The war against diesel engines is heating up in the United Kingdom as the BBC reports owners of older diesel-powered vehicles could be paid to ditch them for something newer.
According to the report, the aim of the program is to improve air quality and incentives of up to £2,000 ($2,513) could be offered to owners of certain vehicles. The details haven’t been hammered out yet but it appears older diesel models would be targeted in an effort to have the largest effect for the least amount of money.
Other possible options include encouraging drivers who live in areas with high pollution to switch to something greener or incentivizing drivers with lower incomes. The latter proposal could help owners who simply don’t have enough money to purchase a newer and more efficient vehicle.
The United Kingdom was a leading proponent of diesel vehicles but that attitude has been changing in recent years as the European Environment Agency estimates there were 12,000 premature deaths linked to nitrogen dioxide emissions in 2013 alone. The U.K. also has approximately 11.2 million diesel-powered vehicles on the road and nearly 20 percent of them are more than 12 years old.
The government isn’t the only one advocating for a change as a CarBuyer survey found 61 percent of respondents were put off by the negative effects of diesel engine emissions.
