Motor industry fears London ULEZ proposals favour older petrol cars and compromise CO2 emissions
Tue 16 December 2014
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The motor industry trade body, SMMT, has welcomed plans for an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in London by 2020, but has called for a rethink of proposals set out by Transport for London in a public consultation which closes on 9th Jan. The SMMT says that London should demand today’s tougher universal (Euro 6) standards for both petrol and diesel cars and vans are applicable to all new vehicles from September 2015. This would align directly with the proposed ULEZ requirement for Euro VI HDVs which have applied to vehicles since Jan 2014.
London is currently in breach of legal EU limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and TfL hopes that the introduction of the ULEZ will help to reduce emissions from vehicles. According to TfL's consultation document, an equivalent of 4,300 deaths in London is attributed to air quality related illness.
In an open letter to the Mayor of London, the SMMT calls for a 'technology neutral approach' towards petrol and diesel vehicles.
The SMMT says that the current proposals for the ULEZ dictate the 2006-standard Euro-4 for petrol vehicles and the latest Euro-6 for diesel vehicles. Given the introduction date of 2020, the proposals would allow petrol vehicles of up to 14 years of age to enter without penalty. By this date the European fleet average will be approaching 95g/km of CO2, whereas a typical petrol car of Euro-4 vintage would have CO2 emissions some 72% higher.
Euro-6 petrol and diesel vehicles are on sale now and mandatory from next year meaning that under SMMT’s proposals, by 2020, qualifying vehicles would be up to six years old and would be reasonably affordable, potentially on their third owner.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “The implementation of the ULEZ will accelerate the take-up of ultra low and low emission vehicles, but a harmonisation of standards – a technology-neutral approach – for petrol and diesel vehicles would strengthen the initiative.”
He added: “Looking to the future, we need an integrated approach on air quality at local, regional, national and European levels. Fleet renewal, or the uptake of new vehicles on the road, is critical in reducing emissions.
"Proposals such as London’s ULEZ can help deliver this goal. Air quality is often a local issue so we need a flexibility that allows for focused initiatives like the ULEZ but which sit within an overall framework of harmonised standards across Europe. The automotive sector must have certainty in policy direction so technology investments can be targeted on addressing key issues such as air quality and climate change.”
LowCVP Comment: The London ULEZ provides a significant opportunity to further stimulate the market for the latest lower carbon emitting vehicles and create a templates for other areas. However, the emissions performance of a 14yr old petrol car cannot be guaranteed to meet the applicable targets (set in 2005!) for NOx emissions. Importantly the annual MOT and the vehicle systems of that period are also unlikely to effectively detect if the NOx emissions have deteriorated. A critical consideration of this initiative is how it may influence other city decisions and the eligible vehicles.
One of the key emerging themes of the current LowCVP study into local policy frameworks is that the UK needs a consistent approach to local incentives if we are to stimulate a national shift to lower carbon vehicles and fuels.
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