France to stop selling petrol- and diesel-powered cars by 2040

France will stop selling cars running on petrol and diesel fuels by 2040, as reported by AFP. French Minister of Ecology Nicolas Hulot has announced his plan for climate control at a press conference, saying:

– We announce the end of sale of petrol and diesel engines by 2040.

Hulot didn't specify whether this meant a full ban on the sale of petrol and diesel engines nor how the ban could be enforced in the first place. Furthermore he didn't specify whether the ban would include hybrid cars.

The new minister especially emphasized that local car producers would be targeted and that “a heavy burden” will be laid on them.

The news comes at the moment when a large number of producers are already turning to the production of hybrid and electric cars, in order to meet the growing demands of regulatory bodies and the market demand.

Let us remind that the Swedish company Volvo has announced that all its new cars, starting with 2019, will have an electric engine. This means that they will stop producing cars powered exclusively by internal combustion engines.

Globally, the sale of electric cars in 2016 amounted to less than 1% of the market. However, according to market researcher IDTechEKS, the sale of fully electric cars will increase from this year's 672,000 to nearly 7 million in 2027.

VOLVO Švedska

Nicolas Hulot

Ministry of Ecology of France

electric cars

petrol cars

diesel cars

hybrid cars