Amendment Regulation to tighten vehicle emission standards
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A spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department said that the Amendment Regulation would tighten the emission standards for newly registered motor vehicles (except for diesel private cars, buses with a design weight of not more than 9 tonnes, light buses with a design weight of more than 3.5 tonnes, motorcycles and tricycles) from Euro V to Euro VI in phases and for newly registered diesel private cars from California LEV II to LEV III starting from July 1, 2017 (detailed in the Annex).
"To reduce vehicle emissions, the Government has a standing policy to tighten motor vehicle fuel and emission standards in line with international developments when there is an adequate supply of compliant fuels and vehicles on the local market. On June 1, 2012, we started implementing Euro V vehicle emission standards in phases," he said.
Euro VI vehicles are more environmentally friendly. Compared with their Euro V counterparts, Euro VI heavy duty diesel vehicles emit about 80 per cent less nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 50 per cent less respirable suspended particulates (RSP or PM10) while Euro VI light duty diesel vehicles emit about 55 per cent less NOx.
A number of reputable organisations have found that Euro VI diesel cars that could meet the prescribed emission certification standards in a test laboratory emit NOx substantially above the regulated limit in real-world driving. Since Hong Kong's roadside air quality has been suffering from high NOx levels, the most stringent California LEV III should be adopted for newly registered diesel private cars.
The Amendment Regulation will be tabled at the Legislative Council for negative vetting on February 22. Subject to the negative vetting of the Council, the amendments will take effect on July 1, 2017.
Ends/Friday, February 17, 2017
Issued at HKT 17:00
Issued at HKT 17:00
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