The days of fossil fuel-burning vehicles in France are coming to an end.
France’s environmental minister Nicolas Hulot announced Thursday the country would end “the sale of all petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040.”
It’s part of an ongoing push by French President Emmanuel Macron to make the country carbon neutral by 2050. To encourage drivers to make the switch early, Hulot said France will begin offering them “a [financial incentive] to replace their diesel car dating before 1997 or petrol from before 2001 by a new or second-hand vehicle.”
The announcement follows Volvo’s announcement on Wednesday that it planned to cease making gas-powered cars and trucks and would instead only make electronic and hybrid vehicles starting in 2019. (It’s unclear if Hulot’s statement would impact hybrid cars, which rely partially on fossil fuels.)
France is the latest country to announce plans to eliminate fossil fuel propelled vehicles, but it’s hardly alone. Norway plans to ban the vehicles by 2025, while Germany hopes to end the sale of combustion-engine vehicles by 2030.
The announcement by France just over a month after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement.
