Europe Is Going 100% Electric in 2035 - Here's How to Get It Done!

First the European Union, now New Jersey. The world is swiftly following California's lead, aiming for zero emissions from new cars and vans by 2035. Here's a look at the latest headlines heralding the end of combustion engines — and what actually needs to happen to get us there.

The EU Votes, New Jersey Follows

The European Parliament voted to ban gasoline and diesel engines in all new cars and light-duty vehicles from 2035, across all 27 EU member states. Just a day later, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced plans to accelerate the state's zero-emissions target, aiming for 100% clean energy vehicles and prohibiting the sale of new ICE cars.

The EU ban has caused considerable debate. In Germany — home to Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes — workers fear job losses as manufacturers prepare to electrify their lineups. Ford Motor Company already announced significant European workforce cuts, hitting Germany and the UK the hardest. While the transition to EVs is expected to create far more green jobs by 2035, that's little comfort to workers facing near-term displacement.

What It Will Take

If the world truly intends to outlaw greenhouse-gas-emitting new cars within the next 12 years, an enormous list of changes needs to happen — quickly. According to researchers at UC Berkeley's 2035 Report 2.0, it's achievable with the right policy and coordinated effort from governments, automakers, and utilities. As co-author Amol Phadke put it: "It's not going to be easy, but it's achievable."

The key areas that need urgent action include: scaling EV production to grow from 800,000 annual US sales in 2022 to 15 million; upgrading electricity grids to handle tens of millions of new EVs; expanding green power generation through wind, solar, nuclear, and hydro; building out a charging network to rival today's gas station infrastructure; requiring EV-ready charging points in new buildings — from offices to multi-unit dwellings to malls; training sufficient maintenance staff to service the growing charger network; and expanding the range of affordable EVs to make electrification accessible to lower-income households.

The path is clear. The urgency is real. What's needed now is sustained political will and coordinated investment across all levels of government and industry.