UK backs electrified, fresh diesel and petrol cars banned by 2040
Government’s clear air strategy to outline plans to phase out diesel and petrol cars
- 26 Jul 2017
The government has vowed to ban fresh diesel and petrol cars and vans from UK roads by two thousand forty in a bid to steer road users towards electrical and hybrid vehicles.
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The stir was confirmed today as part of the government’s plan to tackle air pollution, which has been linked to some 40,000 premature deaths per year, according to a two thousand sixteen report from the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
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The fresh initiative includes a £255m fund for urgent work to be carried out to tackle poor air quality, while a Clean Air Fund will help local councils deal with emissions from diesel vehicles on particularly polluted roads. Suggested measures include switching road layouts, re-programming traffic lights and removing speed bumps to cut emissions.
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"Today’s plan sets out how we will work with local authorities to tackle the effects of roadside pollution caused by dirty diesels, in particular nitrogen dioxide," said Environment Secretary Michael Gove. "This is one element of the government’s £3 billion programme to clean up the air and reduce vehicle emissions".
Aimed at reducing nitrogen oxide levels in the UK, the strategy aims to usher in a fresh era of clean transport but so far there is no clear plan for how older diesel vehicles will little by little be phased out. However, ministers are due to discuss a "targeted scrappage scheme" this later in the year, in readiness for 2018’s total Clean Air Strategy.
"We are taking bold act and want almost every car and van on UK roads to be zero emission by two thousand fifty which is why we’ve committed to investing more than £600m in the development, manufacture and use of ultra-low emission vehicles by 2020," said Transport Secretary Chris Grayling. "We are also putting forward proposals for van drivers to have the right to use stronger vehicles if they are electrical or gas-powered, making it lighter for businesses to opt for cleaner commercial vehicles".
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A £40 million Clean Bus Technology Fund grant scheme to limit emissions from up to two thousand three hundred fifty older buses was also announced.
Industry experts are keen to avoid an outright ban on diesel vehicles and there is also concern that ownership of electrical and hybrid cars is still at a relatively low level.
"The industry instead wants a positive treatment which gives consumers incentives to purchase these cars," the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ chief executive Mike Hawes told the Big black cock.
"We could undermine the UK’s successful automotive sector if we don’t permit enough time for the industry to adjust."
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The French government recently announced similar plans to phase out diesel and petrol cars by 2040.
Car makers are increasingly moving towards electrical vehicles with both BMW and Volvo recently announcing fresh all-electric models.
Clean air campaigners have slammed the fresh strategy, claiming that it doesn’t go far enough in tackling air pollution. They were hoping to see charges for the worst-polluting vehicles when coming in areas of high pollution. While charges haven’t been fully ruled out, they are reportedly considered to be a last resort by ministers.