SIZE MATTERS - THE BIGGER THE VEHICLE, THE MORE IT POLLUTES

23 March 2006

It’s official - size matters. The bigger the vehicle, the more it pollutes. New ground breaking research commissioned by Camden Council reveals that vehicle size is as important as fuel type when it comes to emissions of greenhouse gases.

The Life Cycle Assessment of Vehicle Fuels and Technology is the first research of its kind in the UK to compare the environmental costs of the whole life cycle of different vehicles and fuel types available today. The study aims to inform future transport policy in Camden and the UK at a time when road transport is the third largest and fastest growing source of greenhouse gases in the UK. Funded by Transport for London (TfL) and the Department of Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra), the independent research was carried out by Ecolane Transport Consultancy on behalf of Camden Council.

One of the findings of the study, published on 15 March, shows that four-by-fours pollute 2.5 times more than smaller passenger cars. Larger vehicles require more materials and assembly energy when manufactured and disposed of than smaller vehicles, which results in significantly higher CO2 emissions.

Unlike other UK studies, the analysis not only assesses the environmental impacts of the fuel cycle such as primary production of fuel, transportation and refining. It also looks at the vehicle cycle from cradle to grave, which includes the production of materials making up the vehicle, manufacture of the vehicle and disposal.

Other key research findings include:

• Vehicle and fuel production stages account for around 20 per cent of total lifetime greenhouse gas emissions
• The use of battery electric vehicles results in the lowest environmental impact. In the best case (where they are re-charged with renewably generated electricity), the overall impact of greenhouse gas emissions is reduced by 80 per cent.
• Hybrid vehicles, vehicles which use two different energy sources, one of which is electric power, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent compared to a petrol baseline.
• Switching from conventional fuel to biodiesel or bioethanol reduces the environmental impact by 11 per cent and 26 per cent respectively (based on a 100 per cent blend).
• Gaseous-fuelled vehicles (liquid petroleum gas and compressed natural gas) provide up to 15 per cent reduction in air polluting emissions compared to Euro 4 petrol and diesel vehicles.

The findings of the report tie in well with Camden Council’s Green Transport Strategy and Climate Change Action Plan and Clear Zones Strategy. These policies set out the ways in which the council can reduce vehicle emissions and improve air quality and quality of life in the borough. In December 2005, Camden Council introduced an off-street electric charging facility for electric bikes and scooters called ‘NewRide’. These electric bikes and scooters produce no emission and can be recharged at a cost of less than 10p a time.

Cllr John Thane, Executive Member for Environment, Camden Council, said: “This report comes at a time when local, national and global focus on climate change has never been stronger. This research provides consumers and policy makers with an unprecedented overview of the environmental impact and benefits of the vehicles and fuel types available today.”

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