There’s been little doubt that the direction of travel for fleets operating in Europe was zero-emission. It was just a question of when.

But following a vote in the EU Parliament on June 8, MEPs adopted their position for zero-emission cars and vans by 2035. This will now be negotiated with member states.

The ban for internal combustion engines is part of the EU policy of ‘fit for 55’, which is to meet a 50% reduction of car and van emissions compared with 2021 by the year 2030.

Jan Huitema, lead for the legislation, said: "An ambitious revision of CO2-standards is a crucial part of reaching our climate targets. With these standards, we are creating clarity for the car industry and can stimulate innovation and investments for car manufacturers.”

ACEA, the European industry organization for OEMs, said that to meet the ‘fit for 55’ CO2 reduction would require a significant ramping up of charging infrastructure. In work completed with McKinsey consultants, ACEA said 6.8 million public charging points would needed across the EU by 2030.

Ford (among other automakers) has been campaigning positively for vehicles to be zero-emission by 2035.

Stuart Rowley, chair, Ford of Europe, said, “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.”

According to environmental pressure group Transport & Environment, transport is the biggest source of emissions in Europe, with cars responsible for 12% alone. In the U.K., the  position is more radical: new petrol and diesel vehicles will be banned by 2030, with all vehicles to be zero-emission by 2035.

Either way, global fleet operators in Europe and the U.K. will now need to accelerate decarbonization plans to meet these mandatory climate goals.

Dig deeper into European electrification with the latest episode of our new video series, Fleet Meet: