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The EU wants to phase out gas car sales by 2035, and many other countries have announced similar plans.
A gasoline vehicle phaseout is sometimes called an ICE ban – or an internal combustion engine ban. Many countries are planning for a diesel ban in addition to a gasoline ban for new car sales. The long list of countries planning to ban fossil fuel vehicles shows a growing trend of countries moving beyond gasoline to cleaner, cheaper alternatives.
Here are the latest gasoline car phaseout advances by various countries and the US – including banning gas car sales and diesel car bans.
Non-U.S. Countries: Gasoline Phaseout Advances
1. Armenia signed the COP26 declaration pledging to work towards all new cars being zero emissions by 2040
2. Austria signed the COP26 declaration pledging to work towards all new cars being zero emissions by 2040
3. Azerbaijan signed the COP26 declaration pledging to work towards all new cars being zero emissions by 2040
4. Belgium signed the COP26 declaration pledging to work towards all new cars being zero emissions by 2040
5. British Columbia: legislation passed to ban sales of new gasoline cars by 2040
6. Canada: plans to end the sale of new gas-powered cars and trucks by 2035, following plans by the province of Quebec to do the same.
7. Cape Verde signed the COP26 declaration pledging to work towards all new cars being zero emissions by 2040
8. Chile has announced that 100% of new vehicles will be electric by 2035
9. Croatia signed the COP26 declaration pledging to work towards all new cars being zero emissions by 2040
10. Cyprus signed the COP26 declaration pledging to work towards all new cars being zero emissions by 2040
11. Denmark: plans to ban gasoline vehicles by 2030, and hybrids by 2035; has called on the European Union to expressly permit member states to enact 2030 bans.
12. Egypt: working on plan to have only electric vehicles by 2040
13, El Salvador signed the COP26 declaration pledging to work towards all new cars being zero emissions by 2040
14. Finland signed the COP26 declaration pledging to work towards all new cars being zero emissions by 2040
15. France: plans to ban sales of gasoline vehicles by 2040
16. Germany: Bundesrat (upper house of legislature) passed resolution to only approve emission-free cars for use on the roads by 2030.
17. Iceland: plans to ban registration of new fossil fuel vehicles starting 2030; Reykjavik is eliminating half its gas stations by 2025.
18. India: set a target of 100% electric vehicles by 2030, and is considering a ban on gas-powered 2- and 3-wheeled vehicles by 2025.
19. Ireland: legislation proposed to only allow sales of zero emissions vehicles starting 2030
20. Israel: plans to ban sales of new gasoline vehicles after 2030
21. Japan plans to ban sales of new gasoline vehicles by 2035.
22. Korea: contemplating banning sales of new gas vehicles by 2035
23. Liechtenstein signed the COP26 declaration pledging to work towards all new cars being zero emissions by 2040
24. Lithuania signed the COP26 declaration pledging to work towards all new cars being zero emissions by 2040
25. Luxembourg signed the COP26 declaration pledging to work towards all new cars being zero emissions by 2040
26. Malta signed the COP26 declaration pledging to work towards all new cars being zero emissions by 2040
27. Netherlands: all new cars must be emissions-free by 2030; Amsterdam is banning all gasoline/diesel vehicles from its streets by 2030
28. New Zealand plans to ban sales of new gas cars by 2040
29. Norway: plans to ban sales of gasoline vehicles by 2025 (currently 60% of new car sales are electric)
30. Poland signed the COP26 declaration pledging to work towards all new cars being zero emissions by 2040
31. Portugal: plans to stop selling new gasoline vehicles by 2040
32. Slovenia: plans to ban sales of new fossil fuel vehicles by 2030
33. Spain: plans to ban the sale of vehicles running on fossil fuels by 2040
34. Sri Lanka: plans to ban all fossil fuel vehicles from the roads by 2040.
35. Sweden: plans to ban sales of gasoline cars after 2030
36. Taiwan: plans to ban sales of new non-electric vehicles by 2040
37. Thailand: plans to phase out sales of new gas cars by 2035
38. UK: plans to ban sales of purely gasoline or diesel vehicles by 2030; Scotland: plans to phase out sales of new gasoline vehicles by 2032
39. Uruguay signed the COP26 declaration pledging to work towards all new cars being zero emissions by 2040.
Amsterdam: no internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles will be allowed in city center after 2030.
Brussels: planning to largely ban gasoline powered vehicles from operating in the city by 2035.
Bristol: may be the first city to ban diesel vehicles from entering the city center.
Hong Kong: plans to phase out all gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2030 or 2040.
In October 2020, US Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Rep Mike Levin (D-CA-49) introduced the federal Zero Emission Vehicles Act of 2020. This bill would require that 50% of all new passenger vehicles sold in 2025 in the US are ZEVs. The requirement would ramp up 5% each year, to 100% of new vehicle sales by 2035. The bills are co-sponsored by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) in the Senate, and Representatives Joe Neguse (D-CO-1), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE-At Large), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1), Julia Brownley (D-CA-26), Judy Chu (D-CA-27), Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO-5), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-11), Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA-18), Jared Huffman (D-CA-2), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-7), Barbara Lee (D-CA-13), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA-47), Jerry Nadler (D-NY-10), and Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1) in the House.
In October 2019, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) proposed a plan to replace every gasoline powered car on the road with an electric one by 2040.
New Jersey: In October 2020, New Jersey officials called for a phaseout of sales of new gas cars by 2035. S2252, passed by the legislature in January 2020, sets a goal of 90% of all new vehicle sales being electric by 2040.
New York: On September 25, 2020, S 9008 was introduced in the state senate calling for all new car sales to be zero emission vehicles by 2035.
California: On September 23, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order calling for the state to stop selling new fossil fuel cars by 2035.
Washington State: HB 1204 and its senate companion bill, SB 5256, introduced in January 2021, would require all model-year 2030 and later passenger and light duty vehicles registered in the state to be electric. Read more here. HB 1832, introduced in February 2019, would have required that all government fleet vehicles be electric vehicles by 2027. It passed as a $450,000 budget item to develop a plan for substantially converting the public fleet to electric by as early as 2025.
Colorado: In September 2020, Colorado Governor Jared Polis put forth a plan calling for “close to 100%” of vehicles on Colorado’s roads to be electric by 2050.
Hawaii: HB 2593, introduced in 2020, would prohibit the sale of fossil fuel powered cars starting 2030. SB 1338, introduced in 2019, would have phased out sales of new gasoline vehicles starting in 2030, but it did not advance.
Massachusetts: In January 2021, Massachusetts announced plans to follow California’s lead to ban sales of new gas cars starting in 2035.
New Hampshire: SB 275, introduced in 2019, would require converting the state’s government fleet vehicles to ZEVs by 2039. Vetoed by Governor Sununu on June 25, 2019.
District of Columbia: DC Act 22-583, enacted January 2019, requires that public buses and privately owned fleet vehicles be Zero Emissions Vehicles by 2045. It passed into law in May 2019 as a $450,000 budget item to develop a plan for substantially converting the public fleet to electric by as early as 2025.
Menlo Park adopted a climate action plan in 2020 including a goal to reduce gasoline sales from city gas stations by 10% a year from a 2018 baseline and a goal for all new vehicles registered in the city to be zero emissions vehicles by 2025.
Berkeley is considering restrictions on operation and parking of gasoline vehicles on its streets after 2045 and a policy banning sales of new gas cars by 2030.
San Francisco is working to ensure that all vehicle trips are emissions-free by 2040.
Los Angeles has announced a plan for 80% of vehicles to be zero emissions by 2035, and 100% by 2050, and for developing the first fossil fuel free zone by 2030.
Coltura’s goal is to phase out sales of new gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2030.
Our vision is a gasoline-free America, by 2040 or sooner.
People across the country are joining our movement to improve climate, health and equity by moving beyond gasoline to cleaner, cheaper alternatives.