Sweden is joining Scandinavian neighbours Denmark and Norway in the push to ensure a transition to zero emissions transport, passing a bill last week that will see the sale of new petrol and diesel cars banned from 2030.
The bill, which was announced by Prime Minister Stefan Löfven in a statement last week, was agreed to by various parties in the Swedish government and will assist the country achieve its goals under the Paris Climate Agreement.
In a statement on the Swedish government website, Löfven wrote (translated from Swedish), “No new petrol and diesel powered cars will be sold after 2030. So we reduce the large climate emissions from the transport sector.”
According to Swedish media site Expressen, the government’s climate and energy spokesperson Lorentz Tovatt (translated from Swedish) said, “If it is possible to implement according to EU legislation, it remains to be seen, it will be part of the investigation. But we know that we have allies, such as the Danish government, which has a similar attitude to us. I both believe and hope that a ban is possible.”
But the measures, which also include investment in electric car charging infrastructure and biogas fuels, have been met with comments from some parties that the ban may be difficult to implement.
“It is a very radical proposal and I think you should be careful about predicting technology development in this way. It is simply unrealistic to have a ban in place already in eleven years, ”said Martin Kinnunen, climate policy spokesman for the Swedish Democrats (translated from Swedish).
“It can be difficult for many people who live in some parts of the country to have a car, and it can be very costly for those who must have a car,” he said.
Swedish Democrat Martin Kinnunen said (translated from Swedish) that, “It is futile to believe that the EU would join such a big trade barrier. There is no similar example of it, it is certain that you will have the same rules within the EU. And there is not much to suggest that the whole of France and Germany would like to promote a ban on the sale of all diesel and petrol cars”.
However Sweden joins a growing list of countries committing to a ban on ICE vehicle sales, joining Norway, Denmark, Israel, France, UK, Ireland, Spain and Germany among others.
Bridie Schmidt is lead reporter for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She specialises in writing about new technology, and has a keen interest in the role that zero emissions transport has to play in sustainability.
