Japan looking at banning combustion car sales by 2035

Monday, 7 December 2020

Japan is considering banning the sale of purely petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035, following the examples set by the likes of the UK, Norway and Ireland.

According to The Japan Times, the ban follows Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s pledge in October that the country would slash its carbon emissions to zero on a net basis by 2050.

It won’t affect hybrids, unlike Norway’s ban, at least for a period following 2030. We should get more details on the plan later next week. The Japan Times cites unnamed sources, which say Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will be holding a meeting with experts and representatives from the auto industry for the plan “shortly”.

Japan is looking like the next to announce a ban on combustion vehicle sales for 2030.

At the moment, about 29 per cent of Japan’s new vehicle market comprises hybrid and pure-electric vehicles, according to the Automobile Manufacturers Association.

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Toyota has plenty of hybrid vehicles on the market already, which should help it through the combustion ban, but no pure-electric offerings at the moment.

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Combustion cars in the UK are already on their last legs as a ban on petrol and diesel sales is set to come into effect in 2030.

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Toyota is in a good position to capitalise on the leniency for hybrid vehicles, given most of its current range can be had in electrified form, while Nissan has valuable experience in EVs with its Leaf hatchback and the forthcoming Ariya SUV. Honda has its cute electric e hatchback on sale but has been lagging behind its competitors in terms of other hybrid and electric offerings.

Plenty of other countries have stated intent to ban petrol and diesel vehicles in the near future. China wants to phase out petrol cars by 2035, France wants to get rid of combustion cars by 2040, as is Singapore, and California is looking at stopping sales by 2035.

Climate Change Minister James Shaw wants to see a new petrol and diesel car ban, to kick in at the same time as the United Kingdom’s ban.

“If we let those into New Zealand, we are stuffed. We will have no chance of being able to reduce our transport emissions, which are the fastest-growing sector,” he said, despite the fact that New Zealand’s average vehicle age is 14 years while the UK’s is just seven. Newer cars are more economical thanks to developments in combustion technology, not to mention safer.

Officials have told Shaw that even meeting our current emissions target by 2030 will be a tough ask.

But the minister has already received preliminary advice saying the target is too weak to match the Government’s commitment to helping keep the world within 1.5 degrees Celsius heating. The current target gives New Zealand a total allowance of 600 million tonnes of greenhouse gases between now and 2030.

Shaw noted nations with net zero goals for all gases were being more ambitious than New Zealand’s 2050 target, which allows ongoing emissions of methane – the potent but shorter-lived gas that makes up a large chunk of agricultural emissions.

“I am saying ‘all gases’, because it is clear those [pledges] are significantly higher-ambition than we are able to muster the will to be at this point in time,” Shaw said.