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Netherlands, Norway, India looking to ban combustion-engined cars

Politicians in the Netherlands' lower parliamentary house have passed a motion calling for the country to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2025 this week, while governments in Norway and India are also looking to implement similar legislation.


In the Netherlands, the motion was proposed by the Dutch Labour Party. While the motion has only passed through the lower house thus far, the majority vote means it could become the first major country to ban combustion-engined vehicles.

Originally, the proposal aimed to ban petrol and diesel cars entirely. However, this was revised so that existing vehicles could stay in use, while the nation gradually dials back the sales of future combustion-powered cars so that the Netherlands can almost fully electrify their roads over the next decade.

However, the motion was still opposed by some of the Labour Party’s coalition partners. Dutch state broadcaster NOS reported the leader of one of the partners labelled the plan as “unrealistic”, while highlighting his concerns about whether the proposal would conflict with the country’s energy agreement that commits it to specified decarbonisation targets over the next five or so years.

Despite opposing opinions, the Labour party’s leader, Diederik Samsom, believes the motion is still feasible, as the energy agreement runs until 2023, so “we are free in what we do after that”.

Other countries are looking at similar options to help reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and crack down on carbon emissions, with website electrek reporting in June that Norway is looking to implement a similar law to the Netherlands with a proposed ban on fuel cars to take effect in 2025, while India is looking to have an all-electric vehicle fleet by 2030.

Norway could actually beat the Netherlands in becoming the first country to implement a ban on combustion-engined vehicles, as all four major political parties are in favour of the motion, according to Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv.

Electric car sales in the Netherlands currently stands at just 10 per cent, while Norway is sitting at 24 per cent.

Meanwhile in Australia, a recent study predicts battery-powered cars will account for 15.9 per cent of new vehicle sales in 2030, up from the current 0.3 per cent market share the segment holds today.


Above: Tesla is the poster child for zero-emissions motoring thanks to products like its Model S (pictured) sedan 

Numerous manufacturers are jumping on the electric vehicle (EV) bandwagon, which has been gathering speed since the ‘Dieselgate’ emissions-cheating scandal.

The Volkswagen Group has committed to launching 30 new electrified models by 2025 - which includes a mix of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and EV models - while Tesla is looking to further expand its EV line-up, with CEO Elon Musk recently announcing the company’s plans to launch a compact SUV, ute, mini bus and semi trailer in the near future.

Do you believe that banning petrol and diesel cars is a good idea? Let us know in the comments section below

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