The French government has been one of the most vocal in their pursuit of improving the air quality in major cities, which have becoming an increasing worry in cities such as Paris, leading officials last year to enact a law that could ban all cars built before 1997 from entering the city centre.
One year later, and it seems the French are doubling down on that thread, revealing their plan to ban sales of emissions producing cars entirely within its borders from 2040. That means that in the next 23 years, every car new sold in France will either need to be a full EV or a hydrogen fuel cell or some other means of zero emissions motoring. Internal combustion engines will be outlawed, and we’re presuming hybrids are lumped into this category as well.
Nicolas Hulot, France’s new Minister of Ecological and Solidary Transition, formerly a journalist and environmental activist, detailed the measures the country will take to become carbon neutral by 2050. While that will include many changes that will impact many industries, banning the sale of all petrol- or diesel-powered cars could be the most tangible for the common citizen.
In Europe, automakers within the continent have been making strides to prepare themselves for a shift to electric power and away from ICEs. Volkswagen has detailed their intention to be a leader in EVs across its umbrella of brands, including Audi and Porsche, while Mercedes-Benz has also begun its campaign to develop EVs under its new EQ sub-brand and Renault-Nissan is currently one of the world’s highest volume producers of battery powered electric cars with the Zoe, Twizzy, and Leaf. Days ago, Volvo revealed that every car in its portfolio will use some form of electrification from 2019.
While the announcement by the incumbent French government may seem a little drastic at the moment, and is definitely a more aggressive stance compared to many other countries around the world, many estimates peg mass adoption of electric vehicles accelerating rapidly in the coming years thanks in large part to the lowering cost of batteries, improvements in charge retention and charging speed, and general consumer interest with regard to the far reduced running costs.
Electrek cites Bloomberg Energy Finance and Morgan Stanley who both calculate that roughly 50 percent of new vehicles sold by 2040 will be powered by electricity instead of an internal combustion engine.
