Germany calls for gas/diesel car ban by 2030

Posted by: Kalyani.rc // Passive House / Sustainability Enthusiast

Germany isn't content with relying on financial incentives to usher in an era of pollution-free cars. The country's Bundesrat (federal council) approved a resolution that calls for a ban on new internal combustion engines by 2030. This ban would include plug-in hybrid vehicles, which were previously assumed to be the transitional technology that would bridge the past and future of mobility. The Bundesrat is asking the European Commission to implement the ban across the European Union. It was originally thought that internal combustion engines would not be banned until at least 2050, but the German federal council’s vote might bring that timeline forward by two decades.

A second part of the vote calls for an elimination of EU policies that favour diesel cars, including lower taxes on sales of new diesel automobiles and lower taxes on diesel fuel. Government officials argued that these current lower costs for diesel cars are detrimental when trying to encourage buyers to switch to zero-emissions cars.

The council also wants the European Commission to review its taxation policies and their effect on the "stimulation of emission-free mobility." Just what that means isn't clear. It could involve stronger tax incentives for buying zero-emissions cars, but it could also involve eliminating tax breaks for diesel cars in EU states. Automakers are already worried that tougher emission standards could kill diesels -- remove the low cost of ownership and it would only hasten their demise.

This decision could have a profound effect on encouraging Germany’s world-famous car manufacturers, including BMW, Porsche, Audi, Mercedes and Volkswagen, to move forwards with the development of their electric vehicles. Since German car companies have a powerful influence on the global market, any law banning internal combustion cars would have far-reaching effects in other parts of the world.

This decision by government officials represents a dramatic shift in attitude away from conventional cars and trucks to a future of electric vehicles with zero emissions. Combine that with larger zero-emissions incentives and the proposed combustion engine ban, and it might not take much for Europeans to go with electric or hydrogen the next time they go car shopping.

Get the complete article here:
http://www.climateactionprogramme.org/news/germany_calls_for_gas_diesel_car_ban_by_2030
https://www.engadget.com/2016/10/08/germany-wants-combustion-engine-ban/