The EU has approved a law banning the sale of new gas and diesel cars in the EU starting in 2035. The deal, agreed upon back in October, received the official stamp of approval on Tuesday, marking climate action "without precedent," as described by chief executive of BMW Oliver Zipse.
The agreement will cut 100 percent of carbon emissions from automobiles starting in 2035 and would cut them by 55 percent by 2030 compared to 2021, reports Reuters. "We will no longer, or almost no longer, have petrol or diesel cars on our roads in 2050 ... it is a victory for our planet and our populations," remarked Karima Delli, president of the EU transport committee.
While some like Delli view the deal as a "historic vote for the ecological transition," others like Jens Gieseke, a member of the EU parliament and center-right European People's Party are worried about whether electric cars are actually cheaper than those with combustion engines. Gieseke also argued "to let the market decide what technology is best to reach our goals," citing that the transition could result in wide-scale job loss.
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Another concern is that the EU will fall victim to the "Havana effect," meaning that the streets will be flooded with old fossil fuel cars after 2035 because new electric ones aren't affordable, reports The Washington Post. However, car manufacturers in Europe have agreed to invest in technology to make electric vehicles more accessible.
"Make no mistake, the European automobile industry is up to the challenge of providing these zero-emission cars and vans," remarked Zipse in October.
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