Policies by France, Volvo could shake up market for gasoline, diesel vehicles, researcher says

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LAWRENCE — France's government is seeking to end the sale of gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2040.Swedish automaker The Volvo Group also recently announced an ambitious plan that all of its cars would be fully electric or hybrid by 2019, meaning no more vehicles solely powered by an internal-combustion engine would come off a Volvo production line by 2020.

Policymakers to automakers to climate change advocates will be watching these developments to see what they possibly could mean for the future of fossil-fuel powered vehicles.

Bradley Lane, assistant professor in the University of Kansas School of Public Affairs & Administration, discusses policy issues related to production and use of internal-combustion engines and alternative vehicles and fuels, including the recent decisions by France and Volvo. Lane's research interests include public policy and transportation, including travel behavior, electric vehicles, fuel prices and public transport.

Q: What is the significance of a government-driven policy decision in France seeking to move away from sale of gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2040? And also, a business, Volvo, to commit to manufacture all vehicles as electric or hybrid by 2019?

Lane: I think each of these moves has its own, separate significance. France moving away from selling gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2040, and other such mandates — such as India going all electric by 2030 — is another logical step in a long-term series of targets that many state actors have employed to incentivize not just the purchase and adoption of these vehicles, but also investment in the technological development and production of these vehicles.

Such targets are appealing to policy makers and government actors because in addition to providing a direction for the market to go, they are far enough on the horizon so that failing to meet them doesn't cause electoral or public relations harm in a way that a goal of, say, military action in the next 18 months would. By 2040, even relatively ...

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