The Australian automotive industry reaffirmed in its submission to the Federal Government’s Ministerial Forum on vehicle emissions its commitment to a mandated CO2 target that is relevant to Australia.
Welcoming the opportunity to work with the Government to consider ways to reduce CO2 and pollutant emissions from road transport, FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said “In the FCAI’s submission to the Ministerial Forum on Vehicle Emissions we have stressed that any CO2 target must be considered together with pollutant emission standards and fuel quality standards as they are all interrelated. This position is shared internationally by many governments, research organisations and the automotive industry.
“Australia is a small market, comprising only 1.5% of global production,” Mr Weber said.
“To offer vehicles with world-class pollution emission standards, Australia must harmonise pollutant emission and fuel standards with leading overseas markets.”
The anticipated environmental benefits of adopting Euro 6 pollutant emission standards for petrol engine light vehicles will not be achieved without the widespread availability of 10 ppm sulphur petrol.
Modern engine and emissions technology is very complex and is designed to deliver both the operability and performance expected by consumers and also to have meet environmental objectives operating on an expected level of fuel quality.
The FCAI is looking forward to working through these issues with the Government and the oil industry over the next few months to develop government policies on vehicle emissions and fuel standards that will deliver the environmental benefits, while keeping the range of vehicle choice that Australians expect.
A real and sustained reduction in vehicle emissions, both CO2 and pollutants, will only be achieved through an integrated solution that takes a whole-of government approach to CO2 standards, vehicle pollutant emission standards, fuel quality standards and on-road vehicle operation.
The integrated solution must include:
- Fuel quality standards; to match the emission technology in our vehicles and initiatives to encourage consumers to use the correct fuel grade.
- The Australian consumer preference for heavier vehicles with larger and more powerful engines and automatic transmissions.
- The use of light vehicles in Australia; in particular, how to relieve congestion in our major cities and how to deliver the benefits from vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications.
- Driver behaviour and how eco-driving can reduce fuel use.
- Vehicle technology and the refuelling infrastructure required to support new technologies such as electric vehicles, hybrid electrics and hydrogen fuel cells.
- Increasing consumer demand through raising awareness and creating incentives for people to adopt new technology.
- Steps to reduce the age of the vehicle fleet, as newer vehicles are more fuel efficient.
The FCAI’s response to the Government’s Vehicle Emissions Discussion Paper is available on the FCAI’s website.
For further information contact:
Tony Weber, Chief Executive
P: 02-6229 8212
E: [email protected]