Env min: “Carmakers have to avoid driving bans themselves, court ruling confirms“

German environment minister Barbara Hendricks said that today’s court ruling on the legality of driving restrictions to cut down air pollution “confirms my view that carmakers have to avoid driving bans themselves.” Carmakers needed to shift towards other engines and “ultimately, the combustion engine won’t have future – but this is a long process,” Hendricks told journalists on her summer press tour through Germany. Next week’s diesel summit would produce only the “first steps” of a solution by agreeing on software update,” said Hendricks. “But mere software updates won’t suffice to avoid driving bans. We need ‘real’ retrofitting.” Finding a solution for the diesel emissions issue would be a big challenge for the coalition talks after September’s general elections, no matter which party would be involved, said Hendricks. The minister said that “occasionally there has been too much closeness between the car industry and politicians.”
“I think the car industry has understood by now that it is at a crossroads.”

For background, read the CLEW interview with ICCT's Peter Mock “Diesel summit comes two years too late” and the factsheet The debate over an end to combustion engines in Germany.