Long term planning is for letting the industry change before a ban is necessary.
It’s working just fine. Manufacturers are changing to EVs to avoid being caught in a future ban. Like OP said, there won’t be anything left to ban, because the politic is successful.
A shorter scope wouldn’t be as successful. If they banned fossil cars tomorrow, people would still drive them and the police couldn’t do anything but fine people all day long. It would also result in a massive opposition potentially postponing the decision indefinitely. It would probably also be in conflict with other laws in several countries. An immediate ban might infringe on the right to property or such.
Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mean a distant 2080 target means the fleet won’t shift - I just meant it’s a sign of political cowardice which doesn’t really benefit anyone, not least because, as you say, manufacturers need a stable predictable environment
The target doesn’t mean nothing happens until then. Car dealerships in the UK have a maximum quota of ICE cars they can sell before being hit with additional costs. That quota is decreasing over time until we reach the “ban” date.
A target that is more than 2 election cycles away isn’t a serious target - it’s a way of looking like they’re doing something without doing so
Long term planning is for letting the industry change before a ban is necessary.
It’s working just fine. Manufacturers are changing to EVs to avoid being caught in a future ban. Like OP said, there won’t be anything left to ban, because the politic is successful.
A shorter scope wouldn’t be as successful. If they banned fossil cars tomorrow, people would still drive them and the police couldn’t do anything but fine people all day long. It would also result in a massive opposition potentially postponing the decision indefinitely. It would probably also be in conflict with other laws in several countries. An immediate ban might infringe on the right to property or such.
Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mean a distant 2080 target means the fleet won’t shift - I just meant it’s a sign of political cowardice which doesn’t really benefit anyone, not least because, as you say, manufacturers need a stable predictable environment
The target doesn’t mean nothing happens until then. Car dealerships in the UK have a maximum quota of ICE cars they can sell before being hit with additional costs. That quota is decreasing over time until we reach the “ban” date.