Stockholm Bans Diesel, Petrol Cars in City Center From 2025

(Bloomberg) -- Parts of central Stockholm will be off limits for petrol and diesel cars starting in 2025, as the city cracks down on pollution. 

An area of about 20 blocks that straddles the Swedish capial’s finance area and main shopping drags will only allow electric cars, some hybrid trucks and fuel-cell vehicles, according to rules to be presented on Wednesday, SVT reported on its website. 

Stockholm could be the first major capital to introduce such a wide prohibition and goes further than plans by Paris, Athens and Madrid to ban diesel cars. Other cities, including London, have introduced low-emission zones that include daily fees for entering the city center in older combustion engines. 

“We want to create a better living environment for the people who live and work here,” local lawmaker Lars Stromgren, who’s responsible for traffic policy, told the state broadcaster. 

Whether the plan may actually spur sales of electric vehicles in Sweden remains to be seen. EV sales are struggling in the country as consumers feel the pinch of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Earlier this year, the organization Mobility Sweden cut a forecast on new EV-registrations in 2023 to 35% of total registrations from 40%. 

©2023 Bloomberg L.P.