Switzerland has announced it will abolish tax incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles (EVs) from January 1, 2024, amid concerns over rising tax losses due to the EV boom. Importers of electric vehicles will now have to pay a tax levy of four percent of the vehicle's import price. This removes the tax exemption that has been in place since 1997.
Air quality in London has improved significantly over the last 15 years thanks to the introduction of Low Emission Zones (LEZ) and Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZ). This initiative to reduce air pollution has not only improved air quality in the city, but has also contributed to improved public health and economic savings.
From April 27, 2024, the environmental zone policy in Antwerp will change fundamentally. The city council has decided to restrict access to the low emission zone (LEZ) for classic cars.
Stockholm is the first city in Europe to ban combustion engines from part of the city centre with a comprehensive zero-emission zone. After persistent protests prevented such a ban zone in the historic old town of Gamla Stan, the so-called "Low Emission Zone 3" for the city centre is now a done deal.
As a pioneer in Germany, Munich wants to use camera systems for the first time to record environmental zone offenders and make them pay. In other countries, the monitoring of environmental zones has been digital for a long time. This makes them more reliable and tends to make the air cleaner. But in the case of Munich, there is much criticism.
The range of electric cars is a decisive factor when buying. But most cars never reach the manufacturers' specifications. Sales tricks to make the cars more attractive? The manufacturers reject the suspicion of deliberate deception. While the EU is still on the side of the manufacturers, things are getting tight for Tesla in the USA.
Extended driving bans at weekends and spontaneous all-day closures for trucks on weekdays: In the next two years, truck drivers will have to prepare for enormous obstructions on the Tauern motorway from Salzburg to Villach. Transit traffic is likely to be the main victim of the tunnel work.
The city of Munich is once again facing legal action over the diesel driving ban. Deutsche Umwelthilfe and Verkehrsclub Deutschland have filed a lawsuit with the Bavarian Administrative Court. They call the suspension of the driving bans for Euro 5 a transparent election campaign manoeuvre.
From this week on, there are some new products to discover in our shop: the sticker "VI" - "EURO VI safe vehicle" and the sticker "L" - "Low noise vehicle" mark vehicles with special rights and help for example at border crossings. For some time now, we have also been offering the "Angles Morts" sticker. This is mandatory in France for marking vehicles with blind spots.
The truck sector is to become climate neutral! Manufacturers described the EU decision of Monday, 16 October, which sets the roadmap for the decarbonisation of trucks in the EU, as "very ambitious". They criticise that the EU must also create the framework conditions so that decarbonisation can succeed.
