uncompromise
Adventurer
[EDIT: I posted this in order to make it easy for European drivers to find reliable information on where and when their vehicle can drive in Europe, but not surprisingly the thread has become a discussion of a number of other related topics. It’s worth noting that any discussion about ‘dirty diesel’ is a misnomer. The restrictions are about the pollution level of any vehicle in Europe; diesel is not specifically targeted by these restrictions, although the prevalence of older diesel vehicles in Europe might make it appear as if this is the case. We have now purchased the French Crit Air certification, and have few concerns about where in France we can take our vehicle, and as mentioned in the original post, few concerns about being able to drive our now 16 year old truck across most of the continent. Yes, the level of restriction will increase over time, and frankly I consider that to be a good thing. But for now, we are within our legal right to take our truck almost anywhere we would want to drive it. Side note: Germany is now considering the possibility of vehicle retrofits, which suggests that we may see a catalytic conversion market open up in Europe, breathing considerably more life into older vehicles, and ensuring that the ENORMOUS sunk carbon cost of building a car isn’t unnecessarily wasted due to politics trumping science yet again).
I’m getting up to speed on clean air ordinances in Europe, having just purchased a 2004 Mitsubishi Pajero / Montero 3.2 DiD. In short, if you’re looking for a reliable resource for your specific vehicle - or a vehicle you’re thinking to purchase - I highly recommend the Green Zones app — https://www.green-zones.eu/en/globale-seiten/the-green-zones-app.html.
Enter information about your vehicle, including license plate number, date of first registration, co2 emissions and the like, and the app will show you EXACTLY where you can and cannot drive.
Noting that my vehicle is unable to drive in any of the German zones, two of the Spanish, and one of the Netherlands zones, but is largely unrestricted everywhere else in Europe.
We’re buying a clean air sticker for our car, even though it’s not a requirement, as it’s going to save us a bunch of headaches if we ever get pulled over.
1. All of Europe
2. Germany
I’m getting up to speed on clean air ordinances in Europe, having just purchased a 2004 Mitsubishi Pajero / Montero 3.2 DiD. In short, if you’re looking for a reliable resource for your specific vehicle - or a vehicle you’re thinking to purchase - I highly recommend the Green Zones app — https://www.green-zones.eu/en/globale-seiten/the-green-zones-app.html.
Enter information about your vehicle, including license plate number, date of first registration, co2 emissions and the like, and the app will show you EXACTLY where you can and cannot drive.
Noting that my vehicle is unable to drive in any of the German zones, two of the Spanish, and one of the Netherlands zones, but is largely unrestricted everywhere else in Europe.
We’re buying a clean air sticker for our car, even though it’s not a requirement, as it’s going to save us a bunch of headaches if we ever get pulled over.
1. All of Europe
2. Germany
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