Scotland Jumps The Queue In Bid To Ban Combustion-Only Cars

Scotland has announced it plans to phase out the sale of new non-hybrid, combustion-only cars by 2032.

The Scots' proposal is less extreme than those pitched by the UK, Germany and France; while those three countries want a total ban on the sale of any new vehicle with a combustion motor under the hood, Scotland would still allow hybrid vehicles that combine a fossil fuel engine with electric power.

However, the Scottish proposal would come into effect eight years sooner than the British and French bans. Germany hasn't set a firm deadline for its legislation, but the government there says it thinks 2040 is a good goal line to aim for.

In Scotland, the ban on non-electrified cars is part of what the government calls a "bold new ambition on ultra-low emission vehicles," and a plan to expand electric car charging infrastructure and implement low-emission zones to improve air quality in the country's four biggest cities -- Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee -- between 2018 and 2020.