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No date has been set on banning the sale of diesel or petrol vehicles in Luxembourg as part of the country’s transition to electric mobilityPhoto: Flickr/frankieleon 

Responding to a parliamentary question from Serge Wilmes, published on 21 September, transport minister François Bausch reiterated the government’s goal to switch to zero or low emission mobility between 2025 and 2040.

But, the Green party minister said that unlike a handful of countries, including France and Britain, which have set deadlines for phasing out combustion vehicles, Luxembourg’s switch to carbon-free mobility would focus purely on the expansion of an electric charging network and fiscal incentives.

“I am delighted that a discussion is underway on the shift from combustion engines in the public transport sector, as in other European countries. However, I believe that it is better to take measures to incentivise the transition towards zero carbon emissions than to talk about banning combustion engines in the long term (2030, 2040, or even 2050),” he said.

Dieselgate scandal and Porsche

In the same response, Bausch provided an update on the dieselgate scandal in which Porsche was found to use illegal emissions testing defeat devices in its Cayenne 3.01 TDI, Euro 6, 193kW.

Bausch said that affected owners would be contacted by the manufacturer once Porsche had agreed a solution with German vehicle testing watchdog KBA. Once agreed, a recall would commence. “We remind you that the recall is a voluntary initiative, which should not pose any restriction on affected owners, leaving them the choice to have their vehicles adapted,” Bausch said.

He further added that Luxembourg does not intend to launch a new legal challenge against Porsche over the matter. All new dieselgate revelations will be added to an ongoing legal file submitted to the Luxembourg prosecution system on 6 February 2017. Meanwhile, Bausch said the government has no plans to offer compensation to owners of affected vehicles.