Friday, October 22, 2010

Is London ready for more congestion?


The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has announced a new Greener Vehicle Discount as part of the revised London Congestion Charge starting in January 2011, what will this mean to the streets of central London?
With the outgoing current Alternative Fuel Discount only applicable to handful of vehicles – mainly hybrid-powered cars, such as the Toyota Prius and Lexus RX 450h, or electric quadracycles such as the Reva G-Wiz – this switch will lead to greater number of make/models that qualify for a 100% discount.

The new Greener Vehicle Discount will be available, for a £10 per year admin charge, on any car that emits 100g/km of CO2 or less and meet the strict Euro 5 standard for air quality. Bad news for the large hybrid SUVs of Porsche and Lexus et al, as well as Honda which sees all three of its hybrid-power cars fail to meet the new standard, (although for current owners there’s no need to panic just yet as their discount will be phased out over the next two years), but potentially great news for any car manufacturer that currently has a car that meets the new Greener Vehicle Discount criteria.

The new Greener Vehicle Discount will be available, for a £10 per year admin charge, on any car that emits 100g/km of CO2 or less and meet the strict Euro 5 standard for air quality. Bad news for the large hybrid SUVs of Porsche and Lexus et al, as well as Honda which sees all three of its hybrid-power cars fail to meet the new standard, (although for current owners there’s no need to panic just yet as their discount will be phased out over the next two years), but potentially great news for any car manufacturer that currently has a car that meets the new Greener Vehicle Discount criteria.

And what a list it currently is:


Make
Model
Type
Derivative
Audi
A3
Diesel Hatchback
1.6 TDI
Citroen
DS3
Diesel Hatchback
1.6 HDi
Citroen
C3
Diesel Hatchback
1.6 HDi
Fiat
500
Petrol Hatchback
0.9 TwinAir
Ford
Fiesta
Diesel Hatchback
1.6 TDCi Econetic
Lexus
CT-200h
Petrol Hybrid Hatchback
1.8 CVT
MINI
Cooper
Diesel Hatchback
1.6 D
MINI
One
Diesel Hatchback
1.6 D
SEAT
Ibiza
Diesel Sport Tourer
1.2 TDI CR Ecomotive
SEAT
Ibiza
Diesel Sport Coupe
1.2 TDI CR Ecomotive
SEAT
Ibiza
Diesel Hatchback
1.2 TDI CR Ecomotive
SEAT
Leon
Diesel Hatchback
1.6 TDI CR Ecomotive
Skoda
Fabia
Diesel Estate
1.2 TDI CR GreenLine II
Skoda
Fabia
Diesel Hatchback
1.2 TDI CR GreenLine II
smart
Fortwo Cabrio
Diesel Cabrio
CDI
smart
Fortwo Coupe
Diesel Coupe
CDI
smart
Fortwo Coupe
Petrol Coupe

smart
Fortwo Cabrio
Petrol Cabrio

Toyota
Prius
Petrol Hybrid Hatchback
1.8 VVTi
Toyota
Auris
Petrol Hybrid Hatchback
1.8 VVTi
Toyota
IQ
Petrol Hatchback
1.0 VVT-i
Vauxhall
Corsa
Diesel Hatchback
1.3 CDTi ecoFlex
Volkswagen
Polo
Diesel Hatchback
1.2 TDI Bluemotion
Volkswagen
Golf
Diesel Hatchback
1.6 TDi 105 BlueMotion
Volvo
C30
Diesel Sport Coupe
DRIVe
Volvo
S40
Diesel Saloon
DRIVe
Volvo
V50
Diesel Sportwagon
DRIVe

While the switch can be seen in a positive environmental light, the fact remains that the London Congestion Charge is there to control and reduce the amount of cars in the capital’s busy central districts. No doubt greater consumer choice, but will this move result in more traffic? Only time will tell.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments box below.

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