2nd October 2003

AIR QUALITY ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH MOTOR CARS “WELL ON THE WAY TO BEING CRACKED”

At the fringe event discussion “Pollution free motoring – fantasy or real possibility?” organised by the UK Petroleum Industry Association at the Labour Party Conference, Bournemouth on Tuesday 30th September, UKPIA Chief Executive Malcolm Webb delivered a positive message about removing the main pollutants from motor car exhausts and tackling carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

“Through a combination of new cleaner fuels and new engine and exhaust clean-up technologies, the main exhaust pollutants from cars were halved in the 1990’s and continue to be substantially reduced. We are also at the dawn of sulphur-free fuels, which will become widely available in late 2004. These fuels will facilitate further improvements in engine efficiency and after treatment technologies thus improving the situation still further. So, on Air Quality I think that we are essentially cracking the problem.”

Whilst acknowledging that CO2 reduction in vehicles remained a challenge, he emphasised the enormous progress being made with developing more efficient engines and highlighted the substantial gains to be made with currently available hybrid vehicles, which combine petrol or diesel power with electricity generated by the vehicle itself. He expressed confidence that road transport would make its proper contribution to the achievement of the UK’s targets for reduction of Greenhouse Gas emissions. “However” he pointed out “emissions from road transport, which have not increased over the last 5 years, account for just 21% of total UK CO2 emissions and so road transport on its own cannot be expected to come any where near to achieving the Government’s overall targets for reduction of CO2 emissions.”

Mr Webb concluded by stressing the need to continue to make steady progress on improving existing fuel and engine technologies for early uptake in the mass market and the importance of not prematurely picking winners in the technology stakes.