Hear that? It’s the winds of change. Across the globe, automakers like Toyota are making promises to have all hybrid or electric vehicles in their lineup within the next few years. Tesla has become a household name in terms of automobiles, even though they only sell electric vehicles. It’s coming. We are going to see gas cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks phased out a bit more quickly than we thought. Soon the electric vehicle market will rise to the top and gas cars will become a thing of the past.

That V8 Toyota Sequoia powerhouse SUV? Nothing but a memory. Electric trucks will replace your diesel engine-powered Ford F-250 Heavy Duty pickup. You will have to give up your gas car sooner or later.

How long do we have until gas cars are phased out?

According to an article published earlier this year by Forbes, its all depends on how you look at it. The optimists in the game of reducing the use of fossil fuels are looking out ahead. Long term results stretched over a period of time accumulate exponentially. And that’s where we start to see big changes

“To pessimists, the EV revolution seems underwhelming. That’s because they underestimate the power of exponential growth.”

Wal van Lierop | Forbes

Electric vehicles make up less than half of the current global vehicle presence. However, due to the predicted exponential growth of that presence, BloombergNEF estimates that EWs could represent over half of the world’s passenger and light commercial vehicles sales by 2040. This may seem fast, but the ultra optimists apparently argue that these numbers could actually be an underestimation of what’s to come.

So when we think about the exponential growth of EV sales, it’s natural to consider the decline of gas car sales. The higher the demand for electric vehicles like Tesla models becomes, the demand for gas cars will in turn change. Given the information we have now, we can expect to see a drastic tip in the scale by 2040––at the very least.

Global governments are signaling the change to zero emissions

‘The internal combustion engine appears to be on its last lap. More than nine countries and a dozen cities or states have announced what the media has called “bans” in the last few years.’

Michael J Coren | Quartz

According to this article a couple of years ago when emissions bans were really starting heat up, things actually could change sooner than you think. Michael J Coren writes that “Copenhagen mayor Frank Jensen wants the city to end all new diesel cars starting next year.” Additionally, Athens, Madrid, Paris, and Mexico City have made statements to the coming phase-out of diesel cars and vans by 2025. The United Kindom plans to shift the market by 2050. Then, France by 2040, and Norway claims to have made the change by 2025. Brands like Tesla are about to get a lot more popular.

Automakers are shifting gears

As the market does indeed shift, carmakers are moving toward electric vehicle and hybrid passenger car production. This means moving away from gas car innovation. Even newer releases of gas cars, such as the all-new Ford Bronco or the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX, likely have future plans for a move into the future. Hybridization or electrification will likely happen eventually––whether we like it or not. Every automaker will make a move in the Tesla direction eventually. At some point in time, you’ll have to give up your gas car.