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Page added on October 3, 2018
Denmark to ban petrol and diesel car sales by 2030
Denmark announced on Tuesday (2 October) that it will ban the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines by 2030 and hopes to have one million electric and hybrid cars on the roads by then.
In a speech to parliament, Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said that “diesel and petrol cars in Denmark must be the past. The future is green,” adding that all sales of new fossil-fuel-powered cars will cease in 2030.
Rasmussen’s energy minister, Lars Chr. Lilleholt, announced the ban during the government’s climate council last week but did not mention a timeframe in any detail.
“In just 12 years, we will prohibit the sale of new diesel and petrol cars. And in 17 years, every new car in Denmark must be an electric car or other forms of zero-emissions car,” Rasmussen said, implying that hybrids will be phased out in 2035.
The Danish leader also upped the ante on the number of electric cars that will be on the road by 2030, saying there could be one million electric and hybrid cars by then. Rasmussen admitted it will “not be easy” to increase the number from a half-million suggested by climate council.
Denmark currently has just over 2 million cars, so it would represent half the private fleet, unless total numbers increase in the meantime.
Anders Stouge of energy company Dansk Energi reacted to Rasmussen’s announcement by tweeting that “the electricity sector is ready to support the phasing out of sales of petrol and diesel cars”, adding that the industry must supply the necessary infrastructure.
But electric car sales in Denmark are flagging after the government scrapped an incentive scheme at the start of 2017. In 2015, 4,762 plug-in sales were registered but that number plunged to 1,438 and then to 913 in the following years.
In 2017, EV sales represented just 0.4% of the market, while Sweden and Norway registered 5.3% and 39%.
It was actually Rasmussen’s government that decided to end a vehicle registration fee exemption for electric cars, instead plumping for a scheme that would eventually bring it to parity with traditional vehicles by 2022.
Now it seems likely that the Danish PM will have to address tax incentives in order to bring the market in line with his ambitious plans. As Denmark has no domestic car industry, it imposes import taxes that have in the past reached as high as 180%.
Next week, the government will go into specifics and reveal its climate plan, detailing how Denmark will cut emissions from various sectors like transport and agriculture. The government hopes to make the electricity sector 100% fossil fuel free by 2050.
7 Comments on "Denmark to ban petrol and diesel car sales by 2030"
rockman on Wed, 3rd Oct 2018 11:31 am
Obviously nothing wrong with such a move. But given Denmark has a total of 2 million vehicles today compared to the 1+ TRILLION on the planet today with 80+ million new sold globally every year their move will have no meaningful impact on climate change. But their model might be useful to countries such as China and India if it shows the ability to ECONOICALLY upscale.
dave thompson on Wed, 3rd Oct 2018 12:59 pm
This idea is sadly laughable. There is nothing that will replace liquid FF at scale, nothing.
CLAES RYDEMAN on Wed, 3rd Oct 2018 5:28 pm
WHAT THEY ARE BASICALLY SAYING, IS THAT PEOPLE SHOULD LIVE CLOSER TO WHERE THEY WORK, AND THAT SCHOOLS AND MALLS SHOULD BE WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE.
IN EUROPE THAT IS AN ACHIEVABLE GOAL, IN AMERICA NOT SO MUCH.
claes rydeman on Wed, 3rd Oct 2018 6:03 pm
@rockman: The real problem in europe is that public transport is way too expencive.
Two persons in a car, is cheaper than any puplic transportation.
I don’t know what to do about it, but that’s where it is
rockman on Thu, 4th Oct 2018 4:23 pm
Claes- Interesting. Been too long since I used public transport in Europe. Assumed it was fairly inexpensive. But would explain all the folks on bicycles.
Antius on Thu, 4th Oct 2018 4:41 pm
“WHAT THEY ARE BASICALLY SAYING, IS THAT PEOPLE SHOULD LIVE CLOSER TO WHERE THEY WORK, AND THAT SCHOOLS AND MALLS SHOULD BE WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE.
IN EUROPE THAT IS AN ACHIEVABLE GOAL, IN AMERICA NOT SO MUCH.”
Google ‘New Urbanism’. One particular book that could be used to change the world is ‘Car Free Cities’. Instead of finding better ways of fuelling cars, maybe the solution is to greatly reduce our use of them. It is absurd to cart over a tonne of glass and steel around just to get where we are going. Walkable communities is a better solution. The problem is asset inertia. It would take a century to rebuild our cities.
Cloggie on Sun, 7th Oct 2018 4:45 am
“Danish Conservative Prime Minister Thinks Climate Council Is Too Conservative, Doubles Electric Vehicle Goal”
https://cleantechnica.com/2018/10/06/danish-conservative-prime-minister-thinks-climate-council-is-too-conservative-doubles-electric-vehicle-goal/
Obviously nothing wrong with such a move. But given Denmark has a total of 2 million vehicles today compared to the 1+ TRILLION on the planet today
That would be 1 BILLION, rockman.
Attempts by European countries to get e-driving going are slightly more important than their numbers would suggest. This is about achieving economy of scale, lowering prices of e-vehicles. The expected rise of the price of oil to perhaps $140 will finally finish off the gasoline car eventually.
An e-vehicle is potentially cheaper than a more complicated gasoline car, if not for the price of the large battery. If charging during driving could become a reality…
https://deepresource.wordpress.com/2018/05/08/e-road-e-vehicles-breakthrough-in-sweden/
…than the goal has been achieved.