News on Retrofit and Air Quality in Europe
Article predicts London LEZ will increase Euro III DPF Retrofits
29/04/2010
An article in British magazine ‘Commercial Motor’ says that due to the shortage of used Euro IV trucks, a number of operators that regularly take loads into London are planning to acquire late-registered Euro III vehicles and equip them with a suitable particulate filter so as to be able to enter London's Low Emission Zone (LEZ) from 3 January 2012, when trucks will have to meet the Euro IV particulates standard.
Hong Kong proposes SCR Retrofit Trial
16/04/2010
Following a question in the Hong Kong Legislative Council, the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Edward Yau, said that all pre-Euro and Euro I franchised buses have already been installed with diesel oxidation catalysts and, where technically feasible, franchised bus companies are retrofitting their Euro II and III buses with diesel particulate filters. This work is expected to be completed within 2010. Franchised bus companies have also fully switched to Euro V diesel fuel with sulfur content below 10 ppm.
As regards NOx, Mr Yau said, it is now technically feasible to retrofit buses of some newer models (such as Euro II and III buses) with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR). London and an operator in Belgium are the more experienced in this area. The experiences of London and Belgium show that the devices can reduce NOx emissions by about 60%, thereby enabling Euro II and III buses to meet the Euro IV or above emission standard for NOx. Representatives of the Kowloon Motor Bus Company Limited joined government representatives and the Transport Department for a visit to the Transport for London (TfL) and a bus operator in Belgium in early 2010. Both TfL and the Belgian operator confirmed the environmental benefits and technical feasibility of retrofitting buses with SCR, but said that the crucial factor lies in the availability of sufficient space in individual bus models. “The Hong Kong SAR Government therefore considers that as the first step we should conduct a trial locally to confirm whether retrofitting SCR can effectively reduce the NOx emissions from Euro II and III buses. We have requested information from major SCR suppliers to help us as well as franchised bus companies to ascertain the availability of sufficient space in local buses….We hope that, where technically feasible, the trial can begin as soon as possible with a view to studying in detail the feasibility and costs of the proposal. Subject to a successful trial, we will discuss with the franchised bus operators how best to take forward the retrofitting works. We will also consider encouraging the operators to give priority to deploying retrofitted buses to run in busy corridors”, Mr Yau’s statement said.
Calls for Milan Ecopass to be abolished
05/02/2010
The former Milan commissioner for Mobility and the Environment, Edoardo Croci has suggested abolishing the exemptions in the city’s Ecopass system for Euro 4 cars and Euro V goods vehicles without particulate filters. Croci is now a member of the 'Milano respira' group which includes opposition politicians and medical experts.
The group proposed establishing a Low Emission Zone within the city’s bypass, with a toll of €11 for heavy vehicles, and to set up logistics platforms in the city, allowing loading and unloading of goods before 07:00 and after 19:00. But Croci says “the first step remains the strengthening of Ecopass and its transformation into a congestion charge, which is the logical evolution of a measure which has so far failed to renew the fleet operating in the city."
Netherlands extends Particulate Filter and EEV Subsidies to End of 2010
08/01/2010
The Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) has announced that it is extending until 31 December 2010 all five subsidies for cleaner engines and particulate filters under its Traffic Air Quality Program (programma Verkeersmaatregelen Luchtkwaliteit).
The five subsidy programs are: SRP – retrofit DPFs fitted to existing cars, SRV – grants for DPFs on Euro 3 trucks (<225 kW), STB – new trucks with an OEM particle filter, EEV trucks/vans + EEV – grant to purchase a new truck with an EEV engine or a van with a new engine that meets the EEV + standard, and SRMW – grants for retrofitting of a particulate filter on a mobile machine. This last scheme is extended with a number of categories such as compressors, generators, pumps and pile drivers.
For retrofit particulate filters on cars, trucks and mobile machinery, the 2010 budgets are €11.4 million, €8.7 million and €6.3 million respectively. The budget to subsidize purchases of new taxis or vans with OEM particulate filters is €7 million in 2010. For EEV systems the budget available in 2010 is €1.6 million. Fitment of a particulate filter will also be necessary to meet the sustainability criteria in tenders for government contracts.
Netherlands extends Subsidies for Particulate Filters
09/11/2009
The Netherlands has announced that it is to extend its subsidies for particulate filters and clean engines for a further year, to 31 December 2010. SenterNovem, the agency of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs says that from the beginning of the scheme in October 2006, almost 25 000 new Euro V and EEV vehicles have been subsidised. From 1 October 2009, the subsidy for new Euro V trucks, buses and vans ceases as Euro V is now a legal requirement. However, there is still funding available in the coming year for new vehicles meeting the EEV standards. In 2009, a total of over 28 000 vehicles and mobile equipment received grants of over €21 million because they were equipped with a particulate filter or clean engine. The companies that invest in clean engines and particulate filters make a significant contribution to improving air quality, especially in the urban environment. The government has also implemented sustainability criteria in government tendering contracts to encourage particulate filters. The subsidy budget for 2010 will cover fitment of passenger cars with particulate filters, fitment of trucks with particulate filters, fitment of particulate filters on mobile equipment, trucks and buses with new EEV engines, and new taxis and vans original equipment particle filters.
Danish Regulation on Retrofit Particulate Filters
26/10/2009
Denmark has issued a new Regulation on retrofit Particulate Filters requiring them to be approved to German Anlage XXVI for cars or Anlage XXVII and XIV for commercial vehicles, or equivalent.
The Regulation says that retrofitted particulate filters on diesel-powered private and commercial vehicles must be approved in accordance with the regulations in the German Straßenverkehrs-Zulassungs-Ordnung (StVZO) (Appendix XXVI of Section 47 paragraph 3a – for private cars) (Appendix XXVII of Section 48 paragraph 2 and Appendix XIV No. 3.4 for commercial vehicles) or corresponding schemes.
If a retrofitted particulate filter is not approved in accordance with the German regulations, then documentation must be provided to Denmark’s Road Safety and Transport Agency to show that the filter meets corresponding requirements. A retrofitted particulate filter can also be approved if, after fitting, the vehicle satisfies the EC Type Approval requirements for a vehicle of the same model and type with a factory fitted filter.
The notification says that “as a result of the Regulation, particulate filters that reduce particle emissions by at least 30% will be approved. There are particulate filters that can reduce particle emissions by more than 90%, but these systems are considerably more expensive and technically complicated. Denmark’s Road Safety and Transport Agency believes that the chosen scheme will lead to the retrofitting of a greater number of particulate filters, resulting in a greater impact on the environment, than if requirements had been laid down for retrofitting the most effective particulate filters.”
London Mayor proposes Air Quality Action Plan
12/10/2009
On 5 October 2009, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, published a draft air quality strategy outlining the key sources of London's airborne pollutants and proposing an action plan to reduce emissions. He called on the UK Government to give both policy and financial support to the plan.
The strategy projects a 20-25% reduction in PM10 in central London by 2012 and a 35-40% reduction in NO2 by 2015. Key measures for implementation before 2012 are:
- Phase 3 of the Low Emission Zone covering larger vans and minibuses will be delayed to 2012;
- Phase 4 of the Low Emission Zone scheme (Euro IV PM standards for lorries, buses and coaches) will be introduced as planned in January 2012;
- Introduction of a 15 year age limit for taxis and minicabs in 2012, tightened to 10 years in 2015;
- Taxis and minicabs being licensed for the first time from 2012 must be Euro 4 compliant (The document says that taxis are responsible for around 35% of road transport PM10 emissions in central London. The Public Carriage Office is also exploring how to take advantage of new technology for cab engines e.g. hybrid technology);
- Tailored action plans to be developed for air quality hotspots - this could include directing the hybrid buses into these areas;
- Special measures on the highest pollution days to be developed, plus ‘Action Day’ campaigns and better public information, especially for those most vulnerable to high pollution days.
Improvements proposed by 2015 are:
- All London's buses meet at least Euro IV standards for both PM and NOx by 2015 - this will involve retrofitting around 2 800 buses;
- From 2015 a "phase 5" of the Low Emission Zone will be introduced for NOx covering Heavy Goods Vehicles, buses and coaches. The Mayor says that this will need support from central government in establishing a suitable certification and testing regime for the required retrofitting equipment;
- A commitment to procuring 1000 electric vehicles in the Greater London Authority public fleet by 2015, together with investment in new infrastructure and standards to support a target of 100 000 electric vehicles on the streets as soon as possible.
'Clearing the Air', is being issued for consultation with other London authorities. After this a second version will be published in early 2010 for formal public consultation.
More info: http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/environment/air_quality/index.jsp
Denmark to extend LEZ requirements
28/09/2009
Danish local authorities judged to suffer from poor air quality are to be given the power to introduce more stringent environmental zones, the Danish government has announced.
Local authorities would be able to require the fitting of catalytic converters on pre-1995 petrol-fuelled commercial vehicles and particulate filters on diesel vans built before 2000, the Environment Ministry said in a statement. Environment Minister Troels Lund Poulsen estimated that 14 000 vehicles would be affected in the Copenhagen area alone and "overall... particulate pollution from traffic would be more than halved in the main urban areas from 2006 to 2011".
The new rules, combined with existing tax incentives for fitting particulate filters, are also expected to significantly reduce NO2 emissions as more drivers switch to newer vans. Other measures include a new law requiring particulate filters and minimum energy class C for new taxis, and higher taxes on diesel cars and vans without particulate filters.