UK to ban sale of non-hybrid fossil fuel cars from 2030, report says

LONDON -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to announce next week a ban on the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars from 2030, five years earlier than previously planned, the Financial Times reported.

The new timetable is not expected to apply to plug-in hybrid cars that use a mixture of electric and gasoline or diesel fuel and could still be sold until 2035, the paper said in a report on Saturday.

Britain had originally planned to ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel-powered cars from 2040, as part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and in February Johnson brought this forward to 2035.

Citing unidentified industry and government figures, the Financial Times said Johnson now intended to move the date forward again to 2030 in a speech on environmental policy he is expected to give next week.

The BBC reported a similar plan earlier on Saturday, without giving any sources.

A Downing Street spokeswoman declined to comment on the reports or the content of Johnson's upcoming speech.

An end to the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars would mark a huge shift in Britain's automotive market.

Industry figures show that gasoline  and diesel powered cars accounted for 73.6 percent of new car sales so far this year, while just 5.5 percent sales were for pure electric vehicles, which are typically more expensive. Hybrid vehicles of various types made up the remaining sales.