An assessment of clean vehicle and fuel policies by the International Council on Clean Transportation finds that most G20 countries are on track towards reaching G20 targets on clean transportation.
The EU has implemented a new standard for vehicle testing.
UN-HABITAT has joined forces with Chinese bike sharing company Mobike to make cycling accessible in urban centers around the world.
31 August 2017: Policies, regulation and innovation are key elements of a transition towards low carbon transport. Recent events and publications provide updates on developments in G20 countries while UN Human Settlements Programme has signed an MOU with a bike-sharing initiative.
Report Finds Countries are on Track Towards Meeting G20 Clean Vehicle Targets
The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has updated its assessment of policies for clean vehicles and transportation fuels in G20 countries. The report assesses policies and programmes regarding fuel standards for light and heavy duty vehicles in countries that are members of the G20 Transport Task Group (TTG) under the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC). The study finds that policies are generally in line with the long-term pathways identified in the G20 Energy Efficiency Leading Programme (EELP). The EELP provides a framework for collaboration based on the G20 Energy Efficiency Action Plan. It outlines long-term perspectives and pathways for collaboration in the areas of vehicles, networked devices, energy finance, and buildings.
Regarding vehicles, the EELP defines “world class” clean vehicle and fuel standards as reference for policy development in member countries. The ICCT assessment shows that most members of the TTG have developed policies for light and heavy duty vehicle tailpipe emissions. In the area of fuel economy, most countries have developed policies for light duty vehicles and are in the process of developing next phase standards, whereas only four countries have completed policy development for heavy duty vehicles. The report recommends that the TTG: continue to support development of world-class standards for cleaner vehicles and fuels; promote cooperation on energy efficiency standards and compliance tools; and improve participation in green freight programmes. [IPEEC Press Release][ICCT Report Abstract][Status of Policies for Clean Vehicles and Fuels in Select G 20 Countries][IPEEC TTG Website]
EU Adopts more Stringent Procedure for Vehicle Emissions Testing
Taking a step towards harmonized benchmarks for vehicle efficiency, the EU has implemented a new standard procedure for testing vehicle emissions and fuel efficiency. On 1 September 2017, the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) replaced the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) for all new vehicle models. The WLTP is the first vehicle testing standard to incorporate the Global Technical Regulation on WLTP adopted by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations in 2014.
The new test procedure closes loopholes that allowed car manufacturers to “optimize test results at the cost of real fuel efficiency and pollutant emissions such as particles and nitrogen oxides.”
The WLTP procedure addresses several weaknesses of the NEDC, including its lack of real world driving scenarios. The new procedure also closes loopholes that allowed car manufacturers to “optimize test results at the cost of real fuel efficiency and pollutant emissions such as particles and nitrogen oxides.” Pressure to revise the NEDC procedure had increased in 2015 when it was revealed that emissions and fuel consumption of vehicles produced by several car manufacturers were much higher in real use than under test conditions. The more stringent requirements of the WLTP procedure are expected to lead to fuel consumption estimates that are 10-20% higher than under the NEDC procedure. [UNECE Press Release][UNECE World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations]
UN-HABITAT and China’s Mobike help Smart Bike Sharing Go Global
The most effective way to reduce vehicle emissions is to opt for alternative modes of transport, for example: using a bike-sharing service rather than cars to get around in urban centers. To promote bike sharing in cities around the world, the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mobike, a smart bike share company from China. The MOU aims to make urban cycling more accessible through the promotion of bike share systems and collaborative research on travel pattern analysis for urban transport planning. Mobike uses innovative technologies to allow users to find and unlock bikes using their mobile device and to manage the movements of bikes around cities to increase their availability. [UN-HABITAT Press Release][Mobike Website]