Amid Monstrous Wildfires, European Automakers Push To Weaken EV Mandates

Major automakers including BMW, Ford, Nissan, and Toyota, along with parts supplier Bosch, have been privately pressing the UK government to drop its plan to ban sales of new gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2035. A letter sent to government ministers in April argued for an "open technology approach" that would keep allowing combustion engines, hybrids, and plug-in hybrids on the market past that date. The letter became public through a freedom of information request.

The UK government says the 2035 deadline isn't up for negotiation, and the country's Climate Change Committee views the switch to electric vehicles as the single biggest way to cut the UK's carbon emissions over the next decade. Even so, the government has already loosened related EV sales targets that run through 2030, and it's reportedly weighing further changes after the lobbying push. The European Union made a similar move in December, lowering its own target from 100 percent electric car sales after 2035 to 90 percent.

None of this changes any rules right now, and it's specific to UK and EU policy rather than US programs. But it's a sign that automaker pressure can shift EV timelines even after they've been set, which matters if you're watching the broader EV market for price drops, model availability, or charging infrastructure investment that could eventually affect your own choice of vehicle or home charging setup.