The European Union has modified its policy regarding the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035. This adjustment follows earlier regulations that mandated all new vehicles sold from that year to be zero-emission.
Previously, current rules stipulated that new vehicles introduced from 2035 should be entirely "zero-emission". Lobbying efforts from car manufacturers, particularly within Germany, contributed to the re-evaluation of these requirements.
Under the revised plan proposed by the European Commission, 90% of new cars sold from 2035 will be required to be zero-emission. This represents a change from the previous 100% target.
The European carmakers association, ACEA, has communicated that the current market demand for electric cars is insufficient. The association indicated that, without a modification to the regulations, manufacturers would be at risk of incurring "multi-billion euro" penalties.