7:26 pm, July 11, 2008
CUSTOMERS want greener cars, but how green will the law demand they be in the future?
Now’s your time to tell the DFT what you think.
Transport secretary Ruth Kelly has launched consultation on EU proposals for compulsory CO2 targets for new cars. These state that, by 2012, the fleet average for each maker must be no higher than 130g/km.
And the Government wants them to go further than that – 100g/km by 2020. Benefits to customers of this, they reckon, would be a reduction in running costs of £500 per year. How? Mainly through manufacturers being forced to adopt fuel-saving technology.
No mention is made of whether list prices would have to go up to pay for all this tech.
And if makers didn’t comply? Penalties would be imposed, starting at 20 Euros per car, per gram of CO2 over the manufacturer’s target in 2012, rising to 35 Euros/g in 2013, 60 Euros/g in 2014 and 95 Euros/g in 2015. Who’d pay for that? Potentially, your customers… through higher list prices.
Lower-volume makers as Porsche and Ferrari would be safe, though. Provisions in the EU proposals would set different targets for manufacturers producing small numbers of cars. A provision in the regulation for niche manufacturers who produce a narrow range of cars is also being urged by the UK.
Ruth Kelly said: ‘Tackling climate change is one of the single most important issues we face. Harmful road transport emissions continue to rise and it is important we act now to reduce them.’
‘That is why we support this move to introduce mandatory CO2 targets for new cars – and are taking the lead in urging the adoption of a tougher target from 2020. This has potential for being the biggest CO2 saving measure in transport.’
The consultation formally closes on 3 October, but those who wish to respond are urged to do so as soon as possible – at www.dft.gov.uk
