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France Wants to Phase Out Diesel-Powered Cars

Declaring diesels for passenger vehicles "a mistake," French Prime Minister Manuel Valls says the country will begin gradually phasing them out, Reuters reports.

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Declaring diesels for passenger vehicles "a mistake," French Prime Minister Manuel Valls says the country will begin gradually phasing them out, Reuters reports.

Earlier this year France began offering owners of diesel-powered cars bonuses of as much as €10,000 to scrap their vehicles and buy an electric car.

About 80% of France's cars are equipped with diesels today, according to Reuters. Valls vows to slowly replace such vehicles "intelligently and pragmatically."

To start the process, France will raise taxes on diesel fuel next year by two euro cents per liter. The government also will roll out a rating system that ranks vehicles by the amount of pollution they emit. Valls says the system will help cities improve local air quality by limiting access for the worst-rated vehicles.

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