France, Spain Latest to Pledge Halt to Gasoline-Driven Vehicle Sales

France and Spain on Thursday joined a pledge to stop sales of gasoline-driven vehicles by 2035, five years earlier than previously planned, part of efforts to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.
The countries made their pledges at the COP27 climate talks in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, among a group of new signatories to the Zero Emission Vehicles Declaration (ZEVD), launched at last year’s conference in Glasgow.
Signatories, including countries, municipalities and companies, pledged to shift to 100% sales of zero-emission vehicles by 2035 in leading markets and by 2040 across the globe.
Among a number of new corporate signatories were fleet owners Delta Electronic, Coca-Cola EUROPACIFC Partners and parts maker Valeo, the British government said in a statement.
The total number of signatories to the pledge now stands at 214, from 130 a year earlier. Going forward, the ZEVD would be overseen by a new group, the Accelerating to Zero Coalition, that aims to help signatories implement their commitment.