The German Bundesrat has voted to ban new gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicles from EU roads starting in 2030.
Shown above, production of the all-electric BMW i3 in Leipzig, Germany
Members of the German government have just passed a resolution to ban the sale of internal combustion engines in the European Union by 2030. Only zero-emissions vehicles would be allowed on the market after that time, according to the resolution.
German news magazine Der Spiegel broke the news on Saturday; an English-language report on the resolution can be found at Forbes. The resolution was passed in Germany’s Bundesrat, the nation’s legislative body representing the sixteen German states, with across-the-aisle support.
The resolution implores the EU Commission to ban the sale of new vehicles powered by gasoline or diesel internal-combustion engines starting in 2030; vehicles sold before the ban would still be allowed, but after 2030, automakers would be banned from selling new fossil fuel-powered vehicles in the EU. As Bertel Schmitt at Forbes points out, the Bundesrat has no direct authority over the EU, and cannot demand changes to the EU’s transportation regulations. But with the largest government and most powerful economy in the EU, German government decisions exert huge influence over the EU and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
According to Der Spiegel, the Bundesrat’s resolutions encourages the EU Commission to “review the current practices of taxation and dues with regard to a stimulation of emission-free mobility,” seemingly meaning an increase in EU incentives to automakers to bring more zero-emissions offerings to the market. It also seems to encourage broad changes to the EU’s current practice of placing lower taxes on diesel fuel, a decision made by the EU years ago to encourage increased adoption of diesel-powered vehicles to reduce fuel consumption across the 28 member nations.
The EU’s diesel-friendly fuel tax setup led to diesels making up more than half of annual new car sales since roughly 2010. But the move seems to have unintentionally created an automotive pollution crisis, with Volkswagen’s diesel emissions cheating scandal ongoing, and evidence of similar deception at numerous other European automakers.
The German Bundesrat’s decision dovetails with the Paris Climate Agreement, a UN agreement to combat greenhouse gas emissions starting in 2020. To meet the agreement, Germany must reduce its CO2 emissions by 95 percent by the year 2050; the auto industry makes up about 2.7 percent of Germany’s gross domestic product, and vehicles and vehicle components are 20 percent of that nation’s exports.
Partly in response to recent emissions scandals, European automakers are expressing a newfound interest in electric vehicles and other zero-emissions drivetrains. At the Paris Motor Show just a few days ago, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Volkswagen and numerous other automakers all showed concept cars and future products that focus on emissions-free driving, whether via battery-electric or some other form of propulsion.
We have not yet seen a direct response from the German auto industry to the Bundesrat’s proposals. Any statements from automakers will be added to this post.
BMW i8
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德国2030年后将禁止内燃机车辆上路
据外媒报道,现代意义上的内燃机诞生于德国,不过现在它们准备亲手埋葬自己的发明。据悉,德国联邦参议院已经通过了一项决议,将在2030年禁掉内燃机。据德国《明镜周刊》杂志报道,德国最高法将通过决议,未来只允许零排放的车辆车路,它们给各家制造商留了14年的缓冲期。
未来,如果欧盟同意,这条决议还将被推广到全欧洲。而福布斯认为,这基本是板上钉钉的事,毕竟作为欧盟第一强国,德国一直是欧盟及欧洲经济委员会各项法律法规的塑造者。
德国绿党的奥利弗表示:“如果巴黎协定阻止气候变暖的努力能真正生效,那么2030年后内燃机车将成为历史。”
这项决议在税收方面下了重手,随着时间的推移,针对内燃机车的税收将逐渐增高,以便倒逼各家厂商推进零排放新能源车的研发。
虽说这项决议未来还需走过漫长的法律程序,但德国已经在该领域迈出了关键一步,为世界做了表率。这必定是条艰难而漫长的转变之路,不过也是我们走向未来的必由之路。
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