On July 1st next year, Paris will take the first step in a strategy that will completely free the city from fossil-fueled vehicles in just over ten years.

The Paris regional parliament decided this week to ban all diesel cars older than 20 years. These cars are being completely removed from central Paris and its 79 surrounding municipalities.

According to local media, 800,000 vehicle owners with diesel vehicles registered in the Paris area are affected. Add to this an unknown number of car owners outside the ban area with recurring cases to Paris. There is still no decision on what will happen to the cars, voices are raised for some type of compensation or redemption program.

In 2021, the driving ban in this zone will be extended to diesel cars registered between 2001 and 2004, the following year to model years 2006 and 2010, and by 2025, all diesel cars, regardless of how clean they are, will be banned. Five years later, Paris will be completely free of vehicles powered by petrol or diesel.

Apart from France, and mainly Paris, similar bans exist or are planned in cities in Germany, Italy, Spain and Mexico. Greece was the most outspoken with a diesel ban in Athens and Thessaloniki that was in effect until 2011. The economic crisis and pressure from the local car market led to the ban being withdrawn. It has now been announced that it will be reintroduced in 2025.

Source: di.se