More German Cities Ban Older Diesels, & BMW Tells America: “No Diesels For You!”
A recent court ruling requires that the city of Frankfurt ban older diesel cars that comply with the Euro 4 and Euro 5 standards. Current cars must comply with the Euro 6 standard, which is about to be tightened yet again in the very near future. The court ruling requires Frankfurt to act by February of next year.
Diesel is almost a religion in Germany. Despite similar court rulings in other German cities going back as far as 2012, local officials have often refused to abide by those decisions, leading to speculation that some of those courts might resort to jail terms to enforce their orders.
According to a report by Funke Media Group and republished by Handlesblatt, if all German cities with the highest air pollution levels decide to implement similar bans, up to 1.3 million diesel cars could be prohibited from driving in those urban areas. According to the Ministry of Transport, there are currently 475,000 cars that comply with the Euro 4 emissions standard registered in the 43 most heavily polluted German cities. There are another 840,000 cars that meet the Euro 5 standard.
Meanwhile, BMW has announced it will not sell any more diesels in the US. Instead, any models that now have a diesel option will be replaced by plug-in hybrids. BMW diesels are only a tiny percentage of US sales, but removing the oil burners from the lineup is one more indication of the headwinds that are gathering for diesel engine proponents. BMW spokesman Alexander Schmuck tells the press, “We are putting all our eggs in the PHEV basket.”
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More German Cities Ban Older Diesels, & BMW Tells America: “No Diesels For You!” | CleanTechnica Up to 1.3 million older diesel cars in Germany could be barred from driving in 43 cities and towns if recent court orders are enforced |