UK: Ban on internal combustion vehicles from 2035 with no exceptions

At the beginning of June this year, the EU Parliament decided on the so-called combustion engine phase-out from 2035 in the European Union, according to which only new carbon-free cars and vans will be allowed to enter the car market of the member states from 2035. However, motorbikes and their emissions will be ignored. Good news, perhaps, for those motorbike enthusiasts who are still attached to their combustion engine, but not for the environment.  

After watching the developments of the internal combustion ban in mainland Europe, the post-Brexit British government is not convinced of the path taken by the Union. Instead, the UK is announcing plans for an even stricter ban on new registrations against internal combustion vehicles from 2035. Unlike the European strategy, motorised two-wheelers would be equally affected by this, as they are also responsible for polluting emissions.  

In the eyes of British politicians, "no pollutants means no combustion", which in turn means a complete ban on combustion vehicles. It would be counterproductive to exclude some classes of vehicles, which also have more climate-friendly drive solutions, from the ban. Hence the UK's decision to take all internal combustion vehicles and the associated pollutants off the roads without exemption.  

Nothing will be allowed to be burned in the engine from 2035, including synthetic fuels made from hydrogen and carbon dioxide or bio-fuels. As they would be CO₂-neutral, but would lead to the creation of pollutants with carbon monoxide or dioxides. For motorbikes on the island, this will mean in concrete terms that new vehicles in categories A2 or A may no longer be sold from then on. For 125cc motorbikes, i.e. vehicles of the categories L3e to A1 with a maximum engine power of 11 kilowatts, the ban would be imposed even 5 years earlier, namely from 2030.  

However, not everyone seems to have liked the British ban on internal combustion engines. Critical voices were heard from some motorbike associations. "The government has not taken into account the complexity of the L-category sector in terms of what is and is not feasible when it comes to phasing out the other key segments of the market," said Tony Campbell, Chief Executive of Motorcycle Industry Association of Great Britain (MCIA). In particular, he said, the early sales freeze for 125cc bikes was not a good option for the motorbike industry.  

That the combustion engine will survive for some time in motorbikes is actually the opinion of the associations, as well as of entrepreneurs in the sector - such as the British Mahle Powertrain. "There is still potential to increase the efficiency of motorbike engines by further optimising the basic engine and using new technologies to reduce CO₂ emissions" says lead engineer Neil Fraser. To achieve this, he said, the solution must be found in the same performance based on the choice of fuel, as well as in the use of new technologies to reduce internal friction.  

It remains to be seen whether the industry will get the upper hand back - or whether the British government's plans for combustion engine motorbikes will come to fruition. What is clear, however, is that further restrictions on motorised two-wheelers will loom in Europe even before the implementation year of the combustion engine phase-out in the UK. From 2025 onwards, the city of Brussels plans to tighten the regulations of the low emission zone. Mopeds, motorbikes of classes L3-L7 and lorries will be included in the driving bans from then on. Further tightening for the period 2025-2036 is even already being planned in the Belgian capital, while low-emission mobility solutions are trying to gain a foothold in Europe.