New year, new bans: Berlin, Hannover and Cologne banning non-catalysed cars
Starting on the first day of this new year, three German cities (Berlin, Hannover and Cologne, pictured) have applied a complete ban on all vehicles that have no catalysers or DPF (Diesel Particulate Filters) in the city centers. To enter, cars must have a windshied sticker stating the installation of such devices.
German authorities try to keep city centers as clean as possible. The extension of these areas differs (we're speaking about very different cities here) but they include more than the historical city centers. Drivers can purchase identification labels for their vehicles and, in Berlin's case, it's estimated that 80 percent of the city's 1.2 million vehicles already have these labels. For now, Berlin's enforcement will be flexible; it's not until the end of January that drivers without such identificators will be fined. But from then on, the fine is 400 EUR.
Similar plans are currently being applied in cities around Italy (with mixed results). Other cities in Europe are also thinking about similar bans.
[Source: Agencia EFE via El Economista]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Phil L. 9:33AM (1/02/2008)
Hmmm - Does this legislation include scooters? I haven't seen many scooters with a catalytic converter.
To those familiar with scooters in Europe: Are two-stroke scooters disappearing from the street?
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steven 4:49PM (1/02/2008)
Hmmm....Scooters that don't have windshields are exempt. BTW, there are and have been scooters on the market (2004 at least) with catalytic converters. Maybe not in the U.S.
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Dad 4:49PM (1/02/2008)
"German authorities try to keep city centers as clean as possible"
Got to love those Germans, a day late, but at least they are trying to catch up with the USA. We have required catalysers on all our autos.
"But from then on, the fine is 400 EUR."
Cripes, that is just another tax by another name. 400 EU!!!!!!!!! Makes me so glad I am not German.
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Arnold Schneider 4:39PM (1/02/2008)
To Dad:
So it is really forbidden and will be fined in the US to drive even an old car which has no catalyser?
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Cortez 6:53AM (1/03/2008)
Dad!!!!!
Read the post again.Its about diesel that dont have FAP filter
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nagmashot 7:36AM (1/03/2008)
That article is completly wrong writen!!!!
Every car is emission rated and gets different stickers green yellow red or none!!!
http://www.guter-rat.de/ratgeber/images/5519499_867fea50d3.gif
Citys can set up Umweltzonen areas in which they tell what emission rated cars are allowed or not allowed.
The green stick is only for extrem low emission low consuption cars..
The main reason are old diesel powered cars without dust filter. The idea is to move owner of such cars to install a aftermarket dust filter... if they do that to cars build befor 2007 they get 330Euro tax back.
The bill if you drive without a sticker in a "Umweltzone" area costs 40Euro not 400.
This are the areas where you need a sticker on your car.
http://www.umwelt-plakette.de/umweltplakette/Bilder/karte.gif
95% of the current US sold cars would fail to recive a sticker to enter the market areas!!!!!!!
To get a idea of the extrem hard emission consuption limits to enter Umweltzone marked areas..
CO2 limits to get a sticker..for
green better than 130gr/km
yellow better than 182gr/km
red better than 257gr/km
for petrol and diesel
everything over 257gr/km get no sticker... that would be every "clean" US V8..
300C Hemi 283gr/km CO2
300C SRT-8 330gr/km CO2
consuption to get
petrol
green better than 44mpg average consuption
yellow better than 31mpg to 44mpg
red better than 22 to 31mpg
every petrol powered car with less than 22mpg average consuption gets no sticker!!!
diesel
green better than 47mpg average consuption
yelow better than 34 to 47mpg
red better than 24 to 34mpg
every diesel car with less than 24mpg gets no sticker
and a car needs to get both to recive a sticker
and now realize how many decades the USA is behind Germany ....
Just translate reports correct and don´t use such stupid claims like banning cars without catalyc converters..
a 2008 Hummer gets banned too...
a 2008 Viper gets banned too..
a 2008 Z06 gets banned too...
a 2008 300C Hemi SRT-8 (only the Mercedes diesel engine powered gets a red sticker)
The all new Dodge Caliber would only get a yellow sticker and that only in the weak 150hp version...
A Lexus LS 600hL (Hybrid!) is only good enough for a red sticker.
The USA is lightyears behind the rest of the world in environmental protection. Germany socoored the second rank behind sweden in UN nation ranking to honor the leading nations in environmental protection.
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Phil L. 9:03AM (1/03/2008)
Dad -
>>We have required catalysers on all our autos
Huh? I know of no law in the US that requires emission equipment be added to cars that didn't have it originally. This law is very interesting: As I understand it, it requires retrofits on cars built before such equipment existed.
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MGBMAN 12:44PM (1/07/2008)
What about classic cars? Will they get an exemtion if they are built before X-date?
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Karl-Uwe Strunzen 10:04PM (1/07/2008)
I don't think the article is incorrect at all. I have read the original article from which this was reported and the original states this as well. Furthermore, doing a simple internet search, the same is reported from various other sources:
http://puregreencars.com/Green-Cars-News/Environment/Vehicle-Stickers-Obligatory-for-Green-Zones-in-Germany.html
" The zones will be taboo to heavy polluters such as petrol-driven cars without catalytic converters or diesel models that are not fitted with particle filters."
Not even the following link offers information on what constitutes a green car:
http://www.umwelt-plakette.de/umweltplakette/Ausland/Englisch/2008%20Webinfo%20Englisch.pdf?SID=4kn73t0cobst7cb7ga94tl7cd6
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Karl-Uwe Strunzen 10:28PM (1/07/2008)
Even if there is some CO2-based rule this seems to be only a token gesture, as only a very simplistic ban is involved. London, Milan and Stockholm have all implemented an entrance fee, not a ban, based on CO2. In this case the greenest cars enter for free, and other cars will pay a scaled fee depending on how much they pollute. In other words the most polluting cars pay more. Simple, right?
There is some very obvious logic behind this token gesture (a green, orange, red sticker is equivalent to simply displaying your euro emissions category to get into the city centre, something some cities outside Germany have been doing for over 7 years now). Germany is the only country in Europe not to have implemented a car purchase tax which is CO2-based. Some countries, such as Spain and Ireland, have a variable rate based on CO2. Others, such as France have a fixed rate based on CO2. Ireland have arguably the best system, with a rate of 36% for cars which emit more than 250 gCO2/km (and the most polluting cars in Europe tend to be German)
Furthermore, Angela Merkel blocked the November 2007 EU CO2 legislation target of 120 g CO2/km. "Germany scored the second rank behind sweden"... what a joke... did the German lobbyists pay more for the 120g issue or for their ranking? what a laugh!
The reason why Germany is not doing anything with the 120g issue, the car purchase tax issue, and making only token gestures in the cities is basically that Germany makes the most polluting cars:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7095296.stm
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/08/business/cars.php
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