U.K. Prepared to Ban Internal Combustion Engines by 2040

Britain will ban the sale of all new gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2040 as part of the government’s plan to reduce air pollution and copy France. The strategy, fronted by U.K. environment secretary Michael Gove and transport secretary Chris Grayling, would not only ban the future sale of internal combustion engines, but also provide a governmental incentive program similar to the United States’ Car Allowance Rebate System — colloquially known as “cash for clunkers.”

Because, as you know, nothing is better for the environment ( or the used car market) than populating scrapyards with fully functional automobiles and having factories across the globe expend extra energy to replace them.

“We can’t carry on with diesel and petrol cars,” Gove told British television audiences on Wednesday. “There is no alternative to embracing new technology.”

That’s doubly true, as the government was ordered in April to publish stringent new plans to tackle air pollution after the British high court rejected attempts by ministers to delay the policy until after the general election. Much of the U.K. believes it’s in the midst of a pollution crisis believed to be responsible for over 40,000 premature deaths every year.

However, pushing through legislation that makes EVs mandatory may be pointless. Manufacturers are already scaling down engine sizes and adopting hybridized powertrains to meet existing emissions guidelines. Volvo wants to make all of its vehicles hybrids or purely electric within a couple of years, Mercedes-Benz has begun widely adopting mild-hybrid systems, and practically every other automaker is investing heavily in battery development. The 2040 ban could be redundant by the time companies stand to face penalties.

That said, the 2040 deadline could be unrealistic if adoption progress more slowly. However, British demand for electrically powered vehicles grew a whopping 40 percent in 2015. While that only amounts to about 2.5 percent of the total market, it accounted for around 50,000 registrations in the final quarter of 2015. The number has nearly doubled by the first quarter of 2017 as EV market share closes in on 5 percent.

“Ending diesel and petrol car sales by 2040 is a step in the right direction but given that electric cars are coming anyway this is probably pretty irrelevant. It’s a bit like saying we’re banning the sale of steam engines by 2040,” said David Bailey, a professor of industrial strategy at the Aston Business School.

The real pinch of the plan will be felt by diesel drivers in the short term. From around 2020, specific jurisdictions will be able to levy extra charges on vehicles using the UK’s 81 most polluted routes if air quality fails to improve — and cars with the highest emissions will suffer the highest fines. According to The Guardian, the government wants taxes to be used as a last resort, fearing a backlash against any actions that punish motorists.

Other less stringent plans are afoot within the UK. The country hopes that by retrofitting buses, changing road layouts, and giving local governments agency in how to handle the pollution problem, it can increase air quality almost immediately.

For the United States, which has become less worried about automotive pollution in 2017, this means added pressure on domestic automakers hoping to sell a product globally. Diesel sales continue to trend downward and efforts exist in most developed nations to convince the public to adopt electric cars.

[Image: Ruben de Rijcke/ Wikimedia Commons ( CC BY-SA 3.0)]