These 9 Countries Want to Ban Diesel Cars Very Soon

If you are a proud owner of a diesel car you might be a little worried about all the news of proposed bans around the world. As it turns out most bans are only for newly purchased cars so don't panic just yet.

But there are many who argue that such a ban is a little short-sighted. 

RELATED: DIESEL VS. EV: WHICH IS BETTER?

Which countries are banning diesel cars?

According to various sources, the following countries plan to ban diesel combustion engines ASAP. But, these are far from all the countries planning similar strategies in the future. 

Here are some notable examples: -

1. The United Kingdom wants all types of diesel cars off the road by 2040

The United Kingdom has committed to a plan to ban all sales of gasoline and diesel-engine cars by 2040. Furthermore, they have also made plans to ensure that all cars on the road by 2050 are zero-emissions only.

With somewhere in the order of 2.7 million new cars registered in the country in 2016, this plan will have a major impact on domestic car sales over time. Its all in a bid to help clean up the country's air and reduce its contribution to global emissions. 

2. France will also follow suit

The French government, not to be outdone, says they will match the UK's plan for combustion-engine cars by 2040. This, they say, is to help fight the "fight against climate change".

After 2040, carmakers will only be allowed to sell electrical vehicles or other alternative clean vehicles. Hybrids will also be allowed.

France's government official, prior to his resignation, Nicolas Hulot, has said the goal would help the nation's automakers "innovate and become market leaders." To date, electric, hybrid and alternative fuels in the country are still quite small, however - -around 4%.

However, sales of those vehicles were up 25% in the first quarter of 2017 give or take.

3. Germany is also starting to ban diesel cars

Germany has also made some moves to removing diesel cars from their roads in the not too distant future. In fact, many German cities have already started to ban older, more polluting cars from their roads. 

This all forms part of a plan hinted by Angela Merkel back in 2017 to begin to end sales of gasoline and diesel engines. 

"I cannot name an exact year yet, but the approach is right because if we quickly invest in more charging infrastructure and technology for electric cars, a general changeover will be structurally possible," she told weekly tabloid Super Illu.

Obviously, with car manufacturing being a major part of Germany's economy they will need to tread carefully.

4. India is forging ahead with banning diesel cars

India are planning to remove all diesel-engine cars from their roads by 2030. These are to be replaced with primarily electrically powered alternatives by that time. 

India is one country that suffers from very poor air quality and has many of the world's most populated cities. For this reason, policymakers are determined to reverse this trend. 

As Indian families become ever more prosperous, it is predicted that more and more of them will have ambitions to purchase their own cars. The Indian government is making moves to promote electrical cars over gas-guzzlers, however. 

5. Norway is well ahead of the curve

Norway is another country that hopes to remove diesel cars from their roads ASAP. Their plans are slightly more ambitious than others with plans to make sure all new cars are zero-emissions by 2025.

And they are making progress. Roughly 40% of all cars sold in Norway in 2016 were either electric or hybrid. 

As of 2018, according to roadtraffic-technology.com, "there are more than 135,000 electric vehicles registered in the country. To continue this growth, the country’s electric vehicle association aims to have more than 400,000 battery-powered cars on its roads by 2020."

6. China also plans to ban diesel

China announced they would ban gasoline and diesel-engine cars in the future back in 2017. But, to date, they have not committed to an actual date. 

Some regions are already making progress, however. China's Hainan province has announced that internal combustion engines are to no longer to be sold. 

"Hainan, with a population of more than 9 million residents, aims to entirely eliminate ICEs in the province by 2030 and is rapidly installing EV charging infrastructure in service of its objective." - thefuturescentre.org. 

7. Taiwan also wants to ban diesel

Taiwan is another country that is making plans to remove diesel and gas engine cars from its roads. They are hoping to stop the sales of all new diesel and gasoline engine motorcycles by 2035 and four-wheeled vehicles by 2040. 

"In 2018, the government stressed that the ban would not affect existing fossil fuel-powered vehicles, with it only enforced for new cars and motorcycles. It is estimated that motorcycles and scooters comprise two-thirds of the country’s registered vehicles, which stands at more than 20 million." - roadtraffic-technology.com.

8. Brussels in Belgium has banned diesel cars on its roads

Belgium has not yet committed as a nation to banning diesel-engine cars, but some cities already have. Brussels, for example, has announced that it wants to ban all diesel cars by 2030. 

Brussels has already instituted a low emission zone that attracts a 350 Euro fine for non-compliance. It's yet to be seen if this will be rolled out across the country.

9. Japan is working with its car manufacturers to ban diesel cars

Japan is another nation that has made plans to ban diesel engines. In July of last year, their government in partnership with major Japanese manufacturers like Toyota, Honda and Nissan, announced that they plan to ensure that all new cars are either electric or hybrid by 2050. 

This working group, called METI, also aims to reduce passenger vehicle greenhouse gas emission by 90% of 2010 levels in the same year.

Which country has banned fossil fuels?

Could you imagine the brass-balls of a nation to ban all use of fossil fuels? As it turns out there is one nation that is planning to do just that - - Costa Rica. 

Their new President, Carlos Alvarado, made a pledge to do just this during his inauguration ceremony in 2018. 

"Almost a year later, Alvarado signed a decree [on] February 2019 to fully decarbonize by the year 2050 with no mention of his previous, lofty goal of being carbon neutral by 2021. Nonetheless, the goal is still admirable, and if accomplished will be the first in the world." - mnn.com. 

Whether they will actually be able to achieve this is yet to be seen, however.

Will motorcycles be banned in 2040?

This completely depends on which country we are talking about. As we have already seen, many countries are planning to ban all diesel and gasoline engine cars before or after 2040. 

This will also include motorcycles, but nations like Taiwan plan to ban them as early as 2035. But it should be stressed that most bans will be on the sales of new cars rather than all existing ones.

It is likely a rolling program, or a grace period will be offered for existing owners to transition to "clean" alternatives. 

It is likely many governments will offer incentives to promote transition rather than ever-increasing penalties.