GettyThe auto industry exploded with anger when Britain announced Tuesday it would bring forward a ban on the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars and SUVs to 2035 from 2040, but the reaction was misplaced because the European Union (EU) has effectively already banned them by stealth. The ban announced yesterday also includes plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Britain’s Society of Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which speaks for the British auto industry, was incandescent. “It’s extremely concerning that government has seemingly moved the goalposts for consumers and industry on such a critical issue. So for the auto industry to express surprise about the 2035 date is strange, given the frantic activity already under way to electrify everything, perhaps by 2025.

Source: Forbes February 05, 2020 12:11 UTC