France and Spain join the commitment to stop the sale of gasoline vehicles

France and Spain joined a pledge on Thursday to stop selling gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035, five years ahead of schedule, as part of efforts to speed up the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The countries made their pledges at COP27 climate talks in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh, among a group of new signatories to the Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVD) declaration, launched at last year’s conference in Glasgow.

The signatories, including countries, municipalities and companies, committed to selling 100% zero-emission vehicles by 2035 in the main markets and by 2040 worldwide.

New corporate signatories include 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, up from 130 the previous year. From now on, the ZEVD will be overseen by a new group, the Coalition for Acceleration to Zero, whose aim is to help the signatories fulfill their commitment.

Alok Sharma, who was the president of COP26, said the commitment to zero emission vehicles “was an important milestone that brought together the main players to accelerate the transition.”

He added: “There are still tremendous opportunities in emerging markets and developing economies, which is why I am pleased to formally launch the Accelerating To Zero Coalition today.”