The Netherlands’ ban on gas-powered cars ‘likely to become law’, all new cars electric by 2025

Earlier this year, we reported on the Dutch Labour Party’s initiative to instate a ban on new gas and diesel car sales in the Netherlands by 2025.  Since then other countries started discussing similar possibilities to phase out gas-powered cars on a comparable timeline.

India recently confirmed that it is evaluating a scheme for all its fleet to be electric by 2030 and the Norwegian government is discussing a similar mandate by 2025.

The initiative has since passed in the lower house of the Netherlands’ parliament and it is now seen by some as “likely to become law”.

The Dutch politician Jan Vos, a member of the Labour Party, is the main legislator behind the project. While the bill would still need to pass through the Dutch Senate and it is facing oppositions, Vos says that the ban is “likely to become law”

“We need to phase out CO2 emissions and we need to change our pattern of using fossil fuels if we want to save the Earth.” – Vos says (via Yale Climate Connections)

Vos is aware that electric vehicle technology needs to improve in order for the ban to be realistically feasible, but he sees that happening within the next decade. Cars like the upcoming Chevy Bolt and the Tesla Model 3 will likely become examples for the potential of EV technology in the near future.

It’s important to note that the ban would only apply to new vehicle sales and existing vehicles would still be allowed on Dutch roads. It is estimated that once all new vehicles become electric, it could take up to 20 years in order to change the entire fleet.

Meanwhile, other markets like California, which is considered a pioneer in introducing a zero-emission vehicle mandate, only aims for 15% of car sales to be zero-emission vehicles by 2025 – a target Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently referred to as “pathetically low”.

New legislation is expected to be introduced later this week in order to strengthen the mandate, but it is not expected to come close to the 2025 ban Vos is pushing for in the Netherlands.

Some companies would profit if the ban on gas-powered cars passes, like Fastned, a company building an extensive electric vehicle fast-charging station network in the Netherlands (pictured above).

It’s not clear at this point if the legislation would result in an outright ban of the sales of gas-guzzling cars or like other zero-emission mandates, the initiative would include a punitive measure on automakers with electric vehicles representing less than 100% of their sales in the market by 2025.