Studies show the tyre/road abrasion caused by vehicles in motion contributes to microplastic and fine dust pollution, making this an issue our industry will increasingly have to consider in future. ZF Test Systems believes its new unit for testing tyre abrasion will enable tyre manufacturers to optimise their development programmes and offer cleaner tyres.
Emissions Analytics caused a stir last week when sharing news of its tyre wear pollution testing. It reported extraordinarily high levels of tyre wear pollution. The European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) has now responded with a statement that challenges Emissions Analytics’ testing procedure while keeping the door open to further dialogue on the subject of tyre and road wear particles (TRWP).
One effect of regulatory-driven decreases in vehicle emissions is that other kinds of pollution become comparatively higher. The contribution of tyres to overall transportation pollution has been scrutinised on a number of occasions, and opinions on the matter vary. Emissions Analytics now brings the issue of tyre pollution back to the table, flagging up that they’re much more polluting than car exhausts.
Following the new and tighter EU CO2 emissions rules for cars sold in Europe coming into effect in 2020, David Leggett, automotive editor at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, said that the European industry will find 2020 “another hugely competitive year”, with increased complexity, due to car-makers factoring in “push and pull for models according to new EU CO2 fleet average rules.” Leggett continues, “They will be attempting to keep exposure to potentially very hefty fines as low as possible.”
With 2020 just around the corner, the future of the UK new car market looks bleak amidst economic and political uncertainty. The latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT) shows the new car market continued to decline with new registrations down 1.3 per cent year-on-year.
Manchester Crown Court cleared five current and past directors and managers of Klarius Products Ltd of charges of selling non-typed approved catalytic converters on 3 December. The case, which was brought by the DVSA, had alleged that between 01/02/2013 and 30/08/2015 the business of Klarius Products Ltd, carried on for fraudulent purposes, the marketing, distribution and sale of counterfeit and non-type approved catalytic converters.
Despite the environment being the biggest driver for switching to an electric vehicle, new research by digital transformation agency, Somo, has identified that the interest in petrol vehicles is not declining. In fact, over half would consider purchasing a petrol engine vehicle next, and, surprisingly, a quarter are still considering diesel engines.
New data from Protyre reveals a 21 per cent year-on-year decrease in the proportion of MOT test fails that resulted from failed exhausts in the year since the DVSA introduced one of the largest-ever changes to the test on 20th May 2018 with stricter regulations on emissions from diesel cars. Protyre is the UK’s fastest growing supplier and fitter of tyres and automotive services with 150 nationwide garages.
A year ago, on 9 July 2018, the Government’s Department for Transport (DfT) published its Road to Zero strategy. The document defined how the government would ‘support the transition to zero emission road transport and reduce emissions from conventional vehicles’. In Road to Zero, the Government highlighted the issues of lack of consumer confidence and businesses’ expertise in the EV sector.
The Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership and Cenex have published a new Low Emission Van Guide to coincide with the CV Show in Birmingham and the revised licensing for drivers of alternatively fuelled vans (announced recently by the DfT.) The number of vans licensed to operate in the UK has grown by a quarter in ten […]
As average vehicle CO2 emissions trend upwards in Europe, carmakers are looking to form ‘pools’ that can help avoid large fines under new tighter EU CO2 emission rules that come into force in 2021. Dave Leggett, automotive editor at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view.
Up to 10 local authorities could be planning to introduce workplace charging levies, which could cost employees up to £1,000 per year to park at work. According to The AA, Hounslow Council is proposing to introduce a charge between £500 and £1,000 and nine other councils are considering similar measures. The schemes are designed to reduce inner-city emissions and improve air quality by discouraging drivers from using their car to get to work.
