Towards zero emissions for road transport : report / Select Committee on Science and Technology.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Lords. Science and Technology Committee.
Date:
1996
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: Towards zero emissions for road transport : report / Select Committee on Science and Technology. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    stimulated a great deal of research and brought about far less polluting vehicles (the Ultra Low Emission Vehicle limits will probably be achieved without great difficulty), the 1998 mandate for the introduction of Zero Emission Vehicles has been postponed as the state accepted that these vehicles are not yet ready to come on to the market. 3.6 One of the criticisms made of the European Union emissions standards was not the value of the limits themselves, but that they are measured by an unrealistic test cycle which does not give an accurate indication of emissions in real driving conditions. The Commission stated that they had combined an “urban” cycle with an “inter-urban” cycle, adding that in the new test cycle the 40- second “warm up period” during which emissions were previously not counted was being removed (Q 722)”. However, the test is carried out at 25°C, which is far higher than the average temperature in European countries (Q 404), and one witness stated that the test understated the true extent of low speed driving (when emissions are likely to be higher) in normal conditions on British roads. The Institute of Road Transport Engineers stated that: “Correlation between these standards, the levels found in service through periodic roadworthiness checks and the actual levels of concentration in the atmosphere at various locations and times is scant” (p 333). The Commission conceded that any test cycle could always be improved, and that the results of long term tests on vehicles actually in use could eventually result in modifications to the test cycle (Q 724). Fuel quality standards 3.7 Another way to tackle the problem of air pollution is to alter the fuel which is used in engines. In developed countries fuels for road transport must conform to standards laid down by governments. As with the new vehicle emissions limits, within the European Union those standards are set by the European Commission. The question of fuel quality standards has increasingly become linked to the question of new vehicle emissions limits, to the extent that the Auto-Oil Programme was a joint examination of both emissions limits and fuel standards. It concluded that, within Auto-Oil’s terms of reference, anti-pollution measures aimed at vehicles would generally be more cost-effective than measures aimed at fuels. Nevertheless, the Commission has proposed that existing fuel quality standards be tightened in both 2000 and 2005. It has made proposals for the year 2000 standards, and has stipulated that new standards for 2005 should be brought forward in 1998. The Directive to come into effect in 2000 will regulate the volatility and the aromatics, benzene and sulphur content of petrol, and the polyaromatics and sulphur content of diesel. The Commission predicts that the new fuel quality standards for 2000 will make petrol approximately 0.14 pence/litre and diesel approximately 0.59 pence/litre more expensive”. 3.8 Despite the conclusions of the Auto-Oil programme, some witnesses argued that alterations to the fuel used in road vehicles would have a more immediate effect in the short term than emissions standards for new vehicles because both old and new vehicles would be affected by such a change, while new vehicles would take time to come on to the market and replace older ones. The question of fuel composition has become controversial as some automotive manufacturers have argued that advanced anti-pollution devices such as lean-burn traps will not work unless very high quality fuel is available. This technical question is addressed in Chapter 2. 3.9 Another form of regulation is to mandate the use of additives; the French Government has proposed to make the addition of bioadditives (fuels derived from agricultural crops) to road fuel compulsory by the year 2000, while in some parts of the United States oxygenates are used to 10 ‘This is especially important as standard three-way catalytic converters do not begin to work until they have warmed up; see 2.8. 71 Government Explanatory Memorandum on European Community Document 9856/96, ibid (COM(96) 248 final), p 8.
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