Motor manufacturers say that the demonisation of diesel is misplaced, and could undermine efforts to reduce pollution
Diesel cars are being targeted unjustly in a misplaced effort to
reduce local pollution in urban areas by introducing bans and parking taxes.
That’s according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which today launched a campaign to raise public awareness about modern diesel engines and the amount they pollute.
The Diesel Facts campaign, which is being backed by several manufacturers including BMW, Ford, Jaguar and Volkswagen, aims to highlight the cleanliness of modern diesels by comparison with their predecessors, and includes a website which features what it calls a diesel myth-busting guide.
The SMMT says that, according to a YouGov poll, 87 per cent of adults in the UK claimed to be unaware of the latest Euro-6 emissions standards.
These regulations take into account a whole host of pollutants in addition to carbon dioxide, including nitrogen oxides, whose presence in high quantities has been linked to respiratory illnesses.
The survey found that 54 per cent of respondents said they believed that cars and commercial vehicles accounted for the largest proportion of air pollution in the UK.
In fact, the biggest producers of nitrous oxides in Britain are power stations, a fact of which only one in five people were aware.
The SMMT says that nitrous oxide emissions from diesel cars have fallen by 84 per cent since the year 2000, and argues that these misconceptions surrounding diesel engines could lead the Government and local councils to introduce punitive measure aimed at keeping diesel cars out of town centres.
The Society points out that, while some local authorities are imposing surcharges based on cars’ emissions standards, others fail to make that distinction and are applying blanket charges to all diesel cars.
That approach, it says, could inhibit the introduction of new, low-emission diesels.
“Today’s diesel engines are the cleanest ever, and the culmination of billions of pounds of investment by manufacturers to improve air quality,” says Mike Hawes, the SMMT’s chief executive.
“Bans and parking taxes on diesel vehicles therefore make no sense from an environmental point of view. We need to avoid penalising one vehicle technology over another and instead encourage the uptake of the latest low emission vehicles by consumers.
“The allegations against diesel cars made in recent months threaten to misguide policy making and undermine public confidence in diesel.”
That’s according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which today launched a campaign to raise public awareness about modern diesel engines and the amount they pollute.
The Diesel Facts campaign, which is being backed by several manufacturers including BMW, Ford, Jaguar and Volkswagen, aims to highlight the cleanliness of modern diesels by comparison with their predecessors, and includes a website which features what it calls a diesel myth-busting guide.
The SMMT says that, according to a YouGov poll, 87 per cent of adults in the UK claimed to be unaware of the latest Euro-6 emissions standards.
These regulations take into account a whole host of pollutants in addition to carbon dioxide, including nitrogen oxides, whose presence in high quantities has been linked to respiratory illnesses.
The survey found that 54 per cent of respondents said they believed that cars and commercial vehicles accounted for the largest proportion of air pollution in the UK.
In fact, the biggest producers of nitrous oxides in Britain are power stations, a fact of which only one in five people were aware.
The SMMT says that nitrous oxide emissions from diesel cars have fallen by 84 per cent since the year 2000, and argues that these misconceptions surrounding diesel engines could lead the Government and local councils to introduce punitive measure aimed at keeping diesel cars out of town centres.
The Society points out that, while some local authorities are imposing surcharges based on cars’ emissions standards, others fail to make that distinction and are applying blanket charges to all diesel cars.
That approach, it says, could inhibit the introduction of new, low-emission diesels.
“Today’s diesel engines are the cleanest ever, and the culmination of billions of pounds of investment by manufacturers to improve air quality,” says Mike Hawes, the SMMT’s chief executive.
“Bans and parking taxes on diesel vehicles therefore make no sense from an environmental point of view. We need to avoid penalising one vehicle technology over another and instead encourage the uptake of the latest low emission vehicles by consumers.
“The allegations against diesel cars made in recent months threaten to misguide policy making and undermine public confidence in diesel.”
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