Seoul phasing out diesel and gasoline car sales by 2035

Seoul intends to play an active role in Korea’s environmental action by developing a local version of Korea’s Green New Deal. For transport, it means that new diesel and gasoline cars can’t be registered from 2035.

The phase-out of fossil fuel car sales by 2035 will ensure that all vehicles on Seoul’s road are emission-free by 2050. It supports a city-wide transition kicked off by the Seoul’s Green Transportation Zone, a low-emission zone in the main center.

The public bus fleet is currently being replaced by electric buses and the goal is to have more than 4,000 electric (or fuel-cell electric) buses by 2025. Seoul was the first city in the world to introduce commercially used electric battery buses.

The goal to phase out the sales of diesel and gasoline cars supports Korea’s ambition in achieving a 33% share in sales of zero-emission vehicles by 2030. While the transition to electric and hydrogen vehicles is important, more actions are needed to ensure that the energy is provided through renewable energy. Currently, coal is still a major source of Korea’s power and initial plans for hydrogen use in transport rely heavily on natural gas.

Source: Autoherald