The European Union looks ready to drop its plan to ban combustion engine cars by 2035, according to new reports from Germany.
Manfred Weber, president of the European People’s Party – the European Parliament’s largest political group – told German newspaper Bild that officials are abandoning the ban. Instead, they’ll create more flexible rules to cut CO2 emissions starting in 2035.
The original ban was supposed to push car manufacturers into making only electric vehicles. It was also meant to get drivers to switch from gas and diesel cars to EVs.
But pressure from automakers and several European governments has put the plan in jeopardy.
What’s Changing
No official decision has been announced yet. But Weber explained the new approach to Bild:
“For new registrations from 2035 onwards, a 90 percent reduction in CO2 emissions will now be mandatory for car manufacturers’ fleet targets, instead of 100 percent.”
He added that there won’t be a 100 percent target starting in 2040 either.
“This means that the technology ban on combustion engines is off the table,” Weber said. “All engines currently manufactured in Germany can therefore continue to be produced and sold.”
The change would let manufacturers keep selling plug-in hybrids and range-extender vehicles after 2035. These cars combine electric motors with small gas engines.
This takes pressure off car companies to switch their entire production to pure electric vehicles – even though most are still expanding their EV lineups.
Weber said the move sends an important signal “to the entire automotive industry and secures tens of thousands of industrial jobs.”
Industry Pushback
Pressure to delay or scrap the ban has been building for months.
Major European automakers have been lobbying hard against the 2035 deadline. The list includes:
- Volkswagen
- Mercedes-Benz
- BMW
- Renault
- Stellantis
These companies want to push the ban back to 2040 instead. National governments in Germany and Italy have also opposed the original timeline.
Critics point to slower than expected EV sales across Europe. They also worry about competition from low-priced Chinese electric car brands, which they say threatens Europe’s traditional auto industry.
The European Commission is expected to officially announce its decision on December 16.
Impact on the UK
The UK has its own separate plan to phase out pure gas and diesel car sales by 2030. All new car sales in the UK are supposed to be zero-emission by 2035.
It’s not clear if the EU’s decision will affect UK policy.
But the UK’s EV adoption is significantly ahead of most European countries. Electric cars made up more than half of all new car registrations in November. EVs now hold a 23% market share for the year so far.
