EU votes to “effectively” ban sales of gas vehicles after 2035

In 2036, it will be a different world.

By then Michigan will have retired its final coal plant and will be more reliant on renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. DTE Energy, supplier to 40% of Michigan homes and businesses, believes it will run on 51% renewables by 2036.

• Related reading: Coal plants were 4 of Michigan’s 10 top energy producers in 2021

Meanwhile, across the pond, the sale of gas vehicles will be a thing of the past by 2036, if the European Parliament has its way.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

European Union lawmakers approved a law that will effectively ban the sale of new gasoline- and diesel-powered cars in the bloc from 2035, one of the most aggressive moves yet by a major economy to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles. ...

The law is set to require new cars and vans to have significantly lower carbon emissions by 2030 and zero emissions by 2035, a requirement that industry groups say is expected to result in an end to the sale of new vehicles that use traditional combustion engines, and accelerate the shift to EVs.

In Michigan, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy believes that Michigan needs charging infrastructure for 2 million EVs by 2030. That would be quite a climb from the 17,500 EVs registered in Michigan in 2021.

The road to 2 million will be paved with taxpayer funds. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer seeks $113 million for new EV charging stations ($65 million) and sales and use tax exemptions for buyers ($48 million over two years). That’s on top of $7,500 federal subsidies for certain types of electric vehicles.

“Auto-industry executives expect the global push to ban new sales of gasoline and diesel vehicles to accelerate by 2030,” The Wall Street Journal reports.

President Biden in 2021 signed an executive order to require that 50% of vehicles sold in America be “zero emission” by 2030, and he doubled down on that sentiment this week.