The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today (17 October) announced the launch of an online ‘cleaner vehicle checker‘ tool, to offer information about emissions from new cars and vans.
The online tool is being provided using independent emissions data gathered by the testing firm Emissions Analytics on Euro 6 standard cars, based on the company’s EQUA Index.
Plans to present data for older, used vehicles are also in place, with a plan to launch this part of the tool in 2018.
Using the tool, car buyers can gain information on levels of emissions of NOx and CO2 from a number of new model cars currently on the market, based on real-world testing carried out by Emissions Analytics.
More than 900 vehicles have been tested so far, covering a range of makes, models and engine types.
If a specific model has not been tested, Emissions Analytics can show results for the nearest equivalent model.
According to the Mayor’s Office, using the online tool will help ‘restore confidence’ among drivers after the emissions testing scandal, where car manufacturers had been found to be using devices to meet emissions standards.
The Mayor, Sadiq Khan, said: “Our toxic air is a shameful health crisis and London motorists deserve to know how much filthy emissions new cars may produce before they purchase them.
“The Cleaner Vehicle Checker will help provide the accurate and independent information Londoners need to make informed choices and opt for cleanest vehicles.”
From next week, drivers in the central London congestion zone will be subject to an emissions surcharge, dubbed the T-Charge, if they are driving older, more polluting vehicles.
The charge, which is an additional £10 charge on top of what drivers will already pay to enter the Congestion Charge Zone, comes into effect from 23 October, and applies to petrol and diesel vehicles which fall below the Euro 4 emission standard.
Euro 4 stipulates that vehicles must emit no more than 0.08g/km of NOx for petrol vehicles or 0.25g/km for diesel to achieve the standard.
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Cleaner Vehicle Checker