GASOLINE VEHICLE PHASEOUT ADVANCES AROUND THE WORLD

____________

The European Union is phasing out new gas car sales by 2035, and many other countries have announced official targets or similar plans.

A gasoline vehicle phaseout is sometimes called an internal combustion engine ban, or ICE ban. Many countries are planning to ban sales of new diesel vehicles in addition to new gasoline powered cars. The long list of countries planning to ban sales of new fossil fuel vehicles shows a growing trend of countries moving beyond gasoline to cleaner, cheaper alternatives.

The latest gasoline car phaseout advances by various countries and the US – including gas car bans and diesel car bans – can be found below.

World Gasoline Phaseouts

1. All 27 European Union (EU) countries have committed to ban the sale of new gasoline cars by 2035. These countries are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. 

2. 12 non-EU countries have signed onto A.2 of the COP26 declaration committing to all new cars being zero emissions by 2040. These countries are Azerbaijan, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, El Salvador, Iceland, Israel, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay. 

3. Taiwan has announced a plan to phase out internal combustion vehicles by 2040. 

4. South Korea plans to phase out internal combustion vehicles by 2035.

5. Singapore has announced plans to ban registration of internal combustion cars and taxis by 2035 and phase out internal combustion vehicles by 2040. 

6. Thailand has set a target for 2035 to make all new vehicles electric.

7. Japan plans to ban sales of new gas cars (except hybrids) by 2035.

United States Gasoline Phaseout Advances

The United States does not have a nationwide gas car phaseout date. However, in 2021, President Biden set a goal for 50% of new car sales to be electric by 2030. And  new, more stringent fuel economy standards for model year 2027 to 2032 US vehicles proposed by the EPA in April 2023 would essentially require 67% of new vehicles to be electric by 2032.While the US has not yet joined the many countries setting phaseout date, as of August 2023, multiple states have committed to follow California’s Advanced Clean Cars II (“ACC II”) regulation to end sales of new gas cars by 2035. 

Gasoline Car Ban in California

California’s ACC II requires that all new passenger cars, trucks, and light duty vehicles sold in California be zero emissions by 2035.  ACC II amends California’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Regulation to require automakers to sell an increasing number of zero-emission vehicles each year. These amendments support Governor Newsom’s 2020 Executive Order N-79-20 that requires all new passenger vehicles sold in California to be zero emissions by 2035. 

The percent of new vehicles that must be zero emissions each year under ACC II is as follows:

US States Planning to Ban Gas-Powered Cars by 2035 

Following California’s lead, Vermont, New York, Washington and Oregon adopted ACC II in 2022, thus committing to new gas car phaseouts in those states by 2035. Massachusetts, Virginia, Rhode Island and Maryland adopted ACC II in 2023. In July 2023, Connecticut announced plans to join ACC II.

US States Planning to Ban Gas-Powered Cars by 2030

Washington not only joined ACC II, but has gone a step further. It has enacted a law (see page 88) setting a target of 2030 for all new cars to be electric, with a mandate for all-of-government planning to meet the target. 2030 is the earliest date in the nation for a state to phase out sales of new gas cars. 

NOTE: While these state-level bans on sales of new gas cars help ensure an eventual end to gasoline use, they don’t go far enough. New cars are typically only around 6% of total cars on the road. Even if 100% of new cars are electric, we will still have many older gas cars on the road for a long time. More must be done to cut gasoline use and vehicle emissions faster.

To maximize gasoline reduction, we must help those drivers using the most gasoline (“Gasoline Superusers”) switch to EVs as soon as possible. Across the US, Gasoline Superusers are using one third of all the gasoline – often because they must commute long distances between the housing they can afford and their jobs. Learn more about Coltura’s gasoline superuser approach. 

---

Join Coltura

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.