(Shown in photo: the Porsche Mission E)
Germany is known for making some of the best cars in the world. Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Porsche, and Volkswagen are just some of the top brands that come to mind when thinking German. So it comes as a bit of a surprise to learn that this very same country could change the face of the automobile forever.
According to a news report by Der Spiegel, the Bundestrat or Upper House of Parliament has moved to implement a total ban on the internal combustion engine by the year 2030. This means only zero-emissions vehicles will be sold after that.
The move stems from the worsening effects of global warming and climate change that is plaguing not just Germany but the whole world as well. Older diesel cars, for instance, have been under fire in the country and may likewise become extinct from their roads. Moreover, the Bundestrat is urging its neighbors in the European Union to follow its lead and enact similr legislation.
While all this sounds great for the air we breathe, the flipside is that it puts thousands of auto industry jobs in jeopardy. In case you didn’t know, it only takes a tenth of the manpower to assemble an electric motor vis-à-vis a similar gasoline or diesel mill.
But if the move does push through (which is most likely), car nuts need not worry too much. Carmakers are hard at work finding the right balance between environment friendly and performance motoring. Cars like the electric Porsche Mission E, Volkswagen I.D. and the like are proof of this. And they could be out by 2020—more than enough time to fix any bugs in the system before the fossil fuel lump goes out of style.
