Policy Developments

London to exempt lowest CO2 emission cars from Congestion Charge

The Mayor of London has announced that the lowest emission cars - in VED bands A and B - will receive a 100% discount from the £8-a-day London Congestion Charge. Meanwhile, the highest emitters - Band G vehicles - will pay a daily charge of £25 to drive in the Congestion Charge zone. The changes will be introduced on October 27th this year.

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Porsche to challenge Mayor's plan for £25 Congestion Charge

Porsche, the luxury car maker says it is planning a legal challenge to prevent its customers from having to pay the £25-a-day congestion charge for driving in central London. The charge for 'high carbon' vehicles is due to be introduced in October following a decision by the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone.

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Conservatives call for suspension of RTFO following more negative reports on biofuels

The Conservative Party has called for the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation to be suspended following a further spate of reports and publicity questioning the environmental benefits of biofuels. The Conservatives made their call on the day the RSPB placed full page adverts in two national newspapers criticising the Government's biofuels policy.

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Former LowCVP director appointed to Climate Change Committee

The LowCVP launch director, Professor Jim Skea, has been appointed to the independent Committee on Climate Change which will advise the Government on how to meet greenhouse gas reduction targets included in the Climate Change Bill. The Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn, also announced four other nominations to the Committee which will be chaired by Lord Adair Turner.

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Ex-Shell CEO calls for ban on sub-35 mpg cars

The former head of Royal Dutch Shell has urged the European Union to ban all vehicles that achieve a fuel efficiency of less than 35 mpg. Sir Mark Moody-Stuart says it is the only way to significantly address global climate change and force the car industry to build more efficient vehicles.

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CfIT appoints consultants to review operation of Bus Service Operators Grant

The Department for Transport (DfT) has asked the Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT) to examine the practical aspects of implementing a policy to replace the existing Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) outside London with a per passenger payment.

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Industry News

Tesla Motors aiming to raise $250m to fund electric car production

Tesla Motors, the top-end electric car manufacturer, is planning to raise $250m in equity and debt to help fund a move into the production of electric sedans. The company hopes to launch the new vehicle in the US by 2010 and says it aims to sell 10-20,000 vehicles a year.

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New battery plant boosts electric car capacity

A new factory manufacturing advanced lithium-ion batteries for cars, may herald a surge in electric vehicle production. The new plant in France, run by Johnson Controls in a joint venture with Saft Advanced Power Solutions, will manufacture batteries for hybrid, plug-in hybrid, fuel cell and electric vehicles.

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GM faces critics in online 'greenwash' debate

A website set up by General Motors as a discussion forum on future automotive technologies to celebrate the company's 100th anniversary received a bombardment from environmental critics of the company.

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India's Tata to produce compressed air car

Tata Motors, a division of India’s largest conglomerate, has announced that it will start mass production and sales of a car powered by compressed air. The car has an anticipated retail cost in India of just over £2,500 and a range of 125 miles. Tata plans to build 6000 vehicles for sale in India from August 2008.

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LowCVP News

LowCVP working with Government to encourage low carbon van procurement

The LowCVP is working with the Government in the development of plans for a programme aimed at the procurement of innovative, low carbon vehicles for use in public sector fleets. The Government has committed an initial £20m to the programme which aims to harness the public sector's purchasing power to accelerate the introduction of cleaner vehicle technologies.

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LowCVP to participate in global taskforce seeking harmonisation of biofuels GHG measurement methodologies

The LowCVP will participate in a taskforce meeting, hosted by the Global Bioenergy Partnership, seeking to harmonise approaches to the measurement of life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of transport biofuels. In a separate development, the LowCVP Director has been invited to address a European Parliament workshop on the delivery of a sustainable biofuels market.

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LowCVP Conference 2008
23rd Jul 2008

The LowCVP annual conference will take place alongside the London Motor Show at ExCel, London on 23rd July. Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly will give the keynote address and delegates will also have the opportunity to learn the outcomes of the critical 'Gallagher Review’ of biofuels policy and the Government’s response to the King Review of low carbon cars.

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RSS feeds on LowCVP website give users easier access to news

The LowCVP website now has RSS feeds for news, events and other resources to enable users to receive the latest headlines direct to a single page. By subscribing to the LowCVP's RSS feeds, users can receive the latest low carbon road transport developments to their Google, Yahoo, Newsgator or other news readers.

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Reports & Studies

Further studies cast doubt on environmental merits of biofuels

More reports published recently have cast doubt on the environmental benefits of biofuels. The New York Times reported the results of two studies which said that almost all biofuels used today are causing more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuels when full life-cycle emissions are taken into account.

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Global transport and climate study points the finger at road transport

Road vehicles are easily the biggest contributors to climate change in the transport sector according to a new study by the Oslo-based Centre for International Climate and Environment Research (CICERO). The study implies that more attention needs to be focused on the growing road transport sector as it emits two-thirds of total global CO2 emissions from all transport. CICERO claims the study is the first ever comprehensive analysis of the global-scale climate impact of transport.

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Expert commission established to work out how to 'green' the tax system

A new independent expert group will look at a range of issues associated with environmental tax reform. The Green Fiscal Commission has been formed to break what it describes as the 'political logjam' on green fiscal reform. Meanwhile, the Treasury Select Committee has accused the Government of being "too timid" in introducing green taxation.

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Research shows fuel efficiency increasingly important for car buyers

In new research based on a survey of over 1,000 car buyers 15% said that 'fuel efficiency' is the most important buying factor. The study, carried out by Global Reviews, also found that 21% considered 'price' to be the number one priority, while 17% valued 'look and style' the most. Only 7% rated 'safety' as the most important factor.

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Technology News

Improved tyres can save up to 3g/km CO2 says Michelin

Michelin, the French tyre company, says that 'type approval' regulations mean that car makers are forced to select tyres with sub-optimal rolling resistance, causing cars to be sold with lower fuel economy and higher CO2 emissions than would be the case were they sold with 'eco-tyres' fitted.

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International Developments

Holland raises purchase tax on high carbon cars; hikes rebate for low carbon

The Dutch Government has steepened the differences in its car purchase tax regime to penalise high carbon cars relative to their low carbon counterparts. The increased taxes on the purchase of 'gas guzzlers' are being used to raise rebates for low carbon models. Other European countries and US states are also reported to be considering the introduction of similar 'feebate' schemes.

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European fuel directive likely to include carbon reduction criteria

New rules surrounding the European Fuel Quality Directive would force fuel suppliers to cut life-cycle emissions of the fuel they supply by ten per cent over ten years either by improving production efficiency or supplying more biofuels.

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German and French industry ministers say EU plans to fine car makers are 'too harsh'

Responding to complaints from German and French industry ministers about EU plans to fine car makers for failing to reach 2012 car targets, Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said that the point of fines was to encourage car makers to change their behaviour.

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Other News

Motorists can save £300 a year by choosing a 'greener' car

Car drivers can save £300 a year by choosing a more fuel efficient car through lower fuel costs and road tax savings, according to a study by uSwitch the independent price-switching website.

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Most motorists unaware of their own car's CO2 emissions

A survey of motorists by the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) has shown that 65 per cent of British drivers are still unaware how much CO2 is produced by the car they drive.

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Expedition using waste-derived biofuel seeks supporters

A driving expedition to Outer Mongolia using fuel made from landfill waste is seeking interest and support from commercial and other organisations. An earlier 'carbon negative' expedition by organisers Bio Truck took a lorry from the UK to Timbuktu using fuel made from chocolate waste.

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Events

Hydrogen fuel cells for a low carbon future
22nd Apr 2008

Climate Change Solutions, in association with the Universities of Birmingham, Warwick, Loughborough and Nottingham, is holding a one-day conference which will focus on discussions around the roles of the EU's Joint Technology Initiative and the UK's Energy Technologies Institute in helping to promote the introduction of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.

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