UK is planning to delay its new ICE vehicle ban till 2035

The United Kingdom is reportedly mulling the plan to delay the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars. While the initial plan was to enforce the ban from 2030, now the UK government is reportedly planning to delay it by five years, reported BBC. In that case, the ban on sales of fossil fuel vehicles will be enforced in the country from 2035.

The UK government initially introduced the 2030 ban on sales of new fossil fuel vehicles in November 2020 in an attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, now the government is reportedly planning a five-year extension from the initial target.

This 2030 deadline originally was introduced as a more aggressive target compared to the European Union's plan, which aims to mandate zero emissions for all new cars sold after 2035, which will effectively phase out the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles. Now, with the revision UK government aims to level up with the EU plan. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to address the nation in the coming days, unveiling a series of policy relaxations, stated the report.

The likely relaxation of the 2030 ban on new fossil fuel vehicle sales comes at a time when the European Union has faced backlash over its policies. In March this year, Germany forged an alliance with seven other countries in the continent to oppose the 2035 ICE vehicle sales ban, which resulted in the recent concessions, where the EU has said that it could allow for synthetic fuel-powered vehicles to be sold even after the 2035 deadline. This strategy has propelled car manufacturers such as Porsche and Lamborghini to work on synthetic fuels, which are touted as carbon neutral and could extend the production of ICE vehicles after 2035.