Whether we like it or not, the internal-combustion engine’s days as our primary method of propulsion are numbered. Automakers, especially the Germans, are charging full steam toward electrification. Now, Germany is proposing a complete phase-out of internal-combustion road cars in the next 14 years.
The report comes from German weekly magazine Der Spiegel, which says the proposal to stop sales of combustion-engine cars by 2030 has gained support from both parties in Germany’s upper house of parliament. The report goes on to say German lawmakers will urge their counterparts in Brussels, the unofficial capital of the European Union, to only allow zero-emission vehicles to be registered by 2030.
“If the Paris agreement to curb climate-warming emissions is to be taken seriously, no new combustion engine cars should be allowed on roads after 2030,” said Green party lawmaker Oliver Krischer.
Last month, a study backed by three European research groups concluded that sales of gas- and diesel-powered cars need to end by 2035 in order to meet the goals set at the 2016 Paris climate summit. Volkswagen Group has vowed to introduce more than 30 electric vehicles by 2025, and says by that time EVs should make up roughly 25 percent of its total global sales volume. Mercedes-Benz, which announced the launch of its EQ all-electric brand at the Paris Motor Show, has similar projections, saying 15-25 percent of its sales will come from EVs by 2025.
Because electric cars require less labor to assemble than their internal-combustion counterparts, Reuters foresees a big hit to the German auto industry. Electric powertrains have fewer parts, so OEMs and suppliers could shrink their labor forces to as small as one tenth their size today.
What do you think of Germany’s proposal? Should the U.S. follow suit?
Source: Der Spiegel via Reuters
The post Germany Proposes Banning Internal Combustion Cars by 2030 appeared first on Motor Trend.
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