EU’s plan to ban petrol, diesel cars could change UK policy

Campaigners believe that the sale of petrol and diesel cars will influence UK policy by the year 2035, as a result of the European Union's plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2035.

Officials in Brussels caved into demands by Germany to allow cars powered by so-called e-fuels to remain on sale.

The EU plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2035 but allow e-fuel vehicles after a compromise forced on them by the German authorities.

The UK government will ban the sale of pure petrol and diesel cars from 2030 as part of its plan to help the UK meet its goal of net zero by 2050.

The sales of new hybrid cars will be stopped in 2035. The move by the EU opens the gates to challenges that could change the UK's policy.

The 2030 deadline for the elimination of petrol and diesel engine cars in the UK is simply not achievable, according to the former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith. If we delay, we will give a huge boost to the Chinese car manufacturers. They are already dominant. Under the EU's plan, it will allow e-fuels, a synthetic alternative to petrol, which could be made by mixing carbon dioxide captured from the air with hydrogen obtained by splitting water molecules using renewable energy.

Volkswagen Group said the EU deal could apply to emergency vehicles and low-volume models, such as the Porsche 911 sports car.

We consider e-fuels a useful addition to the existing fleet of combustion engines and for special applications, such as emergency vehicles or limited series, such as the Porsche 911 for example, VW said in a statement. VW remained committed to the electrification of its fleet.

Philip Davies, a member of the Tory net zero task force, said it was a devil when you get more common sense out of the EU than the UK government. The deadline for 2030 is ridiculous and everyone knows it is idiotic. Nobody seems to be able to say that the emperor s got no clothes on, even though everyone can see it.

If a rare outbreak of common sense is what it takes for the EU to change their position, hallelujah. A government spokesman said: "We remain committed to ensuring all new cars and vans are zero emission at the tailpipe by 2035, and we've invested more than 2 billion to help people switch."

Today s drivers on England's motorways and major A-roads are never more than 25 miles from a rapid chargepoint, and we expect the charging network to expand tenfold by the year 2030.