Germany has taken the first step towards banning petrol and diesel vehicles. If the federal proposal becomes law, only electric cars will be on the road in 2030.
The ban on internal combustion engine vehicles within fifteen, or at most twenty years, had already won converts in the Netherlands and in Norway, but had never involved, at least until now, one of Europe's major car markets. Now that taboo too has fallen. In Germany, a proposal to ban conventional cars by 2030 — that is, those equipped with petrol, diesel and gas internal combustion engines — is gaining traction. It represents a potential earthquake for the automotive sector and, at the same time, a radical step change towards sustainable mobility on the part of the Union's industrial "locomotive".
From 2030, only low-emission vehicles will be permitted for sale in Germany. Or rather, only electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles. Hybrid and plug-in hybrid models (equipped with rechargeable batteries) are destined for an early demise as well. It is a drastic position, so far championed solely by Deputy Minister for the Economy and Energy Rainer Baake, who is concerned by the need for the country to cut CO2 emissions by 95 per cent compared with 1990 levels. That target must be reached by 2050, but until recently it seemed unachievable without taking drastic action on the vehicle fleet.
The step change championed by Deputy Minister Rainer Baake has found support in a recent decision by the Bundesrat — the Federal Council that brings together the various Länder and is the constitutional body through which the Länder (states) participate in the legislative process and administration of the Federal Republic. Indeed, the Bundesrat has adopted a hard line against conventional cars, calling on the European Commission to act in order to put a stop to vehicles that are not "zero-emission". Those who backed the resolution went even further, stating that "if the Paris climate agreement is to be taken seriously and converted into tangible action, no internal combustion vehicle should be on the road by 2030".
The decision by the German Federal Council, approved on a cross-party basis, was accompanied by a call on Brussels to evaluate as soon as possible a wide-ranging campaign to promote sustainable mobility and the renewal of the vehicle fleet. The Bundesrat resolution currently carries no legislative weight, but the process could get under way shortly, particularly given that since July the Merkel government has launched an incentive scheme worth 1.2 billion euros, taking the form of a contribution of as much as 4,000 euros for those who purchase an electric vehicle. It is a potentially epoch-making step change in that it is capable of involving the whole of Europe, and it has been reinforced by the unveiling, at the recent Paris Motor Show — read our special report on it — of the new Mercedes and Volkswagen prototypes, which by 2025 are set to give rise to entirely new ranges of battery-powered vehicles.