(Bloomberg) -- Denmark will ban the sale of new fossil-fueled cars in 2030 and aims to have more than 1 million electric or hybrid vehicles on its roads by then, Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told parliament on Tuesday.
Denmark is the latest Nordic country to make this kind of announcement as governments seek to honor their commitments in the global fight against climate change.
“I'm all for cars, but they shouldn't ruin the environment,” Rasmussen told reporters after his speech. While Denmark has no car industry of its own, the prime minister said he planned to join forces with like-minded European nations in order to add pressure on carmakers to boost the supply of non-polluting vehicles.
Energy Minister Lars Christian Lilleholt said the government will make a proposal designed to make electric cars cheaper next week as part of a wider climate policy initiative. The government may also decide to allow electric cars to drive in bus lanes to incentivize their use, Lilleholt said.
Read more on Danish plans to reconsider electric car subsidies
Sales of non-polluting vehicles fell dramatically in Denmark after Rasmussen's center-right government phased out subsidies, citing budget constraints and the desire to level the playing field.
To contact the reporter on this story: Peter Levring in Copenhagen at plevring1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jonas Bergman at jbergman@bloomberg.net, Nick Rigillo
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