A new plan by the Amsterdam’s city authorities, announced this week, aims to ban all petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030. The ban is part of the Actieplan Schone Lucht, or Clean Air Action Plan, and covers cars, trucks, mass transit and boats within a large zero-emission zone.
Part of the plan includes unspecified subsidies and exemptions to help ease the burden of transition for city residents and businesses and more investment in Amsterdam’s electric vehicle charging network. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are also seen as a viable alternative.
To achieve its goals, the city wants to phase in the Clean Air plan in steps, beginning with a 2020 expansion of the environmental zone to forbid the use of 15-year-old diesel passenger cars within the A10 ring road border. Two years later, freight traffic within the zone must meet Euro6 standards, while public transit operating south of Amsterdam Centraal must use emission-free vehicles only. From 2025, the inner-A10 environmental zone will become totally emission-free under the city’s plan. This will affect taxis, mopeds, and scooters, as well as all buses, coaches, trucks, and vans.
The plan will be debated by the full city council from the end of this month and followed by a six-week period for public comment. Download the document here.
