France sets 2040 target for petrol and diesel car ban

France will cease the sale of petrol and diesel-powered cars by 2040, says its environment minister Nicolas Hulot.

Speaking at a conference, Hulot said the country would phase out non-renewable energy sources, such as coal and gas, with the aim of being carbon neutral by 2050.

France plans to achieve this by scrapping coal-generated electricity and investing €4bn (£3.5bn) into renewable sources, says The Independent.

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The French government is also planning to remove older more polluting cars from its roads by offering car owners a financial incentive to buy modern vehicles that are better for the environment, says the Daily Telegraph.

Autocar says France is among several European countries, including Germany and Norway, to outline plans to remove combustion-engined vehicles from public roads.

Germany is pushing to ban petrol and diesel-powered cars by 2030, says the magazine, while the UK expects to outlaw them by 2050. Britain "would do this by making it impossible for them to pass the MOT test, rather than banning them directly."

Meanwhile, the Swedish carmaker Volvo announced on Wednesday that all its cars will have electrified powertrains by 2019.

While the company plans to continue production of its petrol and diesel engines, they will all be paired with some form of electric hybrid system. Volvo also aims to release five electric-only cars between 2019 and 2021 under its Polestar performance brand.