Countries around the world are moving to ban the sale of internal combustion engine cars (ICE) starting with Norway in 2025 and many more countries following in 2030, 2035, and 2040. Believe it or not, but car companies around the world are no longer dragging their feet or protesting this monumental regulatory change. Instead, they are embracing the changes, and now they see the transition as the key to their own survival.
Like skittles falling one after the other, more and more car companies are announcing their own phase-out and bans of ICEs - often preempting the looming government bans. So while France may not be banning ICEs until 2040, you won't be able to buy an ICE from many of the car companies there from 2030 or 2035. Yes! Many car companies have announced plans to move faster than what had been once thought of as ambitious government targets. Here are the 10 car companies leading the charge to EVs.
10 Tesla
Well maybe this is obvious, seeing that Tesla is founded purely on the principle of producing only fully electric cars, so they don't need to transition! But the ripple effects they have had throughout the industry are truly profound. They have been at the forefront of EV innovation.
Now the unthinkable has happened, they have become the most valued car company in the world. And giants like Toyota and Volkswagen who make in excess of 10 million cars per year are playing catch up to this start-up whose 2020 production was only half a million vehicles!
9 Honda
Perhaps the most ambitious of all switchovers in the world is Honda's plans for Honda in Europe. They have brought forward an existing plan to only sell hybrids and EVs in Europe at some point between 2022 and 2025! That's right by the end of next year - before any of the European government ICE bans come into force, Honda will be squarely in the hybrid and EV market in Europe.
Globally Honda wants to see one-third of all its car sales electric by 2030. At the rate things are moving globally, expect them to improve on that target!
8 Volvo
This Swedish brand is the latest to fall into line and their ambition is one of the most ambitious. Building on their previous pledge to have half of their sales fully electric by 2025 and the rest hybrid, now they are proclaiming no Volvo ICE cars will be sold after 2030.
By 2030 the Volvo enthusiast will only be able to purchase fully electric vehicles. Now that is a dramatic transformation in less than 9 years!
7 BMW
By the end of this year, BMW will be launching another 5 pure electric vehicles and by the end of 2023, they will be sporting a portfolio of 25 fully electric vehicles. BMW has announced plans to cut emissions by one-third over the next 9 years to 2030.
Expect BMW to cave in to pressure from Volvo and GM and the like and announce a date from which no more fossil-fuelled cars will be sold.
6 Ford - Europe
Ford is pursuing different strategies in its European market to its North American market. But in February it announced its intentions to fully stop the sale of ICEs in Europe from 2030 and (even more ambitiously) only sell gasoline or diesel cars in the form of hybrids in Europe from 2026 - just 5 years from now!
The transitional 4 years from 2026-2030 will be very brief and Ford in Europe will be in a strong position if more European countries bring forward their ICE phase-out dates (which they are likely to do).
5 Jaguar
Perhaps the most ambitious transition in the world is Jaguar. In just 4 years, by 2025, they have decreed they will be fully electric. No more gasoline-powered Jaguars will be sold from 2025.
This is particularly ambitious, not only for being a mere 4 years from now but also given that currently they only have one fully electric vehicle on the market.
4 General Motors (GM)
The great North American giant who has designed and made so many of America's most iconic vehicles over the last century has also thrown its hat into the ring. The largest North American car manufacturer (which includes Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, and Wuling) has announced a commitment to go carbon neutral by 2040.
They have announced plans to end the sales of ICEs by 2035. This is huge! In America basically only California has announced a ban on ICEs by 2035 and currently the Federal Government hasn't set a date - as hasn't most other states. It seems that even if some states permit the purchase of gasoline cars after 2035 you won't be able to buy a GM product!
3 Groupe Renault
This French company (which also owns Dacia, Alpine, and Lada) claims to be the largest EV car company in Europe with more than one in four EVs across Europe coming from Renault. Their plans are also ambitious indeed.
By the end of next year (2022), Renault is planning to have ALL of its models also offering an EV version. Renault is collaborating with Japanese car companies notably Mitsubishi Motors and Nissan to develop EV technology.
2 Land Rover
This iconic and popular European brand is also moving electric. The date has been set at 2030 for the UK for all sales to be pure electric.
By 2036 all sales around the world will be fully electric. This is also remarkable how quickly this brand of large performance vehicles plans to transition.
1 Nissan
Nissan was one of the very early entrants into the EV market with its groundbreaking Nissan Leaf. And now - not wanting to lose its head start and fall behind - it is aiming to launch another 8 fully EVs by 2023.
Nissan is predicting 50% of its new car sales in Europe to be EVs by 2024. Their plans for the USA are lagging, but you can expect this to change in the coming years - or even months with the rate at which things are moving.
In conclusion, much attention has been placed on governments banning ICEs, but in truth, some car companies are beating them to the chase so that the ban will effectively come into force earlier for some brand loyal motorists.