End of Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles in 2040

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By Aurélien Schuller, manager

On May 17, as part of the review of the Mobility Framework ActThrough the National Assembly's Sustainable Development Committee, lawmakers introduced a goal to end the sale of fossil-fuel-powered passenger cars and commercial vehicles by 2040 [1].

Before commenting on this announcement, which has caused quite a stir, it is important to fully understand its nature:

• The vehicles primarily affected: this is indeed a a sales ban that would apply to passenger cars and commercial vehicles (trucks are excluded, therefore) and especially on sales of new vehicles that run on fossil fuels (that is, as of now, mainly gasoline and diesel, but also LPG or CNG when the latter is not renewable). It is therefore There is no question here of banning the sale of these vehicles on the used-car market : New vehicles purchased before 2040 could therefore be resold at a later date. This does not mean nor to ban these vehicles from the roads, although this may be subject to local regulations (low-emission zones) based on criteria such as fuel type or vehicle age;
• Furthermore, at this stage, it is a provisional provision since the provision of the bill has been adopted by the Sustainable Development Committee but has not yet been approved by a vote of the National Assembly.

This 2040 goal comes as no surprise: it was included in Emmanuel Macron’s platform during the 2017 presidential campaign, and it was reiterated when Nicolas Hulot announced the Climate Plan in July 2017.

The purpose of this objective is to provide a an approach to be pursued as part of a major energy transition for the transportation sector, and the automotive industry in particular. If we are to have any chance of achieving carbon neutrality—which is France’s goal for 2050—this will require reduce emissions from the vehicle fleet to virtually zero on the road by that date, which in turn means that, starting in the 2030s, the vast majority of vehicles sold will have zero greenhouse gas emissions (from the exhaust!), given that the vehicle fleet is replaced approximately every 15 years.

While the challenge is a daunting one, andWe must not shy away from issues related to employment, industry, and the environment Despite the challenges it poses, this goal has the merit of setting the course for the automotive sector. It is noteworthy that the The automotive industry is taking a constructive approach to the deadline, as expressed by the CCFA, which spoke out as early as 2017 [2] and more recently in 2019 [3], highlighting the conditions necessary for achieving this goal, particularly the role of public authorities in the deployment of publicly accessible charging stations.

This objective can be viewed as the to endorse the broader movement that began at the European level. In fact, all automakers will have to ramp up production of electric vehicles to avoid paying hefty fines under the CO2 regulations for new vehicles (we discussed this in the first issue of our newsletter).

Article written by Aurélien Schuller – Manager

Sources:
[1] Auto News
[2] Le Point
[3] CCFA