The Bundesrat, Germany’s federal council, has passed a resolution calling for a ban on combustion engine cars by 2030.

If the ban were to go through, German citizens would only be permitted to purchase electric or hydrogen-fuelled cars. Although the ban has no legislative effect as yet, it has received cross-party support in Germany and its instigators have called on the European Commission to implement the ban across the European Union.

Oliver Krischer, Greens Party lawmaker said the ban is needed to reach the requirements of the  the Paris climate change agreement. He commented, “If the Paris agreement to curb climate-warming emissions is to be taken seriously, no new combustion engine cars should be allowed on roads after 2030.”

The proposal could have a huge impact on both the vehicle manufacturing industry and the long term future of the aftermarket. Zero-emission cars are said to require only 10% of the current workforce to assemble and have a drastically reduced need for maintenance and repair once on the road.

The fact that this issue has reached a resolution in the Bundesrat clearly shows the future trends in the market and that the time of combustion engine vehicles as we now know them is limited. 2030 may seem like the far future, but to put this in perspective 2003 does not seem that long ago.