Automakers go all-in for EVs as China Announces Plans to Ban Fossil Fuel Vehicles
Electric Vehicles have come a long way with various models already available to consumers. The electric vehicle revolution is gathering apace as major Automakers pledge to produce EVs across all their ranges in the not too distant future. Jaguar Land Rover has announced that each of it models will have fully electric and hybrid options from 2020. Mercedes-Benz has revealed that it too will be electrifying its vehicle range by 2022. These targets have now been bolstered by China announcing that it will look to ban the sale of fossil-fuel vehicles entirely.
Mercedes and Jaguar Go All-Electric
The switch to electric makes sense from both an environmental and commercial point of view in terms of future cars. As a result, Mercedes’ and Jaguar’s pledges only serve to bolster an already growing market. While such targets are to be expected, alternative drive-train technology has had a major boost of late.
The growing number of major automakers pledging fully electric models is commendable and a product of the realisation that the change is inevitable. Jaguar Land Rover’s first fully electric vehicle, the Jaguar I-PACE is expected to arrive in 2018.
Not to be outdone, Mercedes-Benz has now also made a similar pledge, albeit for 2022. Ford’s Lincoln brand also has a similar timeline for its all-electric variants. Other automakers to make similar pledges include Aston Martin and Volvo.
Interestingly though, most of the automakers are planning to offer their EVs as alternatives to their fossil-fuel versions. Consequently, only Volvo and Aston Martin have so far indicated complete electrification of their ranges to date. Still, the momentum is now with EVs, particularly with China’s recent announcement on petrol and diesel vehicles.
China Plans to Ban Fossil Fuel Vehicle Sales
Meanwhile, the worlds biggest vehicle market, China, has announced plans to eventually ban sales of fossil fuel vehicles. While many of the electric vehicle pledges were made before China’s announcement, the targets make even more sense in the context of the country’s announcement. Although China has not announced a date for the move, it represents a significant shift by the country. The lack of a firm date for the ban may be a result of the country’s significant numbers of existing fossil fuel vehicle manufacturing.
China’s well-publicised pollution issues mean that a ban on petrol and diesel vehicles would help with its environmental issues as well. Industry experts believe that implementation of such a target would have huge implications for the auto industry as a whole. As it is such a big market, car-makers would have to shift their plans accordingly.
Meanwhile, France’s target for a similar ban is the year 2040. The UK has indicated that it is looking at a similar timeline for a ban on petrol and diesel vehicle sales.
Electric vehicles are clearly the future, and its great to see automakers making plans to make that a reality. However, the bans focus on vehicle sales and not use. As a result, fossil fuel powered cars will remain a common sight for a long while yet.
Nonetheless, all these announcement serve as good news for our environment and future generations. With many electric models already on our roads, perhaps the transition will take less time to achieve.
