Internal combustion engines

3 March 2023

In mid-February this year, the European Parliament effectively moved to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the European Union from 2035.
  
There are special arrangements for small volume vehicle manufacturers and interim targets for cars and vans to be met but, effectively, the purchase of new petrol and diesel internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles has an end date. 

That’s only 12 years from now, and time is ticking...

The ramifications of this action for Australia may be reflected in the new electric vehicle (EV) car plan that is due for release before May this year. We’ll just have to wait and see. I, for one, am very interested in what our policymakers have up their sleeve and how industry can help assist and inform in order to ensure a smooth transition.

In the meantime, while maybe not popular with some, we should pause to consider what the motor car and the internal combustion engine have achieved over the past 130-odd years.

I’d say we – Australian motorists and industries – have been served pretty darn well.

The humble ICE has enabled us to travel great distances over relatively short periods of time.

It helped open up Australia’s hinterland and create huge economic benefits for our beautiful country, through the ingenuity of individuals and industry using engine power.
 
Internal combustion engines have powered fire engines, ambulances, and defence vehicles that helped keep Australia safe and thwart attacks from other nations.
 
ICEs are the backbone of our marine and mining industries too. Without them, we would be nowhere.

While time tells us change is inevitable, let’s not overlook what this great engineering feat has brought us, and the tenacity of the technicians who kept these engines running.

Words: VACC CEO Geoff Gwilym. As featured in the Herald Sun on 3 March 2023.