German Court Orders Diesel Bans in Bonn, Cologne

An administrative court in Germany has ruled that Bonn and Cologne must implement partial bans on diesel vehicles to help meet European Union air quality standards.

A similar ban was imposed in Berlin last month and ordered in Frankfurt in September. Hamburg launched its own partial ban last spring, and Aachen, Hamburg and Stuttgart are expected to do the same by January.

The growing wave of diesel bans was made possible in February, when a German federal court ruled than local diesel bans are a permissible method of controlling air pollution. The measures apply primarily to diesel that meet Euro 4 standards or less but eventually will expand to include Euro 5 engines.

Diesels, which accounted for half the European new-car market only a few years ago, began to fade in late 2015 after Volkswagen admitted doctoring 11 million such engines to evade pollution laws. Industry trade group ACEA says diesels’ share of the European market fell below 35% in the third quarter from 43% in the same period last year.