Stuttgart's diesel passenger car ban starts on April 1
Beginning in April, all Euro 4-compliant diesel cars will be banned from driving or parking in the city.
A number of German cities have been talking about banning older diesel cars but according to a report published Thursday by Reuters, Stuttgart is officially taking the plunge on April 1.
The idea of banning diesel cars from entering city centers isn't especially new or novel, but Stuttgart's ban will include people who already live within the city. This means that if you own a diesel vehicle that conforms to Euro 4 emissions, you are no longer allowed to park it or drive it in town.
But wait, there's more. The city has not yet included Euro 5 emissions vehicles in the ban, but it plans to evaluate those vehicles' emissions and is open to banning them as well later this year.
Now, terms like Euro 4 and Euro 5 mean very little to most Americans. Essentially the Euro 4 ban encompasses all diesel passenger cars registered from December of 2010 and earlier. Euro 5a began in January of 2011 and Euro 5b ended in December of 2013.
German officials have stated that they will grant some exceptions to the Euro 4 diesel ban, but it's unclear at this time what conditions will have to be met for that to happen.
Representatives from Stuttgart didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
