The FCAI welcomes the establishment of a Ministerial Forum to undertake a whole-of-government approach to addressing vehicle emissions.
“We are pleased the Australian Government is looking to industries to provide real-world information on the important issue of emissions reductions,” FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said.
“FCAI member brands selling light vehicles in Australia are committed to developing and delivering new technologies that reduce CO2 emissions in their vehicles. Their commitment to deliver these technologies to the Australian market shows in the average industry year-on-year reduction of 2.4 per cent. Over the past decade, overall light vehicle CO2 emissions have reduced by more than 20 per cent.
“The continued commitment of car manufacturers to improve technology and environmental outcomes for new motor vehicles will achieve some continued reductions in vehicle emissions.
“To make further reductions, a range of policy matters must be considered. This includes fuel quality, infrastructure and incentives for the take up of low-emissions vehicles, vehicle to vehicle (V2V) and vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communication technology, and the structure of the Australian vehicle fleet.
“The vehicle industry welcomes the opportunity to work with the Government to discuss these policy considerations and explore opportunities to further improve on-road operation and efficiency of vehicles in Australia.”
Mr Weber noted that lifting fuel quality in Australia could see further reductions in CO2 emissions and vehicle pollutant emissions. “In Australia, transport fuels are of lower standard than other major markets, especially the EU, Japan and the US. This restricts the introduction of some engine variants and inhibits the performance of the latest generation of engines,” he said.
Mr Weber also noted that emerging vehicle energy technology, including hydrogen and electric vehicles, presents another opportunity for the achievement of further emissions reductions in Australia. “To effectively introduce a range of low-emissions vehicles, it is important the industry and governments work together to provide the appropriate infrastructure. In countries such as Japan, Government-led consumer incentives and infrastructure investment played significant roles in the uptake of vehicles with these technologies,” he said.
“We would also encourage the ministers to investigate reducing actual on-road operation emissions through the introduction of vehicle to vehicle (V2V) and vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communication technology. This technology has the potential to significantly improve traffic management with a resulting reduction in congestion and fuel use along with delivering significant improvements in road safety.”