German Politicians Want All of Europe to Ban Gas-Powered Cars by 2030

But the country’s transport minister isn’t on board with the plan.

byAaron Brown|
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Germany is taking its push to stop the sale of all internal-combustion engined cars by 2030 a big step further: The country is now trying to convince the European Union to join it in putting an end to the sale of ICE cars continent-wide by that year.

In June, The Drive reported on Germany's intention to stop the sale of emissions-emitting cars by the end of the next decade—a decision that came as a step toward the country's goal of lowering its carbon dioxide emissions by up to 95 percent by 2050. Now, Germany's Bundesrat, the country's federal council, is asking the European Commission to stop the sale of cars across the EU as well. While the Bundesrat does not control the Commission, Germany's status as the largest economy in Europe means it can exert a large influence on molding EU regulations.

Additionally, Germany's Bundesrat is also looking for the EU to reexamine its automotive emissions tax laws. As Engadget notes, this could lead to a change in tax incentives for those who buy alternative-energy vehicles, likely resulting in them receiving larger savings.

Not everyone in the German government agrees with this plan, however. Transport Minister Alexander Dobrint told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that the plan is "utter nonsense," as translated by Forbes contributor Bertel Schmitt via Road & Track.

Germany isn't the only part of Europe looking to move away from internal-combustion cars in force. The Drive has preciously reported on several other individual parts of Europe that are looking to ban ICE cars. Most recently, Norway set a goal of banning the sale of gas cars by 2025 and the Netherlands was working on a bill for the same purpose; Paris has also banned all cars built prior to 1997 from its city streets on weekdays.

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