German government gets tough with Daimler and VW over emissions
The German government has ordered car maker Daimler to recall 238,000 vehicles in Germany after they were found to be fitted with illegal software that masks diesel emissions.
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Companies urged to prepare now for a low emission future or risk losing business
Van and truck operators could lose out to more forward-thinking competitors if they don’t start investigating the potential for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) on their fleets, Government officials have warned.
Klarius releases new high-demand components for 2018
Keeping-up the momentum with its policy of introducing over 600 new to range (NTR) products this year Klarius has just released close to fifty emission control parts including all the most in-demand new requests from early 2018.
Euro VI lorries to pay reduced £900 levy
From February 2019, trucks meeting Euro VI emissions standards will be eligible for a 10 per cent reduction in the cost of the Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) levy. Changes to the levy mean that, from February 2019, Euro 0-V compliant trucks will have to pay a £1200 levy rate. Euro VI trucks however, will pay just £900. The current rate is £1000.
German cities get legal go-ahead for diesel ban
German cities will be allowed to ban older diesel vehicles from some areas following a landmark court ruling. The Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig said the cities of Stuttgart and Duesseldorf could legally ban older, more polluting diesel cars from zones worst affected by pollution.
Backlash against diesels sees new car CO2 emissions rise
An anti-diesel agenda has resulted in new car carbon dioxide emissions rising for the first time in 14 years as people make the switch to petrol, recent research suggests. Department for Transport figures show that the average new car sold in 2017 produces more CO2 than one sold in 2016, reversing a continuous decline in emissions of the greenhouse gas since the figures were first published by the Government in 2003.
Brussels: new low emission zone from 1 January 2018
A new environmental zone has come into force in Brussels, Belgium from the start of 2018. For travellers and logisticians, this requests increased attention, including a registration procedure at www.lez-belgium.be.
A third of VW ‘defeat devices’ remain unfixed
Mary Creagh MP, chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, has written to John Hayes MP, Minister of State at the Department for Transport, to express the Committee’s concerns around the lack of progress of applying fixes to cars equipped with ‘defeat devices’, with a third of cars remaining unfixed.
Meanwhile, On 30 October 2017 Judge Charles Breyer of the US District Court for the Northern District of California upheld car dealers’ arguments that Bosch’s involvement with the VW defeat device emissions scandal violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the same law used to bring charges for mafia-related crime and other organized racketeering.
NFDA releases leaflet to clarify emissions debate
The NFDA has produced a leaflet which analyses the different types of pollutants including NOx, CO2 and particulates, and from what sources these derive. The leaflet examines the role of diesel with a clear differentiation between old diesel and modern Euro 6 and the different impact they have on air pollution.
Cenex announces trial of natural gas-fuelled lorries
Cenex – the UK’s first Centre of Excellence for low carbon technologies – has announced its involvement in the UK’s largest trial of biomethane-fuelled lorries. Led by Air Liquide – world leader in gases, technologies and services for industry and health – and funded in part by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles in partnership with Innovate UK via the recently launched Low Emission Freight and Logistics Project, the ‘Dedicated to Gas’ trial will see large fleet operators including Kuehne + Nagel, Wincanton, ASDA, Brit European, Howard Tenens and Great Bear, trial the effectiveness of 81 dedicated gas-powered heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).
The clock is ticking for combustion engines and conventional tyres
The UK government has decided to ban the sale of both new petrol and new diesel cars from 2040. The goal isn’t as ambitious as Norway’s, which aims to do the same by 2025. India thinks it can do it by 2031. And France is on par with the UK, also aiming to ban sales of new combustion engine-based cars by 2040. However, in the UK at least, electric cars sales currently represent less than 1 per cent of new registrations. Therefore a lot has to happen between now and 2040 for this new rule to become reality. What is clear is that there is now real legislative momentum in favour of electric vehicles in the UK and that this will have an inevitable impact on OE suppliers, and in turn the UK replacement tyre market, especially in three key areas: weight, torque and rolling resistance.
Petrol and diesel car sales to be banned in the UK from 2040
Today the government launched its “UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations”. And with it came the decision to ban the sale of both new petrol and new diesel cars from 2040. However, electric cars sales currently represent less than 1 per cent of new registrations. Therefore a lot has to happen between now and 2040 for this new rule to become reality. What is clear is that there is now real legislative momentum in favour of electric vehicles in the UK and that this will have an inevitable impact on OE suppliers and in turn the UK replacement tyre market.
Roadside checks on CVs to include emissions checks
From August 2017, roadside checks of lorries carried out by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will include an emissions check. DVSA will be targeting lorry drivers and operators who try to cheat vehicle emissions. The new checks will target those who break the law and will help to improve air quality.
Canada aims for zero-emissions vehicle strategy by 2018
The Canadian government is developing a national strategy to increase the number of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVS) on Canadian roads by 2018 to further reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Canada’s Ministers of Transport and Innovation, Science, and Economic Development will decide how many electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles need to be on the roads in the country within the next 15 years. The government said transportation currently accounts for 24 per cent of Canada’s total carbon emissions.
Ricardo exhibits real-world driving emissions testing at Air Quality show
Ricardo will demonstrate its new real-world driving emissions measurement service, and discuss the first results from its road side vehicle monitoring research, at the Air Quality & Emissions Show (AQE), to be held at Telford, UK, on 24 and 25 May 2017.
