October 19, 2010
Motorists show support for CO2-based London congestion charge exemptions
The consultation has closed but the results remain undecided. Will Transport for London decide to change Congestion Charge exemptions to a CO2-based system or stick to an automatic exemption for alternatively-fuelled vehicles?
Whatever the final decision Mayor Boris Johnson takes, the results from the public are clear. According to research from leading green car guide, TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk, 69 per cent of British motorists think the congestion charge exemptions should change to a CO2 based system, meaning that the cleanest diesel and petrol cars could be eligible to drive through the city charge-free. Currently Transport for London is considering ‘Greener Vehicle Discount’ proposals, following the closure of a public consultation on August 2, 2010. If the proposals are adopted unchanged, all vehicles that emit under 100g/km of CO2 and Euro 5 compliant or are electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles would qualify for the exemption. This means that low emitting diesel cars such as the Volvo C30 DRIVe would be able to travel through the charge zone without cost as would clean petrol models such as the Toyota iQ.
TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk posed the question to website visitors; ‘Do you think the proposal to alter London congestion charge exemptions to a CO2 based system is a good idea?’ Just 31 per cent thought that such as system would not be a good idea. The changes have their supporters and critics within the industry too. For example, Lexus is currently benefitting from the system which sees its hybrid models automatically exempt from the congestion charge despite that some of these models emit above average emissions. Meanwhile Volvo has spoken out in support of the proposed changes; a range of low emission diesel models means that the carmaker could benefit from a change to a CO2-based system. However, others such as Friends of the Earth think the proposals could be a bad idea as they ignore NOx and particulate emission levels which are often higher in diesel cars than hybrids or petrols.
“While CO2 emissions don’t tell the whole environmental story they are the most recognisable measure of green performance in the motor industry,” says the website’s editor Faye Sunderland.
“A system of exemptions based on CO2 emissions would be easily understood and embraced by the public, besides CO2 performance often reflects wider environmental achievements and as such is a suitable indicator.
“But the question remains at what CO2 threshold should the exemptions be set? Our belief is that the bar to exemptions should be ambitious to tackle congestion in the city and reduce pollution. We therefore suggest an exemption bar set at 95g/km of CO2 so that it does not automatically favour one technology type. Cars such as the diesel Volkswagen Polo Bluemotion, the hybrid Toyota Prius and the electric Nissan Leaf would then all qualify.
“It’s clear from the results of our survey, that the public think the current system is unfair and the imbalance needs readdressing. After all a Lexus LS hybrid can emit as much as 219g/km of CO2, much higher than the industry average,” she adds.
A decision on the proposed changes is expected soon, as any changes are expected to be implemented from January 2011.
-END-
Notes to Editors:
1. TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk polled 506 website visitors to ask; ‘Do you think the proposal to alter London congestion charge exemptions to a CO2 based system is a good idea?’ The results were:
Yes: 69 per cent
No: 31 per cent
About TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk: The award-winning definitive guide to green cars, providing a wealth of information on everything from electric cars, efficient petrol and diesel cars to biofuels and hydrogen technology. The green car advisory website is also the best place for all the latest news and events relating to green cars. Since its launch on 16th June 2007, TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk has experienced a tremendous growth in traffic and now attains more than 150,000 page views a month.
TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk is owned and maintained by Really Good Domains Ltd, which run more motoring websites than any other company in the UK. As the UK’s largest internet advertising and marketing company for the motor industry, Really Good Domains also run the popular websites ContractHireAndLeasing.com, SaveMoneyOnCars.co.uk, TheVanWebsite.co.uk, RoadTestReports.co.uk, CarSupermarkets.co.uk and FleetDirectory.co.uk to name a few.
For further comment or interview, contact: Faye Sunderland on 0161 482 7650 or email fayes@reallygooddomains.com. Really Good Domains, Domain House, 4 Watchgate, Newby Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport, SK7 5DB.
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/greencarwebsite
