The London carbon clean-up

Last updated 00:00 15/08/2007

Reuters

CONGESTION CLEAN-UP: London is to change the criteria for its congestion charges so the worst polluting vehicles pay more.

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London's method of setting its congestion charges has been seen by many as flawed, often rewarding bigger hybrid cars while failing to see the benefits of cars with a fraction of their emissions levels. Now, it's all changed, writes Dave Moore.

The many loopholes introduced with London's original congestion charge plan look like being blocked with vehicles' actual carbon footprints to be taken into consideration rather than the perceived benefits of their powertrains.

The importance of London's efforts to clean up its act is relevant to New Zealand, as a number of our local authorities as well as many around the world, have been referring to "the London model" as one they may consider adopting.

In simple terms, the London congestion charge was originally set so that most cars would pay about $11 a day. This soon grew to $22 a day, while those using approved alternative fuels, like lpg and cng as well as hybrids would pay nothing and residents of the congestion zone enjoyed up to 90 per cent discount.

Among the cars that suffered through such a simplistic plan were ideal city cars like the Smart which can be bought with a powertrain that emits less than 100g/km of CO2. Despite its tiny emissions footprint, owners of the Smart, along with other conventional diesel and petrol cars with readings of between 99g and 120g/km, had to pay the full congestion charge, while all hybrids, despite some of the larger ones having g/km rates well past the 200g/km bracket, were paying nothing.

London's mayor, Ken Livingstone has announced that Transport for London (TfL) has started a consultation on a scheme "to charge the cars that make the biggest contribution to global warming" – such as what London calls "Chelsea tractors", some high powered sports cars and expensive luxury vehicles – up to $70 a day to drive in the present central London Congestion Charging Zone. The zone covers parts of Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea.

While cars driving outside the charging zone will not be affected, it is intended that within the zone, the highest CO2 emitters, which, it is estimated, represent just 8 per cent of cars registered in London, would face the new $70 charge – about three times what they were previously paying – and would lose their entitlement to a resident's discount. Some of the worst examples, Mr Livingstone's spokespeople say, produce two or three times as much greenhouse gases as the average family car.

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THE good news for Londoners is that the great majority of drivers within the zone would now be unaffected and the least polluting vehicles would receive a 100 per cent discount and not pay any congestion charge at all no matter how they were powered, as long as their emissions output is less than 120g/km of CO2.

The proposed new charges are as follows:

Cars emitting less than 120g CO2/km and passing Euro 4 air-quality standards – No charge.

Cars emitting between 120g and 225g CO2/km will continue to pay exactly the same $22 charge as at present.

Cars emitting more than 225g CO2/km and those registered pre March 2001 with engines larger than 3000cc – will pay $70 a day.

With several makers producing small and family-sized cars capable of emitting less than 120g CO2/km – like Audi, Citroen, Honda, Peugeot and Toyota – and many others promising to do so in the near future, it appears that traffic could increase in the British capital, rather than decrease.

Previously, only alternative fuel cars and hybrids were allowed free access, and low emissions conventional cars seriously outnumber those models. Also, with all hybrids except the smaller ones, like Honda's Civic and Insight and the Toyota Prius, now moving to the 120g CO2/km-plus bracket, they and lpg and cng cars will have to pay $5000-plus a year if they are regular workers in the zone or residents.

Mr Livingstone's hard line is despite the fact his own office's figures have it that surface transport accounts for only 22 per cent of London's CO2 emissions, with cars only responsible for just under half of that. Which suggests that the other half of that 22 per cent is heavily contributed to by the trains and buses he wants drivers to turn to.

Mr Livingstone said: "Londoners are becoming increasingly aware of the need to tackle climate change and this summer's floods were a reminder of the urgency with which we need to reduce C02 emissions. The highest CO2 emitting cars – like some of the so-called Chelsea tractors, high powered sports cars and luxury executive cars – can produce twice as much carbon dioxide emissions as the kind of car driven by the average Londoner. By proposing these changes to the congestion charging scheme we are encouraging people to take into account the impact on the environment of their choice of car.

"We are already cleaning up London's fleet of public vehicles through measures like the introduction of hybrid buses. These new proposals will tackle emissions from private vehicles, and ensure that London is leading the way in the fight against catastrophic climate change."

While few are arguing with the proposed new congestion rules in the area of the most profligate vehicles such as those mentioned above, there some areas that have raised comments.

Owners of some early versions of low- CO2 hybrids can now expect to start paying the new charge because only cars with the latest Euro 4-compliant engines will qualify under new exemption criteria. It also means that families with some seven-seater MPVs and estate cars could be hammered by up to $15,000 a year from February, compared to $5000 now.

But most handwringing comes from families living within the congestion zone who are currently eligible for a 90 per cent residents' discount on the daily charge, which means they pay around $500 a year. Under the new proposals there will be no residents' discount for owners of cars emitting more than 225g/km CO2, so these people car now expect to pay up to $15,000 a year.

Some manufacturers investing in high blend bio-ethanol (E85) cars are also disappointed that they are not being considered for congestion charge exemptions. While their CO2 emissions are similar to petrol equivalents, recent studies demonstrate significant well-to-wheel CO2 benefits of E85 compliant cars, about 41 per cent better in the case of a Ford Focus Flexifuel, compared with its petrol equivalent. This should have been factored into TfL's exemption criteria.

Ford's 1.8-litre Flexifuel emits 169g CO2/ km from its exhaust pipe. However, research by Britain's Imperial College says this drops to 99.6g (down 41 per cent) when CO2 absorption by crops grown to make bio-ethanol is factored in.

Overall, the proposed new London congestion scheme looks likely to hurt some people with massive new bills if they have larger families and will penalise those early adopters of congestion charge-busting hybrids.

The main question many are asking is one we should pose ourselves perhaps when such schemes are mooted here in New Zealand.

Are congestion schemes designed to reduce congestion, raise revenue, penalise drivers of larger cars or to cut emissions?

It's probably all four, but don't tell anybody.

- © Fairfax NZ News