Vehicle Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Over the past decades cars have become cleaner and more fuel efficient, however much of the potential improvement has been cancelled out by increased size, eight and power. To improve this situation we believe that legislation is needed on average new car CO2 emissions, to follow the current EU voluntary agreement (which manufactures are failing to implement).
EU legislators are currently working on the details of a mandatory target, a process which is expected to be finalised later in 2007. Environmental Protection UK support a demanding target timed to fit in with the introduction of the Euro 6 emission regulations in 2014-15. This will give manufactures sufficient lead time to introduce new models, control costs of emissions legislation and ensure that CO2 targets do not risk air quality improvements by encouraging an increase in small diesel vehicles.
Vehicle emission standards must be complemented by effective fiscal measures and consumer information to encourage the public to choose less polluting vehicles.
- We want to see vehicle excise duty (VED) more steeply ranked in favour of energy efficient cars, above and beyond the changes announced in Budget 2007.
- We have campaigned successfully for an effective car energy label, based on the A-G banded EU label now used on electrical goods, and we now want to see increased use of the label plus integration of the banding system into other policies and taxes, with air quality caveats.