When Will Electric Cars Be Mandatory? (Timeline & Numbers)

Many countries are considering a ramp-up of electric vehicles in the near future, which means the number of combustion engine vehicles is going to steadily decrease in the near future.

On this page, you will find information about the timeline and numbers on when electric vehicles will be made mandatory.

When Will Electric Cars Be Mandatory?

Vehicle manufacturers have their own timeline for rolling out electric vehicles, however, you can expect certain parts of the world, especially some European countries, to have electric vehicles become mandatory in the next 15-20 years.

When should we expect all new cars to be 100% electric?

According to the BBC, three-fifths of vehicles manufactured by the end of 2030 must be electric to preserve the environment.

It’s possible that older gasoline vehicles will still persist on the roads, but to meet greenhouse gas targets in the near future, countries are planning on creating environmental-friendly policies like:

• limiting plastic waste,
• reducing fuel consumption,
• and increasing the number of EVs on the road.

Research shows that by 2050 all new vehicles will be 100% percent electric.

EVs have a lower running cost than gasoline vehicles.

Even with one-third of the running cost, economic researchers state that by the end of 2045, the entire U.S will require an estimate of 2 million charging points at home and in public areas.

The current global production of Lithium is 98,000 tonnes; if the U.S ramps up electric vehicles, they will require Lithium production of 55,000 tonnes.

In Washington, all vehicles sold by 2030 must be electric, given that the current number of EVs in the state is 52,000.

We see a huge push for electric cars politically these years.

Since conventional gasoline vehicles are statistically more reliable, it will take years for a complete fleer turnover (moving from gasoline-powered vehicles to EVs) to drastically impact greenhouse emissions because there’s no definite analysis of when gasoline-powered vehicles will completely cease to exist.

From all this, you start thinking that gas-driven cars don’t have a future.

Is the development going as fast as planned?

Industry observers believe that the world has already encompassed the tipping point of electric vehicle sales, overwhelming the sales of conventional diesel and gasoline vehicles.

Many vehicle brands such as Jaguar and Lotus have shared their plans for how they’ll completely shift to selling electric vehicles by 2025.

Several other auto manufacturers such as GMC and Ford have also given statements on converting to an all-electric brand by 2035.

Here is a list of the first states discussing to ban gas-driven cars.

In addition, many governments around the world are issuing policies banning petrol and diesel-powered vehicles in the near future.

That ban will give impetus to the whole process of fleet turnover.

Stocks show that more than 10 million electric vehicles will already be on the road in 2020. If this pace remains consistent, the world will have no problem switching to an all-electric transportation system.

In the U.S, about 295,000 vehicles were bought in 2020 after a rapid decline in new vehicle registrations in the last year.

78% of the cars registered were BEVs.

Federal tax credits also decreased in 2020 for brands like Tesla and General Motors, which boosted electric car registrations.

That said, we are already seeing the market for electric cars change and we expect electric cars to really take off over the next 10 years.

According to research, if the world remains struggling with climate change, the production of electric cars will be 220 million in 2030.

In a more optimistic scenario, the number of electric cars on the road will be 125 million by 2030.

More and more people are buying electric vehicles in the U.S, even those who purchase on credit and don’t have a disposable amount of money to spend.

According to the IEA, the world’s fleet will reach a mark of 2 billion electric vehicles in the period between 2035-2045.

Will the U.S. government put an end to gas-driven cars?

The 2009 U.S government initiated a program through which American rebates could turn in their older cars for newer ones.

The government spent around $2.9 billion to help car owners have more fuel-efficient cars. Studies show that if policymakers electrify ride-sharing programs, it adds pace to the total fleet turnover.

A few democrats propose that reviving the “Cash for Clunkers” program with a shift to electric vehicles will reduce the time it takes for electric vehicles to rule the road. 

The U.S government plans to put an end to all gas-powered vehicles by the end of 2035.

Jay Inslee already signed the Washington State bill in April to ban most of the non-electric car models by 2030.

The U.S government also plans to minimize purchases of gasoline-powered vehicles in a move to lower emissions and preserve the environment.

Joe Biden, the President of the U.S, has ordered the promotion of electric vehicles. The U.S government annually purchases around 50,000 vehicles and owns more than 650,000 vehicles. Biden’s executive order states that all light-duty vehicles acquired by the government will be emission-free by the end of 2027.

Under this scheme, the total emissions generated by federal government operations will be reduced to 65% by 2030.

The U.S government is seeking to utilize electricity from non-polluting and carbon-free resources by 2030 on a net annual basis. The government plans to have net-zero emissions by 2050.

In January 2020, Biden vowed to replace all federal fleets with electric vehicles because he believes that the government is the largest energy consumer, employer, and owner of vehicles in the entire nation.

We might also start to see gas becoming harder to get by 2035 as electric cars take over.

How long will gas vehicles be sold?

Today, the amount of gasoline-powered vehicles bought in America is roughly 17 million.

After Biden’s consecutive order, those cars and light trucks will be sold for another 10 to 20 years.

Even with the presence of electric vehicles, many gasoline, petrol, and diesel-powered vehicles are being sold and resold in used markets.

Many industry observers still believe that gasoline-powered cars will remain dominant even in 2040 due to their lost cost repairs and less breakdown on road ratios.

By a rough estimate, about 1 billion cars on the planet use petrol and diesel as fuels today.

Experts expect around 78% of the vehicles in the U.S to continue running on gasoline for another quarter of this century.

Most auto industry and energy analysts estimate that if the U.S currently has 250 million cars registered, it would mean that in the next 25 years, electric automobile brands will have to sell around 2.5 million electric cars and 2.5 plug-in hybrids.

Even though gas-powered vehicles won’t be going away anytime soon, many expect electric vehicles to become the majority in the next decade, considering the federal provisions and the changing policies of multiple car brands in the world.

Will combustion engines be banned?

Many countries in Europe and the UK have proposed bans on internal combustion engines in the coming years to avoid any environmental hazards due to harmful emissions.

The U.S government has also given a strict timeline for the ICE ban for a gradual switch to electric vehicles.

However, many researchers declare that a gradual shift to electric vehicles will not impact the environment as hoped. The process must be accelerated by all means for a drastic impact on greenhouse gas emissions.

As electric vehicle sales are climbing, the ban on ICE is approaching gradually. Industry experts say that by 2033, electric vehicle sales will surpass conventional gasoline vehicle sales.

It is estimated that non-electric vehicles will only account for 1 percent of car sales by the end of 2045.

Although the U.S government didn’t issue a binding date for the ICE ban, the Biden administration has been working with the vehicle manufacturers since 2021 to meet the goals of making a switch to electric vehicles.

The goal of the Biden administration is to have at least 50% of the vehicles operating in the U.S shift to electric by the start of 2030 and progress further gradually.

What states are pushing the most for electric cars?

President Joe Biden has been reluctant to receive calls from California to ban non-electric vehicles amid his executive order on provisions to accelerate the process of fleet turnover in the country.

Many states in the U.S are making commendable efforts for electric vehicle adoption and maintaining a clean atmosphere.

Following are the states in the U.S pushing the most for electric vehicles.

• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Washington and Washington D.C
• Colorado
• Vermont
• California

According to a report issued in March, California had successfully outpaced other states in electric vehicles.

The state of California has been effectively planning infrastructure for charging stations.

What happens if you just bought a gas-driven vehicle?

Although buying a gas-powered vehicle is no crime today, it may still benefit you in numerous ways.

In the present era, it makes sense to purchase gasoline vehicles because many electric vehicle drivers complain about waiting hours in line for a charge on the weekend.

The limited number of charging stations around the entire country is the prime contributing factor that may even subside the whole nation’s shift to electric vehicles if not solved in time.

As mentioned above, many states are making provisions to design infrastructure around the state that will support electric vehicles in the near future.

As for now, electric vehicles don’t effectively contribute to preserving the environment and can become a handful sometimes too.

After a while, you could even consider converting the gasoline-powered vehicle into an electric vehicle. 

Besides the zero-emissions benefit, it is true that electric vehicles are cheaper to service than gasoline vehicles.

Multiple factors contribute when you think about a gasoline-to-electric vehicle conversion, but it’s not impossible.

Automobile experts say that with the right replacements, a gasoline-to-electric conversion will cost you around $7000 to $25000 dollars depending on the make and model of the vehicle.

Will you still be able to drive a classic car?

It’s evident that car brands such as Ford are recreating all their car models to be electric. So there’s no doubt that, even in the future, anyone will be able to purchase a classic vehicle.

Many people even consider converting their classic vehicles into electric vehicles themselves if they have a special attachment to the vehicle.

With the increasing number of electric models arriving in showrooms, the car industry has taken a swift turn toward electrification.

Classic vehicle fanatics debate whether or not they’ll be able to purchase classic vehicles after the automobile industry shifts to a complete electric state.

With increasing operations to convert classic cars into electric, industry experts allow drivers to have the same classic experience just with zero emissions.

Will we see raised taxes on gas?

With electric vehicles taking over the market, there will be a time when driving a vehicle that emits toxic gasses will be considered wrong and stopped.

Hence, gas taxes have a direct relationship with the governmental provisions to limit the use of ICE (Internal Combustion Engines) and promote electric vehicles for a safer future.

Many believe that the gas tax requires reform with more electric vehicles on the road now and the number will keep on increasing in the near future.

Industry experts say that rather than noticing an increase in gas taxes if the entire nation has all-electric vehicles, the tax will be replaced by VMT (Vehicle Miles Tax).

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