Japan considers banning combustion engines
The Japanese government has plans to ban the sale of cars powered exclusively by combustion engines. According to two media reports, the government could present details of the program later this month.
The NHK radio station and the Nikkei business newspaper both report that the ban on new internal combustion engines in Japan is expected to come in the mid-2030s. From then on, only hybrid, battery and fuel cell cars will be allowed to be newly registered. Both reports refer to sources in the Ministry of Economy, which would develop the regulation.
The Japanese government would announce the corresponding directive after a conference with experts and executives from the automotive industry this month, wrote the papers, and later define concrete measures for the transition to more hybrid and electric vehicles.
Japan’s Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide had issued a target that Japan would stop emitting greenhouse gases by 2050. The plans are likely to be developed against this background. However, there are still no concrete and confirmed data.
It also looks like the purchase premiums for electric cars are to be doubled. Each BEV would therefore cost the equivalent of up to 6,400 euros instead of the previous 3,200 euros. Government subsidies for plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles are to remain unchanged at up to 200,000 yen (1,600 euros) and up to 2.25 million yen (18,000 euros) respectively. Again, media reports have yet to find official confirmation.
According to Nikkei, in 2018 vehicles were responsible for 16 per cent of the country’s emissions in Japan. Aeroplanes, ships and trains together were responsible for less than three per cent of the emissions.
The US state of California wants to ban the sale of combustion engines in 2035. In China, too, the regulations are becoming increasingly strict until 2035. In Great Britain, the ban on pure combustion engines was recently brought forward to 2030, and from 2035 it should no longer be possible to register hybrid cars.
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