EU Lawmakers Endorse Ford Supported 2035 Zero Emission Mandate

June 9, 2022 6:39 am

As Ford invests $50 billion with a goal of producing two million EVs annually by 2026 with seven new models due in Europe by 2024, the automaker is also throwing its support behind a number of environmental efforts, including California’s right to set its own emissions standards, signing a pledge to phase out all of its fossil fuel vehicles by 2040, and joining a European Union-led petition that calls for a 100 percent zero emission mandate by 2035. While the latter 2035 zero emission mandate has not yet become a law, it does have the support of numerous EU lawmakers, according to Reuters.

Those lawmakers voted to support the zero emission mandate this week, which would effectively ban the sale of internal combustion powered vehicles starting in 2035. The next step consists of negotiations with countries that are members of the European Union before the law becomes final, but this vote confirms the position of the parliament on the matter.

Some have questioned the move to ban all gas and diesel-powered vehicles by 2035, instead calling for a 90 percent reduction in C02 emissions from new vehicles by that same date. Opposition came from a number of lawmakers and automotive lobby groups, including German-based VDA, which argues that given the current state of the market, 2035 is too early to commit to a 100 percent electric shift. “Our positions are transparent. It is our mission to develop the best solutions with everyone involved,” a VDA spokesperson said.

Last year, EV and PHEV sales totaled 18 percent of the entire market in Europe as the Union attempts to slash 55 percent of its C02 emissions by 2030 from 1990 levels. Regardless, both Ford and Volvo have already publicly supported this measure, while others such as Volkswagen previously committed to ending the sale of ICE vehicles in Europe prior to 2035. That includes Ford, which previously said that it would convert its entire passenger vehicle lineup to EVs by 2030 or sooner.

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By Brett Foote

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.