Europe could ban new diesel and petrol cars by 2035

New diesel and petrol cars could be booted from one of the world's biggest markets in 2035, if Europe follows through on plans to ban the sale of combustion engines.

The EU's countries have moved a step closer to becoming among the first in the world to ban the sale of diesel and petrol cars after the European Parliament approved a draft law on June 8 that would prohibit the sale of new carbon dioxide-emitting vehicles from 2035 onwards.

If the bill enters into force it would lead to the end of combustion-engine powered cars and vans in the European Union, where some of the world's biggest manufacturers of such cars reside.

Norway meanwhile is already planning to ban the sale of internal combustion engine cars by 2025, while Britain aims to ban them by 2030, followed by hybrids in 2035.

A number of car brands have announced plans to go all-electric by 2035 or sooner, among them Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce, Volvo and Fiat. Others, such as Ford and VW, currently plan to continue selling combustion engines outside of Europe after 2035.

"Fifteen per cent of the EU's total greenhouse gas emissions come from road transport," a group of Green party EU lawmakers said on Twitter. "Cutting these emissions is vital if we're going to reach our climate goals!"

Amendments tabled by conservative lawmakers aiming to avoid a full ban of vehicles with combustion engines failed to receive backing from a majority.

While the proposal has been welcomed by some climate activists, some critics have called for a ban by 2030. On the other side, mobility industry advocates say Europe's charging infrastructure will not be ready for a 2035 ban on diesel and petrol engines.

"The EU is steering its future transport policy on a one-way street towards e-mobility, to the detriment of technological openness, jobs and Germany as an industrial location," Markus Ferber, a German EU lawmaker for the centre-right Christian Social Union (CSU), wrote in a press release.

The EU Parliament is now to enter negotiations with the bloc's member states, once they have adopted a joint position, meaning that the text of the final law still can be changed or watered down.

The draft bill is part of the European Union's climate change package dubbed Fit for 55, aiming to reduce climate-damaging emissions by 55% by 2030, when compared to 1990 levels, and reach climate neutrality by 2050. – dpa