Amsterdam is handing out perks consisting free charging stations to residents who help rid the streets of polluting cars of the city.
The Dutch city declared earlier week that it will gradually broaden a crackdown on dirty vehicles that will culminate in a prohibition on gasoline and diesel-powered cars in 2030.
To help make the transition easier on residents, the city is providing some powerful incentives.
Electric car owners that lack their own charging station at resident will be able to ask the city to setup one for free at a location of their choosing, provided it’s accessible to the public.
“There will be subsidy and exemption schemes, so that you can, for example, receive an allowance for buying another, clean mode of transport,” the city’s officials stated.
Among the other benefits available to electric vehicle owners are parking permits.
Amsterdam is the recent in a series of European towns to prohibit polluting vehicles with the intention of improving air quality and decreasing carbon emissions.
Last month, London started charging steep fees in the city center on cars that can’t meet strict emissions standards. Paris prepares to ban diesel vehicles by 2024, followed by gasoline cars in 2030.
Hamburg became the first German city to prohibit older diesel cars from some streets in May last year, after the country’s top court ruled such bans are lawful. Other German cities followed with the same restrictions.
There are other countries that are also taking action. The United Kingdom wants to ban sales of new gasoline and diesel cars from 2040. China, India, France and Norway have same plans.
Amsterdam has already prohibited all diesel commercial vehicles and camper vans constructed before 2000, diesel taxis constructed before 2009 as well as buses that are over 14 years old.
Diesel cars constructed before 2005 will be pulled off the city’s roads starting 2020.
Amsterdam struggles with air pollution despite being the cycling capital of Europe. Overall air pollution has reduced over the past decade but some busy streets still exceed EU standards.
The average resident will have their life cut short over a year because of dirty air, according to the city. Worldwide, 3.6 million people die every year because of pollution caused by fossil fuels, according to a latest study.
