EU bans new gas, diesel cars after ’35

Backers see certainty for auto industry; critics foresee major job losses

Lawmakers for the European Union put an expiration date on the sale of new cars with combustion engines, approving legislation Tuesday that in effect bans vehicles powered with diesel or gasoline from automobile showrooms beginning in 2035.

The law, part of the EU’s ambitious plans to make the 27-member bloc carbon neutral by 2050, is aimed at encouraging automobile manufacturers to double down on the production of electric vehicles.

Many automakers have already been revamping their lineups to include more battery- powered vehicles.

With the passage of the law, Europe becomes one of the largest automobile markets to mandate a focus on battery-powered engines for cars, but not the only one.

Last year, California passed similar legislation, banning the sale of gasolinepowered cars by 2035, and New York swiftly followed.

Proponents say the legislation will create certainty for the auto industry by encouraging governments to invest funds needed to develop infrastructure for battery- powered vehicles, including expanding the charging network.

But critics charge that enacting a ban is counterproductive and threatens tens of thousands of the 13 million jobs in the EU linked to the automotive sector.

As if to make the point, Ford Motor announced Tuesday it was cutting about 11% of its workforce in Europe, about 3,800 jobs, over the next three years as part of its pivot to EV production.

“Paving the way to a sustainably profitable future for Ford in Europe requires broad-based actions and changes in the way we develop, build, and sell vehicles. This will impact the organizational structure, talent, and skills we will need in the future,” Martin Sander, general manager of Ford Model e in Europe, said in a statement.

The EU law includes limits on carbon emissions for new cars beginning in 2030, seeking cuts based on 2021 levels, and includes exceptions for companies that produce fewer than 1,000 vehicles.

Lawmakers stressed that the law applied only to newly produced vehicles, not to fossil-fuel-burning cars and vans that are already on the road.

Heavy trucks and buses are also not included in the legislation. They will, however, be subject to a different set of rules that will scale the reduction of carbon emissions over time, but without any outright bans on fossil fuels.