Ford joins calls for EU to ban new ICE car sales from 2035

Ford Europe has joined 27 other companies in calling for the European Union to ensure all new cars and vans on the continent are emission-free from 2035.

The group, which also includes Uber and Volvo, wants the EU to establish mandatory targets for charging infrastructure and insists removing fossil-fuel burning vehicles from European roads is essential to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Part of the appeal, which comes on the same day the European Car Climate Summit is being held in Barcelona, includes enacting legislation setting out a clear timeline for the car industry and its suppliers to follow to ease the transition to electric vehicles.

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“At Ford in Europe, we believe that freedom of movement goes hand-in-hand with caring for our planet and each other,” said Stuart Rowley, chairman of Ford of Europe.

“That’s why we are targeting all Ford vehicles to be zero emission by 2035. To successfully achieve this, EU policymakers must also establish mandatory national targets for a seamless electric charging infrastructure that lives up to the growing demand for electric vehicles.”

As part of the wider European Climate Summit, EU policy-makers will decide whether to implement new clean-car rules following a proposal by the European Commission that only zero-emission new cars and vans can be sold on the continent from 2035.

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The European Parliament and individual EU governments will decide their positions in June, with the final law expected to be adopted in the third quarter of this year.

Locally, Ford Australia has previously confirmed the E-Transit van will become its first fully-electric vehicle on sale here towards the end of 2022. It will be joined in 2024 by the E-Transit Custom, and the Escape plug-in hybrid which arrived Down Under last week.

Ford Australia has committed to five electrified vehicles by the end of 2024, leaving two to be confirmed. One is expected to be the Mustang Mach-E electric SUV, which is already available in some overseas markets.