No diesel car or petrol will be sold in France by 2040, said Thursday the Minister of Ecological Transition and solidarity, Nicolas Hulot, also proposing the creation of a premium to help small households acquire cleaner vehicles .
"We are announcing the end of the sale of gasoline and diesel cars by 2040," he said, presenting his "climate plan" at a press conference, recognizing that this goal is "heavy" , Especially for car manufacturers. It is a "real revolution", but "the conditions are there".
Also a goal of "public health"
"Our own automakers have in their boxes enough to feed and embody this promise (...) which is also a public health agenda," Nicolas Hulot added. Emissions of nitrogen oxide escaping from diesel-powered vehicles are responsible for 107,600 premature deaths worldwide according to a study conducted by the NGO ICCT and published by the journal Nature on 15 May 2017.
In a closer perspective, the most modest households will benefit from a "transition bonus" to get rid of their polluting cars in favor of a cleaner vehicle , he also announced. This premium, the amount of which has not been specified, will make it possible to "replace a diesel vehicle (diesel) dating before 1997 or gasoline before 2001 by a new or used cleaner vehicle".
Of the more than 100,000 deaths worldwide, 38,000 are attributable to "emissions generated in excess" compared to those predicted by laboratory tests, according to the study carried out by the ICCT. Who is responsible for these excesses? At 76% heavy goods vehicles and coaches. Stopping the sale of cars will therefore have a limited effect if it focuses solely on this type of vehicle.
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