Paris to phase-out non-electric cars 10 years early

Paris is planning to “banish” all non-electric cars by 2030, ten years earlier than the rest of France, according to an article by Reuters.

Petrol and diesel fuelled cars will have all disappeared from the city by 2030, Paris City Hall has said.

Earlier this year, the French government set a target date of 2040 for the phase out of all cars that are dependent on fossil fuels. According to a statement from Paris City Hall, if this target is to be met the phase-out will have to happen sooner in France’s largest cities.

“This is about planning for the long term with a strategy that will reduce greenhouse gases,” said Christophe Najdovski, an official responsible for transport policy at the office of Mayor Anne Hidalgo.

“Transport is one of the main greenhouse gas producers...so we are planning an exit from combustion engine vehicles, or fossil-energy vehicles, by 2030,” he told France Info radio.

Reuters reports that there are about 32 million household cars in France for a population of about 66 million, citing data from automobile industry publication Argus.