Hamburg has banned some diesel vehicles from two major arteries to improve air quality. Hamburg is the first German city to take this bold step. Further, diesel trucks and cars that do not meet the latest Euro 6 emissions standards will be also banned.

Germany: Authorities in Hamburg announced that the city would ban some diesel vehicles from two major arteries to improve air quality, making the German port city the first to take step. The authorities informed that driving limits for older diesel cars can now come into force because of the decision by a court.

A 1,600-metre section of the Stresemannstrasse highway in the Altona district will be closed to older diesel trucks. Further both diesel-powered trucks and cars that do not meet the latest Euro 6 emissions standards will be banned from a 580-metre stretch of the Max-Brauer-Allee, one of the heavily polluted roads.

Exemptions will be allowed to residents and businesses as well as for delivery vehicles, ambulances and rubbish trucks. The decision by Germany's top administrative court allowed cities to ban older diesels from certain roads to cut pollution, has been troubling drivers.

Government officials have been finding ways to improve air quality without imposing bans. They believe that exclusive zones can disrupt citizens' lives and the economy. The bans are also expected to remove a major chunk of resale value of older diesels.

The Transport Minister informed that they have set concrete measures with the clear aim of cleaning up the air without limiting mobility and introduced subsidies for electric vehicles and hardware refits to older diesel bus fleets. While around 66 cities exceeded air pollution limits last year, Berlin aims to bring the number down very quickly.

However, sales of diesel cars have already dropped, owing to problems associated with millions of vehicles rigged by Volkswagen to fool regulators' emissions checks, with suspicion falling on other carmakers as well. The government has rejected the idea of forcing automakers to pay to refit older diesels to meet the latest emissions standards.

Germany's concern for its car industry finds short shrift in Brussels, where the European Commission informed that it was taking Germany and five other member nations to court over their failure to meet the bloc's air quality standards.

 According to TechSci Research, the move by Hamburg is in line with Germany’s aim of reducing the vehicular pollution levels and is likely to propel the adoption of electric vehicles in the country as well as globally. Electric Vehicle market is anticipated to post robust growth due to growing consumer inclination towards electric passenger cars because of vehicular pollution and its effect on the human health as well as the atmosphere. Moreover, declining prices of electric vehicles, favorable government policies and continuous surge in R&D by several automobile companies to develop premium quality electric vehicles will drive the growth of the electric vehicle market in the coming few years.

According to the recently published report by TechSci Research, “Global Small Electric Vehicle Market, By Technology (Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Battery Electric Vehicle), By Battery Type, By Geography, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2022”, Global small electric vehicle market stood at around $ 6 billion in 2016, and is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 23% during 2017 – 2022, to reach $ 20.7 billion, on account of increasing consumer inclination towards electric passenger cars coupled with declining prices of electric vehicles. Moreover, the boost in demand for small electric vehicles can be attributed to favorable government policies and continuing surge in R&D investments by several OEMs to develop premium quality and affordable small electric vehicles. All the above stated factors along with growing penetration of small electric vehicles in developing economies are anticipated to positively impact the market over the course of next five years.

According to the recently published report by TechSci Research, “Global Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Market, By Type (AC Charger & DC Charger), By Installed Location (Commercial & Residential), By Region (North America, Europe & Asia-Pacific), Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2021”, the global market for electric vehicle infrastructure is forecast to grow at a CAGR of over 27% during 2016-2021, on account of favorable government policies that promote adoption of electric vehicles and growing concerns over harmful effects of air pollution. Additionally, grid integration of electric vehicles is projected to offer huge impetus to global electric vehicle infrastructure market in the coming years. Evolution of smart grid technologies and the concept of virtual power plants is forecast to further boost the global market for electric vehicles and its related charging infrastructure in the coming years. The option of power trading for electric vehicles owners is also expected positively influence the global electric vehicle infrastructure market during the forecast period.

 Please follow our LinkedIn and Twitter pages to get live updates on market research insights and analysis.