If China becomes serious about plans to ban cars which use petrol and diesel fuel, it will transform the automotive industry, and transport systems around the world.
So believes Bill Russo, the head of Gao Feng consulting firm in Shanghai.
‘If China says no to production of further internal combustion engines, the rest of the world will follow. For the rest of the world can’t afford to lose the Chinese market. It’s too big’, said Russo.
This weekend, the Chinese Ministry of Industry announced that they are working on a plan to ban traditionally produced cars which run on fossil fuels. Simultaneously, they will invest heavily in electric cars, and other types of vehicles which create low climate changing emissions.
Time not known
The timeline for the phasing out fossil fuel cars hasn’t been specified. But already by next year, Chinese car manufacturers will have to ensure that 8% of production consists of electric, or hybrid cars.
‘Companies should work to improve energy efficiency in traditional cars, and work hard to develop vehicles using new energy sources,’ said the Secretary of State, Xin Guobin, at the Department of Industry on Saturday.
In the past, Britain and France have declared that they will stop selling petrol and diesel fuelled cars by 2040. In Norway, parliament have set themselves the goal of phasing out fossil fuelled cars by 2025.
Climate Action
In China, 24 million vehicles are sold each year. A quarter of all new cars manufactured in the world are sold in China.
The country has experienced extreme economic growth over the past few decades, and local pollution from factories and power plants has become a major problem. In addition, China’s greenhouse gas emissions have grown, becoming the world’s largest.
The authorities have implemented a number of measures to combat pollution, and climate emissions. Among other things, the country has worked hard on developing solar and wind energy as an alternative to coal power.
China has also become a very important manufacturer of electric motors and batteries for cars.
Last year, the rating agency, Fitch, concluded that electric cars could be a serious threat to the world’s oil industry.
The agency showed that there is a possibility that the Chinese government could decide to completely stop production of fossil fuelled cars.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
