Israel to ban the sale of all petrol and diesel cars by 2030

Israel has announced a plan to outlaw the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, putting all conventional combustion engines on the critically endangered list as the country moves to EVs and natural gas-powered trucks.

Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz first flagged the plan back in February, announcing at an energy conference that his government would oversee a broader shift to renewable energy, citing a report that found 2500 Israelis died from air pollution in 2015.

The plan, which is expected to be approved by the end of the year, also includes demanding fuel companies change their refuelling infrastructure to include charging stations, and to reduce the tax charged on electric car sales to "almost zero".

“We are already encouraging by funding charging stations, more than 2000 around the country," Steinitz told news organisation Reuters. "From 2030 we won't allow anymore the import of diesel or gasoline cars to Israel.

"We are forcing companies to bring electric cars to Israel and for oil and gasoline companies to shift to charging stations in their gasoline or petrol stations."

According to government modelling, there will be some 177,000 electric vehicles on the road in Israel by 2025, compared to the less than 100 vehicles on the road today. And with government incentives in full effect, that number is expected to soar to 1.5 million by 2030 - the year the ban could be put in place.

Israel is hardly alone in its thinking, with countries across the world either announcing or currently considering similar bans. The UK, for example, is working toward a 2040 deadline for all new petrol and diesel vehicles, the same timeline as France, with Norway, the Netherlands, India and others either setting similar targets or announcing similar bans.

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