This major city is banning all diesel and petrol cars from its city centre in 2025
- Replies 15
A major city is taking bold action to improve air quality and reduce traffic noise.
Starting in 2025, Stockholm—the picturesque capital city of Sweden renowned for its bridges and rich history—will ban all petrol and diesel cars from its central zone in a major step towards sustainability.
The plan aims to create an environmental zone in the heart of Stockholm, one that spans 20 blocks, and home to high-end shopping streets and some of the most expensive office spaces in Sweden.
Stockholm City Council’s left-wing and environmentally-focused ruling coalition, The Green Party, hopes to speed up the transition.
'Nowadays, the air in Stockholm causes babies to have lung conditions and the elderly to die prematurely. It is a completely unacceptable situation,' said Lars Stromgren, Green Party Vice Mayor for Transport.
Stockholm is set to become the first city to have a class-three environmental zone—a classification that only allows fully electric cars. However, exceptions may apply for larger vans (which may use plug-in hybrid vehicles), ambulances, police cars, and those used by people with disabilities.
The Green Party also has even bigger plans to expand the environmental zone beyond the initial 20 blocks.
However, transport companies argued that the plan was excessive. They also recommended that the government invest in electric charging points to encourage voluntary change.
'Since 2010, we have reduced emissions by 34 per cent. But The Green Party and their colleagues in the city of Stockholm are now in far too much of a hurry,' said the Swedish Confederation of Transport Enterprises.
According to reports, due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, Swedish consumers are unable to purchase electronic vehicles (EVs) which has also led Mobility Sweden to lower its forecast for new registrations to 35 per cent in 2023 from the initial 40 per cent of total registrations.
Brussels also banned non-essential and non-local car traffic in their central city streets starting December 10.
London, on the other hand, introduced a highly ambitious vehicle emission policy by expanding its ultra-low emissions zone last August.
But UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has delayed the government’s green agenda by five years which also moved the plan to ban selling of new petrol and diesel cars to 2035.
Moreover, in Oslo, Norway’s capital city and the leader in the uptake of electric vehicles, their municipal environment agency has pushed for the introduction of a zero-emission zone in the inner city—with heavy transport and trucks as its first target by 2025, followed by cars by 2027.
Similarly, Australia is also on board with the idea of fuel efficiency and lower emissions as the federal government announced they would be introducing a Fuel Efficiency Standard in Australia by the end of this year.
The Albanese government will impose a Fuel Efficiency Standard on new cars as part of a new strategy to encourage hybrid and electric vehicle (EV) uptake and cut 3M tonnes of carbon emissions by 2030.
This decision was backed by many organisations, including the NRMA, who agreed that the move would help provide greater access and affordability to lower or zero-emission vehicles.
You can read more about this news here.
Members, what are your thoughts on the switch to electric vehicles? Share your thoughts with us below!
Starting in 2025, Stockholm—the picturesque capital city of Sweden renowned for its bridges and rich history—will ban all petrol and diesel cars from its central zone in a major step towards sustainability.
The plan aims to create an environmental zone in the heart of Stockholm, one that spans 20 blocks, and home to high-end shopping streets and some of the most expensive office spaces in Sweden.
Stockholm City Council’s left-wing and environmentally-focused ruling coalition, The Green Party, hopes to speed up the transition.
'Nowadays, the air in Stockholm causes babies to have lung conditions and the elderly to die prematurely. It is a completely unacceptable situation,' said Lars Stromgren, Green Party Vice Mayor for Transport.
Stockholm is set to ban petrol and diesel cars in their city centre by 2025. Image source: Freepik.
Stockholm is set to become the first city to have a class-three environmental zone—a classification that only allows fully electric cars. However, exceptions may apply for larger vans (which may use plug-in hybrid vehicles), ambulances, police cars, and those used by people with disabilities.
The Green Party also has even bigger plans to expand the environmental zone beyond the initial 20 blocks.
However, transport companies argued that the plan was excessive. They also recommended that the government invest in electric charging points to encourage voluntary change.
'Since 2010, we have reduced emissions by 34 per cent. But The Green Party and their colleagues in the city of Stockholm are now in far too much of a hurry,' said the Swedish Confederation of Transport Enterprises.
According to reports, due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, Swedish consumers are unable to purchase electronic vehicles (EVs) which has also led Mobility Sweden to lower its forecast for new registrations to 35 per cent in 2023 from the initial 40 per cent of total registrations.
Brussels also banned non-essential and non-local car traffic in their central city streets starting December 10.
London, on the other hand, introduced a highly ambitious vehicle emission policy by expanding its ultra-low emissions zone last August.
But UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has delayed the government’s green agenda by five years which also moved the plan to ban selling of new petrol and diesel cars to 2035.
Moreover, in Oslo, Norway’s capital city and the leader in the uptake of electric vehicles, their municipal environment agency has pushed for the introduction of a zero-emission zone in the inner city—with heavy transport and trucks as its first target by 2025, followed by cars by 2027.
Similarly, Australia is also on board with the idea of fuel efficiency and lower emissions as the federal government announced they would be introducing a Fuel Efficiency Standard in Australia by the end of this year.
The Albanese government will impose a Fuel Efficiency Standard on new cars as part of a new strategy to encourage hybrid and electric vehicle (EV) uptake and cut 3M tonnes of carbon emissions by 2030.
This decision was backed by many organisations, including the NRMA, who agreed that the move would help provide greater access and affordability to lower or zero-emission vehicles.
You can read more about this news here.
.png){kind=icon}
