End of thermal vehicles in 2035: what will change

Brussels wants to ban the sale of petrol and diesel combustion cars throughout Europe by 2035. Find out what this will change in practice.

We feared it is now on the verge of being recorded. If the discussions should continue for many months, Brussels has just enacted a bill which has already caused a real earthquake in the automotive sector. And for good reason, the European Union wishes to ban the sale of all thermal vehicles, whether they run on gasoline or diesel, starting in 2035, in order to achieve its objectives in terms of CO2 emissions. A radical measure, which will obviously have a strong impact on the market, but also on the daily life of motorists, as well as on their finances. And for good reason, hybrids could also be concerned, leaving only the choice of electric.

You will no longer be able to buy new combustion vehicles

This is obvious, but it is important to take the full measure of this law, if it is ultimately accepted. Indeed, the European Commission wishes to reduce average emissions new cars by 55% from 2030 and 100% by 2035. A way of announcing that all thermal vehicles, gasoline, diesel and even hybrids will therefore be banned from concessions. Concretely, you no longer have the choice to opt for electric, even if this solution is not suitable for everyone at the moment. Manufacturers will therefore have to find ways to increase the autonomy of their future models, while the government plans to increase the number of charging stations.

The second-hand market is in danger of collapsing

For the time being, all the terms of this measure have not yet been announced. If new vehicles will be the first to be affected, it could be that second-hand cars will be affected later. A logical development, while the National Assembly had already voted to ban the sale of new and used thermal vehicles from 2040. If this is therefore really acted, the cars currently in circulation will therefore no longer be worth anything on the market. of the occasion, since they will be prohibited for sale, but also banned from the big cities. Because over the years, the Crit’Air sticker will also be tightened, while members of Parliament propose to also take into account the CO2 emissions of vehicles.

A boost for the charging station network

Of course, this measure is far from unanimous, and is highly open to criticism, leaving no choice to motorists who need a new car. Moreover, the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers affirms it “ banning a technology is not a rational solution at this stage “. On the other hand, this proposal from the European Commission will undoubtedly make it possible to boost investments around charging infrastructure, while these are still too rare to meet all the needs. In fact, there were 250,000 terminals in Europe at the end of last year, most of them low power. A situation which should change, while Europe wants to impose “ Member States to install points at regular intervals on major axes. The concrete objective would be to offer an electric terminal every 60 kilometers and a hydrogen charging station every 150 kilometers.