The UK is poised to ban hybrid and all other petrol-powered vehicles by 2035. The date originally set for the ban was 2040, but the UK government moved up the date after experts said that it would be too late by then for the country to achieve its zero-carbon-emissions goal for 2050.
The 2040 petrol ban was initially announced in July 2017, reported BBC. When the ban's end-date was moved up to 2035, the proposal was also updated to include hybrid vehicles. So, only electric or hydrogen vehicles will be sold in the UK starting 2035.
The inclusion of hybrid vehicles in the UK's upcoming ban is significant, especially since companies such as Japanese carmaker Toyota have been quite insistent on keeping their hybrid vehicles at the forefront of their sustainability push. Despite the vehicles being dubbed as "electrified," the fact remains that hybrid cars are still powered by petrol. It is then quite gratifying to see the UK take a strong stance against fossil fuels, even if hybrids would face a ban as well.
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson said the petrol ban in 2035 will be launched during the COP26 summit, an annual event led by the United Nations. Countries that attend the COP26 event study the progress that has been made in the fight against climate change.Johnson's petrol ban for 2035 will fit right into the main topics of the summit's discussion. The 2035 petrol ban is also a timely announcement for Johnson because the COP26 event will be held in Glasgow, Scottland in November of this year.
Scotland, which is part of the UK, has set an even earlier date for its petrol ban. Scotland plans to be free of petrol vehicles by 2032. Other countries around the world have set a specific date for petrol bans as well. Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Sweden all plan to ban gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2030.
Norway set the most ambitious goal, setting its petrol ban to start by 2025. China--the world's largest car market--announced in 2017 that it would eventually ban ICE vehicles. But the Asian country hasn't set an actual date for the ban to start yet.
As more and more countries start pushing policies for new energy vehicles, Tesla's position in the global car industry is expected to grow as well. According to ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood, Tesla's stake in the electric car market has increased to 18 percent in 2019.
Its growth in the EV market can be contributed to the legacy automakers failing to launch competent competitors for Tesla. If traditional car companies want to stay in the industry, most of them will have to switch to electric or hydrogen cars soon as more countries start pushing for new energy vehicles.
Featured Image Credit: Bill Boaden/Geograph.org.uk
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