The Netherlands isn't kidding around when it comes to an emission free future.

Plug-in electric car sales in the Netherlands (data source: EV Sales Blog) – December 2015

In a majority vote, the lower house of Dutch parliament supported a motion to no longer allow new sales of petrol or diesel cars from 2025. The action was brought by the PvdA, which would bring forward Netherland's commitment to full electric transportation by decades.

If followed through on (via a Labour motion for the Cabinet's support), in 2025 only sustainable, zero-emission cars will be available to be purchased.

We assume those still individuals and businesses requiring petrol vehicles (that are yet to be offered via a plug) will have to rely on the used segment of the market from this point on.

While there is obviously a lot of disagreement over such a radical plan, PvdA leader Diederik Samsom thinks the plan is completely feasible.

Reports the NL Times on the reaction from opponents:

Coalition partner VVD finds the motion overambitious and unrealistic. VVD Minister Henk Kamp of Economic Affairs thinks that at most 15 percent of all sold cars can be completely electric in 2025. Party leader Halbe Zijlstra thinks the plan contradicts the Energy Agreement. “It seems crazy to get this plan to work. I think we’ll have to withdraw from the Energy Agreement”, he said.

Which is refuted by PvdA leader Diederik Samsom, who disagrees.

He (Sampsom) thinks the plan is completely feasible – technology in this area is advancing at a rapid pace and other countries are already ahead of the Netherlands. The plan also has nothing to do with the energy agreement, according to him. “That agreement runs until 2023, we are free in what we do after that. We are ambitious, perhaps other parties are less so”, he said, according to the broadcaster."

Last year in Paris, eight US states and five countries (one of which being the Netherlands) joined the International Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Alliance, pledging to make all new passenger vehicles sales electric by 2050.

In 2015, the Netherlands saw over 43,000 new plug-ins purchased, out of some 449,347 registrations, good for a 9.6% market share.

We could only imagine the reaction if the US, or other major auto producing country, also made a commitment such as this.

NOS