On Tuesday, February 14th, the European Parliament voted—340 in favour, 279 against—for legislation to phase out the sale of carbon-emitting gas and diesel vehicles by 2035. The vote endorsed a compromise agreement already reached by the European Council in October 2022, which laid out a roadmap for removing fossil fuel-powered vehicles by midcentury on Europe’s roads.
Under the new rules, manufacturers will be forced to meet a 100% CO2 emissions cut in new vehicles sold by 2035, with new regulations established for monitoring emissions. The new legislation will also hasten emission cuts ahead of schedule, with cars manufactured in 2030 legally required to have reduced emissions by 55% compared to 2021 levels, an increase on the previously agreed 37.5%.
