EV regulations
The US state of Washington has introduced a law according to which all passenger cars and light commercial vehicles sold there must be purely electric from 2030. In Virginia, stricter regulations are to apply from the 2025 model year, but a ban on internal combustion engines has not yet been decided.
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GM to go fossil-fuel free by 2035
General Motors has announced that it will largely abandon the internal combustion engine by 2035. The new focus will be on ‘light-duty vehicles’; these are passenger cars and light commercial vehicles up to 3.8 tonnes, according to the US definition. Explicitly, the company wants to “eliminate tailpipe emissions” from 2035.
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Japan considers banning combustion engines
The Japanese government has plans to ban the sale of cars powered exclusively by combustion engines. According to two media reports, the government could present details of the program later this month.
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