Filed on September 25, 2017 | Last updated on September 25, 2017 at 10.24 am

E-car users will also be exempted from RTA registration and renewal vehicle fees, and will get free Salik tag upon registration.

Residents will receive free parking spots and free Salik tag among other incentives if they choose to own an electric vehicle and leave their fuel-powered cars behind, officials announced on Sunday.

In collaboration with Road and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced a number of incentives for electric cars owners to promote green mobility and sustainable transport around the emirate.

The RTA will provide four initiatives for electric car owners including free parking spots in 40 different locations that will be designed across Dubai specifically for users by the end of this year.

E-car users will also be exempted from RTA registration and renewal vehicle fees, and will get free Salik tag upon registration.

RTA will also provide a unique plate number sticker for electric vehicles to help inspectors differentiate the vehicles in public places.

Similarly, DEWA will enable e-car users to charge their vehicles at 100 green charging stations across Dubai for free until the end of 2019-- exclusive for public charging stations and not including home charging stations. The authority is working on installing 100 more Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations to bring the number up to 200 by 2018, and thus build a strong infrastructure for electric vehicles.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA, said introducing such incentives will help authorities solve challenges in implementing and promoting electric cars in Dubai.

"[The main challenge is] we don't see electric cars in the market and we would like to penetrate the market by providing such incentives. I am sure now that government and private entities, or even individuals will shift to electric vehicles when they know how much they can save," said Al Tayer.

He noted that although the electric car sector has grown by about 30 per cent between 2014 and 2016, the ownership of the zero-carbon emission vehicles in Dubai remains unsatisfactory.

With numbers of electric cars not exceeding 800 vehicles in the emirate, Al Tayer said the aim is to make electric cars reach 2 per cent of Dubai's vehicular fleet by 2020 and 10 per cent by 2030.

"Our ambition is to increase the numbers of e-cars to protect the environment and reduce carbon emissions. Currently, the number of e-cars is very low, which is why we started improving infrastructure and adding more charging stations," said Al Tayer.

According to DEWA studies, Dubai expects the number of electric and hybrid cars on the road to reach 32,000 by 2020 and 42,000 by 2030.

Government institutions are moving in line with UAE Vision 2021 to create a sustainable environment for air quality and increase clean energy and green development. At least 10 per cent of newly-purchased cars by government organizations will be electric or hybrid from 2016 to 2020. This supports the Dubai Carbon Abatement Strategy to cut carbon emissions by 16 per cent by 2021.

Last week, RTA unveiled 50 Tesla electric vehicles that will be added to the limo fleet of the Dubai Taxi Corporation, with aims to occupy 50 per cent of Dubai's taxi fleet with electric vehicles by 2021.

Owning e-cars will save money

Al Tayer said using electric cars will help save millions on the long run, besides reducing carbon emissions and protecting the environment.

Currently, DEWA set the tariff for charging an e-vehicle at Green Chargers at 29 fils per kilowatt, which, according to Al Tayer, is a "significant saving" compared to fuel-powered cars.

"Charging a Renault electric car costs Dh7, as compared to fueling a petrol-powered Renault with about Dh120," said Al Tayer. "Similarly, to charge a Tesla car can cost up to Dh29 compared to over Dh200 of fuel."

For the next three years, electric car owners will charge their cars across Dubai for free, thus, cancelling out about Dh2,000 worth of fuel a month.

"Even after the three years, e-car users will be able to save a lot of money on the long term, reducing operating costs by 40 per cent for car rental companies, public and private sector and individuals," said Al Tayer.

E-car users can download DEWA's smart app to locate Green Chargers across the city. The app indicates empty and busy charging points in shopping malls and public areas.

New buildings will have designated parking spaces for e-cars

It will be mandatory for developers to designate parking space for electric vehicles as part of their construction process of upcoming buildings.

Going with the green building standards and rating system 'Al Safat,' those who achieve the silver rating will have to assign 5 per cent of parking spaces to e-cars. Developers who achieve gold rating have to designate 7 per cent of parking space to electric vehicles, while platinum-rated buildings have to dedicate 10 per cent to e-cars.

It will also be mandatory for buildings to provide EV charging stations.

He added that in 2017, the municipality has dedicated 25 per cent of its budget to using electric cars within the organization. The civic body purchased 21 hybrid cars this year. sherouk@khaleejtimes.com

Sherouk Zakaria "Born and raised in UAE, Sherouk Zakaria is a Senior Correspondent at Khaleej Times. Joined since May 2016, she covers Dubai Municipality, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), special events and humanitarian issues. Her choice of journalism as a career stems from her passion of telling people's stories and writing to inspire or make a difference. In her free time, she's an occasional theater and film actress. Sherouk received her BA in Mass Communications from the American University in Sharjah in 2013. Before joining Khaleej Times, she was a senior lifestyle/entertainment editor for a magazine in Dubai."

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ERROR: Macro /ads/dfp-ad-article-new is missing! </s> Want free parking? Drive an electric car in Dubai

Battery-car specialist Tesla Inc opened its first showroom in Dubai in July. — AFP picABU DHABI, Sept 25 — Dubai, with its 14-lane highways and car-dependent residents, will provide free parking and toll-free driving to encourage motorists to shift to electric cars as a way of cutting carbon emissions in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates.

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority aims to have 32,000 electric cars on local roads by 2020 and 42,000 by 2030, Chief Executive Officer Saeed Al Tayer said yesterday at a news conference in Dubai. DEWA installed 100 charging stations across the city by 2015 and aims to add another 100 by the end of next year, he said.

“As an incentive, DEWA’s registered users will be able to have their electric vehicles charged by DEWA’s Green Charger electric vehicle charging stations, completely free until the end of 2019,” Al Tayer said. Together with the Road and Transportation Authority, the utility is also offering free parking spaces and exemptions from tolls and vehicle registration fees for electric-car owners.

Middle Eastern crude-producing countries are shifting toward renewable sources of energy to help reduce domestic oil use and preserve more petroleum for exports. Dubai, the second-biggest sheikhdom in the United Arab Emirates — which holds about 6 per cent of the world’s crude reserves — has started building a 1.2 billion dirham (RM1.3 billion) solar plant, while neighbouring Saudi Arabia is planning for its first utility-scale wind project. Battery-car specialist Tesla Inc opened its first showroom in Dubai in July, as the fledgling market for electric vehicles takes shape worldwide. — Bloomberg </s> London: Britain said on Wednesday it will outlaw the sale of new diesel and petrol cars and vans from 2040 in a bid to cut air pollution but environmental groups said the proposals did not go far enough.

Environment minister Michael Gove announced the move as part of the government’s keenly-awaited £3 billion ($3.9 billion, €3.4 billion) air pollution plan, which will demand that councils propose measures by March next year to reduce nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels.

The ban on petrol and diesel cars as well as vans follows a similar proposal by the French government, and will also include hybrid vehicles that have an electric motor and a petrol or diesel engine.

“The Conservatives had a manifesto promise to ensure that by 2050 there would be no diesel or petrol vehicles on the road and today we’re confirming that should mean no new diesel or petrol vehicles by 2040,” Gove told BBC Radio 4.

Britain’s High Court demanded that the government produce plans to tackle illegal NO2 pollution, largely caused by diesel emissions, and a draft report was published in May, but the full report was delayed by last month’s snap general election.

The government will provide local councils with £255 million to bring NO2 levels to legal levels, with possible solutions including the removal of speed humps, reprogramming traffic lights and changing road layouts.

Campaigners want cities to impose entry fees on diesel drivers, but councils will only be allowed to do so if no other measures are available, with ministers wary of “punishing” drivers of cars who bought their vehicles in good faith, according to media reports.

“Diesel drivers are not to blame and, to help them switch to cleaner vehicles, the government will consult on a targeted scrappage scheme, one of a number of measures to support motorists affected by local plans,” a government spokesman said.

Gove added that he did not believe “that it is necessary to bring in charging.” Campaign group ClientEarth warned that health issues “caused by exposure to illegal air pollution are happening now, so we need urgent action.”

Fellow campaigners Greenpeace also warned that the plans did not do enough to combat the immediate issue of NO2 pollution in cities “While this plan makes the right headline-grabbing noises, in reality it means that children across the UK will continue to be exposed to harmful air pollution for years to come, with potentially irreversible impacts,” said Areeba Hamid, clean air campaigner at Greenpeace UK.

“Providing a long term vision is not enough, (Michael) Gove still needs protect our health right now from toxic fumes polluting our streets.” The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said that the move could cost jobs. “Currently demand for alternatively fuelled vehicles is growing but still at a very low level as consumer have concern over affordability, range and charging points,” said SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes.

“Outright bans risk undermining the current market for new cars and our sector which supports over 800,000 jobs across the UK, we could undermine the UK’s successful automotive sector if we don’t allow enough time for the industry to adjust.” Air pollution contributes to the death of more than 40,000 people per year in Britain, according to official figures, with nitrogen dioxide a particular problem.

Norway, which is aiming to end the use of all cars running on fossil fuels by 2025, offers generous tax breaks for electric vehicles as well as free parking and the use of bus lanes. </s> New petrol and diesel cars banned in UK from 2040

New petrol and diesel cars banned in UK from 2040

Ministers were ordered to draw up new clean air plans following a court challenge

The Government has confirmed plans to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars in the UK from 2040.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove says the move is part of a plan to get these vehicles off roads altogether by 2050 - with cleaner electric or hybrid cars taking their place.

Under the plan, local councils could bring in charging zones for the dirtiest vehicles.

The Government is going to make £255m available to local authorities so they can restrict diesel car use on polluted roads, improve public transport and change layouts.

From 2020, new pollution taxes will also be levied on diesel drivers who use congested highways - specifically targeting busy roads in major towns and cities, as well as motorways such as the M4 and M32.

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BMW: Fully electric Mini to be made in the UK, despite Brexit

Mr Gove told the BBC that diesel scrappage schemes are not the Government's preferred option, but councils may be allowed to use such an initiative if it is sufficient value for money.

The Government has identified 81 major roads in 17 towns and cities where it says urgent action is required because they are in breach of EU emissions standards, putting people's health at risk.

The new strategy urges local authorities to attempt to reduce emissions at first by fitting the most polluting diesel vehicles with filters, changing road layouts and removing speed humps.

Tough levies on the most polluting diesel vehicles could be imposed as soon as 2020 as a last resort to help bring down the levels of harmful nitrogen dioxide emissions.

:: Fully electric Mini to be built at UK plant, says BMW

A Government spokesman said: "Our plan to deal with dirty diesels will help councils clean up emissions hotspots - often a single road - through common sense measures which do not unfairly penalise ordinary working people.

Jobs' risk over switch to electric - Aston boss

"Diesel drivers are not to blame and to help them switch to cleaner vehicles the government will consult on a targeted scrappage scheme - one of a number of measures to support motorists affected by local plans."

The strategy will disappoint motoring groups pressing for a diesel scrappage scheme, under which diesel drivers would receive compensation for trading in their polluting vehicles.

Instead the Government will hold a consultation on a "possible" scrappage scheme in the autumn, which sources have suggested is likely to be "very, very targeted".

Greenpeace has said the 2040 deadline to ban petrol and diesel cars is far too late, as it will mean waiting almost 25 years before action is taken to "tackle the public health emergency caused by air pollution".

The campaign group pointed out that Germany, India, the Netherlands and Norway are considering similar bans by 2030.

Everything you need to know about diesel engines

Spokeswoman Areeba Hamid said: "While this plan makes the right headline-grabbing noises, in reality it means that children across the UK will continue to be exposed to harmful air pollution for years to come.

"The government cannot shy away any longer from the issue of diesel cars clogging up and polluting our cities, and must now provide real solutions, not just gimmicks."

The Government is concerned that motorists were encouraged to buy diesel vehicles under Labour more than a decade ago because of concerns at the time over carbon emissions.

Ford 'may be able to support' electric target

Instead of pollution taxes, councils will be urged to improve the flow of traffic with measures such as removing speed humps to prevent cars repeatedly slowing down and speeding up, which almost doubles the amount of harmful gases they pump out.

Other options expected to be put forward include better sequencing of traffic lights to ensure drivers keep arriving at green lights rather than red ones if they drive within the speed limit.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has warned the UK's automotive sector could be undermined if companies and consumers are not given sufficient time to adjust to cleaner cars.

Chief executive Mike Hawes said: "Much depends on the cost of these new technologies and how willing consumers are to adopt battery, plug in hybrid and hydrogen cars.

"Currently demand for alternatively fuelled vehicles is growing but still at a very low level as consumers have concerns over affordability, range and charging points." </s> KARACHI : Mayor Karachi Wasim Akhtar said citizens of Karachi paying the cost of tussle between K-Electric and SSGC.

Besides residential areas, hospitals too facing the dilemma of persistent load shedding. K-Electric, SSGC, KW&SB or whatever organization, they must now take this protest seriously. I appeal to the President of Pakistan to solve the conflict between K-Electric and SSGC for provision of required volume of gas to the power suppliers in the city. At least 200mmcfd gas should be supplied to K-Electric so that current power crisis could be solved.

He expressed these views while addressing to a protest demonstration by the elected local government representatives of Karachi which was held outside the head office of K-Electric (KE) on Tuesday against prolonged load-shedding in the city.

Chairman of DMC East Moeed Anwer, Chairman DMC Korangi Syed Nayyar Raza, Vice Chairman DMC East Abdul Rauf, Vice Chairman DMC Central Syed Shakir Ali, City Council Parliamentary leader Aslam Shah Afridi, Chairman of Land Committee Syed Arshad Hassan, Chairman Law Committee Arif Khan Advocate, City Council Parliamentary leader for PML(N) Aman Khan Afridi, ANP parliamentary leader Alam Zaib Alai, JUI-F parliamentary leader Akbar Shah Hashmi, Shuja Haider Advocate of PTI and other members of city council Karachi and elected representatives were present on this occasion.

The demonstrators were holding placards and banners urging K-Electric to stop persistent load shedding and overbilling in Karachi. They also demanded that cutting of power supply for longer durations throughout the day must stop immediately.

Mayor Karachi said that when it comes to Karachi, Government funds get finished. Not a single project was completed in Karachi in last ten years. He said elected local government representatives have proved their responsibility by joining this protest. So far we have not asked people who voted for us to come here in this hot weather, however someone has to do something for the city.

Later Mayor Karachi Wasim Akhtar leading the protesters went inside the K-Eletric main office and talked to the chief marketing officer Syed Fakhar Alam, director distribution Arshad Iftikhar, director media Sadia Dada, director Rashid Hussain, deputy director protocol Faisal Jahangir and head of HR Rizwan Dalia about prolong load shedding and problems of citizens.

Afterwards while talking to media representatives he said that we have offered K-Electric that many of the issues can be solved on district level also therefore serious efforts and measures should be taken in this connection.

He said we have only this aim to provide relief to the people of Karachi who are suffering due to this situation. He said that Karachi had enough operations and now this city needs development works. K-Electric must overcome this crisis or people of Karachi will have no way but to come on roads to protest against electricity suppliers.

He said we are peaceful citizens, Karachi is the economic hub of the country but the government not paying attention on its issues. Different political outfits ask for votes but not raising any voice for the citizens.

All of Karachi projects are incomplete including K-IV, S-III, Bus rapid transport projects and other projects. Injustice with Karachi must stop now. K-Electric should settle its issues with the SSGC, citizens of Karachi have nothing to do with it and they only need electricity in this acute hot weather especially students who have to appear in the examinations at the centers without electricity. He said these issues must be solved without delay or we will decide our next strategy. </s> Paris: France plans to end the sale of gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles by 2040 in a bid to become a carbon-neutral nation, energy minister Nicolas Hulot said, effectively promoting electric cars.

Presenting the country’s “Climate Plan” in Paris on Thursday, Hulot said France will offer tax incentives to replace diesel autos that are more than 20 years old and gasoline vehicles made before 2001. The government will also end oil and gas exploration on French territory, eliminate coal-fired power plants by 2022 and encourage home owners to produce their own energy.

“The target is a tough one,” Hulot, a former journalist and environmental activist, said. “But France wants to become the No. 1 green economy.”

President Emmanuel Macron’s government unveiled plans to eliminate net carbon emissions by 2050 as leaders from the Group of 20 nations, including all the world’s biggest polluters, gather in Hamburg. US President Donald Trump will meet Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who criticized his decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord last month.

On Wednesday, Volvo Car Group became the first major manufacturer to say it will start phasing out vehicles powered solely by fossil fuels, joining a parade of manufacturers shifting toward electric cars. The Swedish auto brand says it plans to offer only hybrid or full-electric motors on every new model launched in 2019 or later, and it expects to have five fully electric vehicles in its lineup by 2021. That means Volvo will make its last full-gasoline or diesel car in about 2025.

Though electric cars have been around since the 1800s and have gotten a lot of attention in the past half-decade or so, they’re still just a fraction of the overall market as drivers balk at high prices and limited driving ranges. Battery-powered autos made up about 1% of sales in the US, Europe and China last year. They will outsell fossil-fuel powered vehicles within two decades as the cost of batteries plunge, according to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance forecast.

Shares of French automaker PSA Group rose as much as 2.4% after Hulot’s speech, while Renault SA gained 1.9%, making them the day’s best performers on the Bloomberg 500 Autos Index.

Sales of Peugeot, Citroen and DS cars made by PSA should benefit from tax incentives to scrap older autos, a company spokeswoman said by phone, adding that “switching to another energy source isn’t painless.” PSA plans to offer an electric version of 80% of its models by 2023 but isn’t going fully electric anytime soon.

“Nicolas Hulot only speaks for France, but we are a global company and most of the world still runs on combustion engines,” she said. Bloomberg </s> New diesel and petrol cars and vans will be banned from 2040 as part of efforts to tackle air pollution, the Government is expected to announce.

A £255 million fund is expected to be unveiled to help councils speed up local measures to deal with pollution from diesel vehicles, as part of £3 billion spending on air quality.

The measures are set to be included in a court-mandated clean air strategy the Government is due to publish on Wednesday, just days before the deadline set by the High Court.

The expected move to ban petrol and diesel vans and cars follows similar plans announced in France this month and amid increasing signs that the shift to electric vehicles is accelerating.

On Tuesday, BMW announced plans for an electric Mini to be assembled at its Oxford plant while earlier this month Volvo unveiled its moves towards cleaner cars.

The Government was ordered to produce new plans to tackle illegal levels of harmful pollutant nitrogen dioxide after the courts agreed with environmental campaigners that a previous set of plans were insufficient to meet EU pollution limits.

READ MORE: Alastair Dalton: Diesel drivers should do the right thing

Despite government efforts to delay publication of the plans until after the general election, ministers were forced to set out the draft plans in May, with the final measures due by July 31.

It is thought ministers will also consult on a diesel scrappage scheme to take the dirtiest vehicles off the road.

Campaigners have demanded the final plans should include government-funded and mandated clean air zones, with charges for the most polluting vehicles to enter areas with high air pollution, as well as a diesel scrappage scheme.

Their calls for charging zones were backed up by an assessment published alongside the draft plans which suggested they were the most effective measures to tackle nitrogen dioxide, much of which comes from diesel vehicles.

But ministers have been wary of being seen to “punish” drivers of diesel cars, who they claim bought the vehicles in good faith after being encouraged to by the last Labour government on the basis they produced lower carbon emissions.

They favour local measures such as retrofitting buses and other transport to make them cleaner, changing road layouts and even altering features such as speed humps and re-programming traffic lights to make traffic flow more smoothly to reduce pollution.

The expected move to ban diesel and petrol cars and vans by 2040 comes after similar plans were announced in France this month and amid increasing signs that the shift to electric vehicles is accelerating, with BMW announcing plans for an electric Mini and Volvo unveiling its moves towards cleaner cars.

Air pollution is linked to around 40,000 premature deaths a year in the UK, and transport also makes up a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions.

A government spokesman said: “Poor air quality is the biggest environmental risk to public health in the UK and this government is determined to take strong action in the shortest time possible.

“That is why we are providing councils with new funding to accelerate development of local plans, as part of an ambitious £3 billion programme to clean up dirty air around our roads.

“Our plan to deal with dirty diesels will help councils clean up emissions hotspots - often a single road - through common sense measures which do not unfairly penalise ordinary working people.

“Diesel drivers are not to blame and, to help them switch to cleaner vehicles, the Government will consult on a targeted scrappage scheme, one of a number of measures to support motorists affected by local plans.”

Environmental law firm ClientEarth took the Government to court over its clean air strategy.

Its chief executive James Thornton said: “The Government has trumpeted some promising measures with its air quality plans, but we need to see the detail.

“A clear policy to move people towards cleaner vehicles by banning the sale of petrol and diesel cars and vans after 2040 is welcome, as is more funding for local authorities.

“However, the law says ministers must bring down illegal levels of air pollution as soon as possible, so any measures announced in this plan must be focused on doing that. </s> SAN FRANCISCO: A US judge on Tuesday granted final approval for a $14.7 billion class action settlement in Volkswagen’s diesel emissions cheating scandal, the largest such automaker settlement in history.

The buyback deal at the same time also resolved some claims brought by US and California environmental regulators who had sought penalties for Volkswagen’s violations of pollution laws.

“Final approval of the 2.0 liter TDI settlement is an important milestone in our journey to making things right in the United States and we appreciate the efforts of all parties involved in this process,” Hinrich Woebcken, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, said in a statement.

The settlement offers compensation to nearly a half-million owners of polluting Volkswagen and Audi diesel-powered vehicles in the US which the German automaker has admitted configuring to deceive emissions tests. This allowed some cars to emit almost 40 times the permissible levels of harmful nitrogen oxides.

Owners of 2.0 liter diesel-powered cars will be eligible for buybacks, penalty-free lease terminations or free modifications to fix the vehicles’ emissions. All participants will also receive cash payments.

In addition to $10 billion for compensation to owners, Volkswagen will create a $2.7 billion fund for environmental remediation, and provide $2 billion to promote the use of “zero emissions” vehicles within the United States.

“The settlement adequately and fairly compensates class members,” US District Judge Charles Breyer wrote in an opinion approving the deal.

“While plaintiffs might ultimately prevail on their claims, the settlement provides benefits much sooner than if litigation were to continue. Moreover, litigation would cause additional environmental damage that the settlement otherwise reduces.”

Breyer had granted preliminary approval for the settlement in July, praising the “enormous efforts” by all sides to reach an agreement and avoid a trial.

Volkswagen’s parallel agreement with US authorities will require it to modify or remove 85 percent of the vehicles from the roads by June 2019 or face steep additional penalties.

California will receive about $1.2 billion to mitigate environmental damage caused by the pollution, of which $381 million will fund projects to reduce smog, such as creating incentives for cleaner heavy-duty vehicles, according to the California Air Resources Board.

“Today is a landmark day, when this innovative settlement can be put into action, investing billions of dollars into public health protections to remedy these serious violations,” Cynthia Giles, head of enforcement at the US Environmental Protection Agency, said in a statement.

Breyer’s rulings were a major step in the German automaker’s efforts to move past the scandal and revive sagging sales after admitting to the deceptive practices in the production of some 11 million vehicles worldwide.

But the costs of the scandal have been considerable. Volkswagen reported a 1.6 billion euro ($1.74 billion) net loss for 2015, its first in more than two decades. The company has booked 18 billion euros to cover repairs, buy-backs and legal costs for the scandal, but commentators have said the final amount could be much higher.

The company is in talks with US federal prosecutors to settle criminal allegations related to the emissions cheating. Prosecutors last month indicted James Liang, a Volkswagen engineer, who has pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate as the United States builds its case.

Volkswagen also still needs to conclude a separate settlement in the United States concerning about 80,000 Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche cars with 3.0 liter engines equipped with the emissions cheat devices.

The company has been far less generous in Europe, pledging to bring affected cars there into compliance by next year. The company also faces billions of dollars in damage claims from investors. AFP </s> LONDON (AP) - Britain's government says it will ban the sale of new cars and vans using diesel and gasoline starting in 2040 as authorities move to tackle air pollution.

The decision announced Wednesday by Environment Secretary Michael Gove follows similar moves in France and Norway. It also comes as the technology for electrical cars improves.

Gove told the BBC that "there is no alternative to embracing new technology."

Vehicles are reflected in a bus as they drive in central London, Wednesday, July 26, 2017. To control air pollution, new diesel and petrol cars and vans could be banned in the UK from 2040. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Britain's government is expected to announce a 255 million pound ($326 million) fund to help local communities address diesel pollution. The measures are part of a clean air strategy authorities are due to publish Wednesday, only days before a deadline mandated by the High Court.

Campaigners want the final plans to have government-funded and mandated clean air zones, together with a diesel scrappage scheme.
City officials in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, announce that residents will receive incentives for swapping their petrol engine vehicles for electric ones, including a free Salik tag, and an exemption from RTA registration and renewal vehicle fees.