Oil-rich Scotland wants to go all-electric with phase out of new petrol and diesel cars by 2032

Don’t get high on your own supply. Norway showed that to be true with its rapid adoption of electric vehicles despite being an oil rich country.

Now Scotland follows with its own new target to phase out new petrol and diesel cars by 2032 – ahead of recent targets by other countries.

Both France and the UK recently announced plans to ban petrol and diesel cars by 2040 in order to accelerate the adoption of all-electric vehicles.

But Scotland is one-upping them by making their target 8 years earlier.

In a speech today, the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, made the announcement:

“Our aim is for new petrol and diesel cars and vans to be phased out in Scotland by 2032 – the end of the period covered by our new Climate Change Plan and eight years ahead of the target set by the UK government.”

The problem is that Scotland, which has been seeking its independence, doesn’t hold powers over vehicle standards and taxation.

Nonetheless, they plan to take actions to achieve the goal. Sturgeon continued:

“Over the next few months, we will set out detailed plans to massively expand the number of electric charging points in rural, urban and domestic settings; plans to extend the Green Bus Fund and accelerate the procurement of electric or ultra low emission vehicles in the public and private sectors; plans for pilot demonstrator projects to encourage uptake of electric vehicles amongst private motorists; and plans for a new Innovation Fund to encourage business and academia to develop solutions to some of our particular challenges, for example charging vehicles in areas with a high proportion of tenements.”

They also plan to make the A9, a major road in Scotland, their first “fully electric-enabled highway.”

Sturgeon acknowledges that air pollution is “a significant risk to public health” and that accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles will curb emissions.

It is an especially effective solution in Scotland where renewable energy represents an important part of their energy generation thanks to wind and hydro power.

Therefore, every new electric vehicle on Scotland’s roads has a greater positive impact than in places with a more polluting national electric grid.

Electrek’s Take

While those kinds of announcements are often more talk than action, Scotland seems to have a plan to back their aggressive target.

Furthermore, the announcements seem to be snowballing. After France, the UK, and now Scotland, Germany is also considering a similar target.

We haven’t seen this trickle down to the US yet, but it might be inevitable sooner rather than later.

What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.