By 2040 France Wants to Ban Sales of Gas and Diesel Vehicles

Is this the beginning of the end for the internal combustion engine? It just may well be, but they’ll have to pry our cold, dead fingers off of our steering wheel first (though by then, there might not be one to pry them off of).

France wants to ban sales of all gas and diesel vehicles by 2040, according to recent reports. Nicolas Hulot, the country’s environment minister, revealed a five-year plan to meet deals made under the 2015 Paris Agreement.

“We want to demonstrate that fighting against climate change can lead to an improvement of French people’s daily lives,” Hulot told reporters at a press conference held at the Elysee Palace in Paris.

According to the Independent, recently elected President Emmanuel Macron wants to make France carbon neutral by 2050 and is taking aim at car manufacturers first.

The country will offer tax incentives to replace decades old diesels and gas-powered vehicles with EVs and hybrids. And the plan seems to be on track, too.

Volvo recently announced all of its vehicles would have electric motors by 2019, so who knows what could happen if other companies and countries follow suit.

Norway, Germany, and India want to ban gas and diesel vehicles within the next decade as well.

Additionally, France wants to phase out gas exploration on French territory and stop burning coal to produce electricity by 2022.

“It’s a very difficult objective, but the solutions are there,” Hulot said.

The chances of this happening in the U.S. are slim under the current administration, which recently pulled out of the Paris Agreement, but who know what could happen by the time our next election rolls around.

In the meantime, we should enjoy our Demons, Hellcats, and Super Duty trucks while we can.

Source: Independent

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