Drivers demand 'absurd' new car law axed because 'it must be changed'
Drivers are demanding an "absurd" 2035 petrol and diesel ban in the European Union be reversed. Italy’s officials said the European Union’s plan to ban sales of new internal combustion engines from 2035 should be reviewed.
“The ban must be changed,” Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said on the sidelines of the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, on the shores of Italy’s Lake Como, on Saturday. Pichetto Fratin called the decision by the EU “absurd,” and dictated by an “ideological vision”.
Industry Minister Adolfo Urso also backed a change, urging the incoming European Commission to anticipate the review of the plan to early 2025, from 2026. “In an uncertain landscape which is affecting German automotive industry, clarity is needed to not let the European industry collapse,” Urso said in Cernobbio.
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“Europe needs a pragmatic vision, the ideological vision has failed. We need to acknowledge that,” he added in a blistering statement. The government coalition party League, led by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, is ready to propose legislation to commit Premier Giorgia Meloni’s government to revoking the ban.
That's according to a statement on Friday. UK drivers won’t be required to scrap your existing petrol or diesel car in 2035. The ban on petrol and diesel cars applies exclusively to the sale of new vehicles powered by combustion engines, the government has said.
The average lifespan of a car is about 14 years. This means that new petrol and diesel cars purchased in the latter end of 2034 could feasibly remain on the roads until at least 2048. Converting a petrol or diesel car to pure electric is expensive, drivers have been warned.
Prices are ranging from £20,000 to £60,000 and may impact insurance rates. The previous £1,500 Plug-in Car Grant that ran between 2011 and 2022 has since been discontinued., the UK government previously confirmed.