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Germany's High Court Rules Cities Can Ban Older Diesels
William Maley posted an article in Automotive Industry
Germany's highest court, the Federal Administrative Court ruled today that cities can ban older diesel vehicles to help cut pollution. According to Reuters, the case was brought to the Federal Administrative Court after local courts ordered the Düsseldorf and Stuttgart governments to ban older diesel vehicles. The states disagreed with this decision and appealed it to the highest court. Originally, the Federal Administrative Court was expected to rule on the case last week, but it was pushed back. In the ruling, the court said the two cities should introduce the bans gradually and exemptions can be made for certain types of vehicles like ambulances. “It will not be easy to implement,” said Fritz Kuhn, mayor of Stuttgart during a press conference. Kuhn added that it would likely take six months for the regional government to agree on a plan. The decision was welcomed by environmental groups. “It’s a great day for clean air in Germany,” said Jürgen Resch of the environmental group DUH. But a number of politicians and business lobbies disagree with the decision, saying it could deprive a number of drivers across the country, many who might not be able to replace them. “The court has not issued any driving bans but created clarity about the law. Driving bans can be avoided, and my goal is and will remain that they do not come into force,” said Germany's environment minister, Barbara Hendricks. Hendricks told Reuters that she hopes cities are able to find other ways to improve air quality. One example she brought up is to retrofit exhaust treatment systems to older diesel vehicles. As to who would pay for it, Hendricks said it should be the automakers since they sold the vehicles in the first place. German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed the bans were localized and wouldn't affect most drivers in the country. The ban could cause German automakers a number of headaches as it would likely cause sales of diesel vehicles to drop even further, along with decreasing the resale value of them. Source: Reuters, (2), The Guardian -
Germany's highest court, the Federal Administrative Court ruled today that cities can ban older diesel vehicles to help cut pollution. According to Reuters, the case was brought to the Federal Administrative Court after local courts ordered the Düsseldorf and Stuttgart governments to ban older diesel vehicles. The states disagreed with this decision and appealed it to the highest court. Originally, the Federal Administrative Court was expected to rule on the case last week, but it was pushed back. In the ruling, the court said the two cities should introduce the bans gradually and exemptions can be made for certain types of vehicles like ambulances. “It will not be easy to implement,” said Fritz Kuhn, mayor of Stuttgart during a press conference. Kuhn added that it would likely take six months for the regional government to agree on a plan. The decision was welcomed by environmental groups. “It’s a great day for clean air in Germany,” said Jürgen Resch of the environmental group DUH. But a number of politicians and business lobbies disagree with the decision, saying it could deprive a number of drivers across the country, many who might not be able to replace them. “The court has not issued any driving bans but created clarity about the law. Driving bans can be avoided, and my goal is and will remain that they do not come into force,” said Germany's environment minister, Barbara Hendricks. Hendricks told Reuters that she hopes cities are able to find other ways to improve air quality. One example she brought up is to retrofit exhaust treatment systems to older diesel vehicles. As to who would pay for it, Hendricks said it should be the automakers since they sold the vehicles in the first place. German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed the bans were localized and wouldn't affect most drivers in the country. The ban could cause German automakers a number of headaches as it would likely cause sales of diesel vehicles to drop even further, along with decreasing the resale value of them. Source: Reuters, (2), The Guardian View full article
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California is considering joining France and Great Britain in banning the sale of gas and diesel-powered vehicles. Governor Jerry Brown has been expressing an interest in banning the sale of internal-combustion engines according to Mary Nichols, chariman of the California Air Resources Board. “I’ve gotten messages from the governor asking, ‘Why haven’t we done something already?’ The governor has certainly indicated an interest in why China can do this and not California,” she said to Bloomberg. As we reported earlier this month, China is also considering a ban on internal combustion engines. California has set an ambitious goal reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. “To reach the ambitious levels of reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, we have to pretty much replace all combustion with some form of renewable energy by 2040 or 2050. We’re looking at that as a method of moving this discussion forward,” said Nichols. If California was to go forward with this, it would send massive shockwaves in the automotive industry due to the size of state's auto market. Last year, more than 2 million new passenger vehicles were registered, topping countries like France and Spain. Automakers would be under new pressure on making EVs the standard. But that doesn't mean California will have an easy time with this. While the state has the authority of writing its own pollution rules thanks to the 1970 Clean Air Act, they cannot be enacted with getting waivers from the EPA. With the Trump administration going on record that it would challenge California on any new environmental act, the state is looking for alternative ways to get what they want. “We certainly wouldn’t expect to get a waiver for that from EPA. I think we would be looking at using some of our other authorities to get to that result,” said Nichols. Nichols did say it will be a long time before something like this is implemented. “There are people who believe, including who work for me, that you could stop all sales of new internal-combustion cars by 2030. Some people say 2035, some people say 2040. It’s awfully hard to predict any of that with precision, but it doesn’t appear to be out of the question.” Source: Bloomberg View full article
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California is considering joining France and Great Britain in banning the sale of gas and diesel-powered vehicles. Governor Jerry Brown has been expressing an interest in banning the sale of internal-combustion engines according to Mary Nichols, chariman of the California Air Resources Board. “I’ve gotten messages from the governor asking, ‘Why haven’t we done something already?’ The governor has certainly indicated an interest in why China can do this and not California,” she said to Bloomberg. As we reported earlier this month, China is also considering a ban on internal combustion engines. California has set an ambitious goal reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. “To reach the ambitious levels of reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, we have to pretty much replace all combustion with some form of renewable energy by 2040 or 2050. We’re looking at that as a method of moving this discussion forward,” said Nichols. If California was to go forward with this, it would send massive shockwaves in the automotive industry due to the size of state's auto market. Last year, more than 2 million new passenger vehicles were registered, topping countries like France and Spain. Automakers would be under new pressure on making EVs the standard. But that doesn't mean California will have an easy time with this. While the state has the authority of writing its own pollution rules thanks to the 1970 Clean Air Act, they cannot be enacted with getting waivers from the EPA. With the Trump administration going on record that it would challenge California on any new environmental act, the state is looking for alternative ways to get what they want. “We certainly wouldn’t expect to get a waiver for that from EPA. I think we would be looking at using some of our other authorities to get to that result,” said Nichols. Nichols did say it will be a long time before something like this is implemented. “There are people who believe, including who work for me, that you could stop all sales of new internal-combustion cars by 2030. Some people say 2035, some people say 2040. It’s awfully hard to predict any of that with precision, but it doesn’t appear to be out of the question.” Source: Bloomberg -
Britain To Ban Gas and Diesel Vehicle Sales By 2040
William Maley posted an article in Automotive Industry
Great Britain is planning to ban the sale of conventional gas and diesel vehicles from 2040 to help reduce air pollution. The government announced this in a paper published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). "There should be no new diesel or petrol vehicles by 2040," said environment minister Michael Gove to BBC Radio. This is part of the government's £2.7bn blueprint for tackling air pollution. This includes investments going towards building out a charging infrastructure, more efficient public transport, and promoting walking and bicycling. It needs to be noted that the ban will not affect models with hybrid and plug-in hybrid drivetrains - early reports said all gas and diesel vehicles would be banned. This announcement comes a few weeks after France made a similar announcement to ban gas vehicles by 2040. Source: Reuters -
Great Britain is planning to ban the sale of conventional gas and diesel vehicles from 2040 to help reduce air pollution. The government announced this in a paper published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). "There should be no new diesel or petrol vehicles by 2040," said environment minister Michael Gove to BBC Radio. This is part of the government's £2.7bn blueprint for tackling air pollution. This includes investments going towards building out a charging infrastructure, more efficient public transport, and promoting walking and bicycling. It needs to be noted that the ban will not affect models with hybrid and plug-in hybrid drivetrains - early reports said all gas and diesel vehicles would be banned. This announcement comes a few weeks after France made a similar announcement to ban gas vehicles by 2040. Source: Reuters View full article
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Members of Germany's government have passed a resolution that could mean the end of gas and diesel vehicles. German newspaper Der Spiegel reports that the Germany's legislative body, the Bundesrat (represents all sixteen states in the country) passed a resolution to ban the sale of gas and diesel engines in 2030. After that, only zero-emission vehicles will be allowed to be built. The resolution also calls on the European Union to follow in their footsteps. But the Bundesrat doesn't have any direct authority over the EU. However, Forbes points out that Germany has the largest government and most powerful economy in the EU. This means any legislation that goes through Germany will in turn influence the EU. In the resolution, the Bundesrat requests the EU to "review the current practices of taxation and dues with regard to a stimulation of emission-free mobility." Forbes notes this would include possibly scrapping the lower taxes a number of member states employ for diesel. Higher taxes would likely cause people to avoid diesel vehicles. Source: Der Spiegel, Forbes -
Members of Germany's government have passed a resolution that could mean the end of gas and diesel vehicles. German newspaper Der Spiegel reports that the Germany's legislative body, the Bundesrat (represents all sixteen states in the country) passed a resolution to ban the sale of gas and diesel engines in 2030. After that, only zero-emission vehicles will be allowed to be built. The resolution also calls on the European Union to follow in their footsteps. But the Bundesrat doesn't have any direct authority over the EU. However, Forbes points out that Germany has the largest government and most powerful economy in the EU. This means any legislation that goes through Germany will in turn influence the EU. In the resolution, the Bundesrat requests the EU to "review the current practices of taxation and dues with regard to a stimulation of emission-free mobility." Forbes notes this would include possibly scrapping the lower taxes a number of member states employ for diesel. Higher taxes would likely cause people to avoid diesel vehicles. Source: Der Spiegel, Forbes View full article
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With more and more companies test autonomous technologies on public roads, there comes a question of safety of other motorists. A new proposal by the California Department of Motor Vehicles would put an outright ban “driverless” cars that travel with no humans onboard. Automotive News reports the proposal would require all autonomous vehicles to have a steering wheel and pedals when driving on California's public roads. Furthermore, a licensed driver with an “autonomous vehicle operator certificate” will need to be in front of the controls in case something goes wrong. California DMV Director Jean Shiomoto said in a statement the main concern for the department is “the safety of autonomous vehicles and the safety of the public who will share the road with these vehicles.” If this proposal goes into effect, it could cause automakers and technology companies to look elsewhere for their first deployment of self-driving vehicles. Google, one the companies who is hard at work on autonomous technologies decried the proposal, saying it would hold back technology that could prevent crashes and improve mobility for those who can't drive. “Safety is our highest priority and primary motivator as we do this. We’re gravely disappointed that California is already writing a ceiling on the potential for fully self-driving cars to help all of us who live here,” Google spokesman Johnny Luu wrote in an e-mail. The proposal also would require autonomous vehicles to meet new performance and safety requirements, with testing and certification done by a third-party auditor. To get a three-year operating permit, manufacturers will need to submit reports on the safety and usage of their autonomous vehicles. “Given the potential risks associated with deployment of such a new technology, [the] DMV believes that manufacturers need to obtain more experience in testing driverless vehicles on public roads prior to making this technology available to the general public,” the DMV said in a statement. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) View full article
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California DMV Is Proposing A Ban On 'Driverless' Vehicles
William Maley posted an article in Automotive Industry
With more and more companies test autonomous technologies on public roads, there comes a question of safety of other motorists. A new proposal by the California Department of Motor Vehicles would put an outright ban “driverless” cars that travel with no humans onboard. Automotive News reports the proposal would require all autonomous vehicles to have a steering wheel and pedals when driving on California's public roads. Furthermore, a licensed driver with an “autonomous vehicle operator certificate” will need to be in front of the controls in case something goes wrong. California DMV Director Jean Shiomoto said in a statement the main concern for the department is “the safety of autonomous vehicles and the safety of the public who will share the road with these vehicles.” If this proposal goes into effect, it could cause automakers and technology companies to look elsewhere for their first deployment of self-driving vehicles. Google, one the companies who is hard at work on autonomous technologies decried the proposal, saying it would hold back technology that could prevent crashes and improve mobility for those who can't drive. “Safety is our highest priority and primary motivator as we do this. We’re gravely disappointed that California is already writing a ceiling on the potential for fully self-driving cars to help all of us who live here,” Google spokesman Johnny Luu wrote in an e-mail. The proposal also would require autonomous vehicles to meet new performance and safety requirements, with testing and certification done by a third-party auditor. To get a three-year operating permit, manufacturers will need to submit reports on the safety and usage of their autonomous vehicles. “Given the potential risks associated with deployment of such a new technology, [the] DMV believes that manufacturers need to obtain more experience in testing driverless vehicles on public roads prior to making this technology available to the general public,” the DMV said in a statement. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)
