Gas-powered cars already in use by 2025 would, under the ban, remain on the road.
The proposal passed the Netherlands parliament’s lower house and must now pass the Dutch senate. Jan Vos, the driving force behind the bill, believes it will eventually be passed into law, though he feels this won’t be enough to phase out gas and diesel cars.
"We need to phase out CO2 emissions and we need to change our pattern of using fossil fuels if we want to save the Earth," he said, adding that electric cars would be more affordable if the ban is enforced.
"Transportation with your own car shouldn’t be something that only rich people can afford," he said.
Other countries are enacting legislation to address air pollution as well. The major political parties of Norway discussed a similar measure to ban internal-combustion powered cars in June. One in three cars in Norway are electric, thanks to generous tax incentives for people who purchase electric vehicles. Norway is also home to Europe’s first Tesla supercharging stations.
Paris enforced a ban on all cars made before 1997 in June.
