Confirmed stop to the sale of thermal cars twigs 2035. The European Parliament has definitively approved the text which stop the sale of new petrol and diesel cars starting from 2035. The text passed with 340 votes in favour, 279 against and 21 abstentions. Now only the vote of the EU Council is missing, before publication in the Official Gazette.
Petrol or diesel vehicles will therefore have to be replaced with zero-emission alternatives, such as theelectric carpending studies on alternative or less polluting fuels.
The path to 2035
The approval of the text by the MEPs was the first step towards achieving the objective of reducing the impact of CO2 emissions. A path, the one towards zero emissions in 2035, which is part of the package “Fit for 55” through intermediate pollution reduction targets set at -55% for cars and -50% for light commercial vehicles in 2030.
There are expected derogations to the new rules: for those who produce less than a thousand vehicles a year there is a total exemption from the new EU provisions while for manufacturers with a limited annual production volume (from a thousand to 10 thousand new cars or from a thousand to 22 thousand new vans) they will have an extra year to comply.
The current incentive mechanism for manufacturers that produce zero and low emission vehicles (Zlev) will be reviewed: from 2025 to 2029 it will be set at 25% of car sales and 17% of new commercial vehicles, while from 2030 it will be removed.
A biennial report, from 2025, by the EU Commission is expected to evaluate the progress made in the field of zero-emission road mobility.
Il used market is not affected by the new rules. The stop is foreseen only for the production of new machines, while those who already own thermal cars will continue to circulate.
