Germany Wants Petrol And Diesel Car Sales Banned Across The EU By 2030

Senior German politicians are calling for a total ban on internal combustion engines from 2030 – and, not content with deciding their own affairs, they also want it to apply across the European Union.

The Bundesrat, or federal council, is asking the EU not just to consider its proposals to outlaw petrol and diesel cars, but to implement them right across the continent whether the French, Italians, Spanish and so on like it or not. Ouch.

This isn’t legally binding – the Bundesrat can’t force a law through. But sections of Germany’s population have reportedly been so ashamed by the actions taken by their native car makers in the dieselgate emissions scandal that they are willing to back the move.

It wouldn’t ban existing cars from the roads, but new models would have to be powered by batteries or hydrogen unless they were sourced directly from outside the EU, which could, depending on how negotiations go, open up business opportunities for the UK after it leaves the bloc.

And it doesn’t stop there. The federal council has also asked the EU to review its taxation policies in order to push more people to drive electric vehicles. No specific strategies are mentioned, but removing tax breaks for diesel vehicles could be on the table – a move manufacturers fear would end diesels altogether.

Although Norway has previously targeted a similar ban by 2025, the company’s taxation structure, plus investment in charging infrastructure, means that electric cars are already extremely commonplace there. That the Germans are calling for it too is a major event.

There is no apparent consideration for how all the electricity and hydrogen will be produced, and since nuclear power stations take an incredibly long time to plan, build and commission safely, we reckon that’s a bit of a problem. After all, cranking up the output from existing coal-fired power plants is likely to create more emissions than simply leaving cars as they are.

Let us know what you make of this latest piece of anti-car sentiment in the comments

Source: Engadget