End of the free green run... now hybrid cars will have to pay congestion charge too

 
Already hit: Now hybrid vehicles will have to pay c-charge like 4x4s
Ross Lydall @RossLydall29 January 2013

Drivers of all diesel and most hybrid vehicles will be forced to pay the congestion charge in a crackdown on traffic and pollution.

Transport for London is tightening the rules to discourage motorists from buying cars that allow them to drive in central London for free.

It also wants to halt the enthusiasm for diesel cars — which now account for one in two sales — because they emit 22 times more soot particulates than petrol cars.

The Toyota Prius — a petrol vehicle with an electric engine — two-seater petrol and diesel Smart cars, and the petrol-driven Fiat 500, are among more than 50 “green” models that will no longer be exempt from the £10 charge.

The move will come into force in July if approved by Boris Johnson. It will raise an extra £1 million to £2 million a year — helping to reverse a £60 million slump in revenue since the scrapping of the zone’s western extension.

But it has sparked an outcry from motoring groups concerned that drivers who deliberately purchased “green” vehicles to avoid paying the C-charge will lose out.

Edmund King, AA president, said: “We do have real concerns about ‘green goalposts’ being moved after drivers and businesses have invested in low-emission hybrid and diesel vehicles. We need to encourage the take-up of a range of greener vehicles.”

About 70,000 motorists a day enter the congestion zone, with 2,500 qualifying for Transport for London’s Greener Vehicle Discount because they emit less than 100g/km of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

TfL wants to scrap this limit and replace it with a much tougher 75g/km maximum in a new scheme — which effectively rules out all hybrid and diesel vehicles now on the road.

David Bizley, the RAC’s technical director, said: “The 75g/km limit is pretty much beyond any current conventional diesel or gasoline vehicle. You really need some sort of plug-in hybrid to qualify.” Applications for the Greener Vehicle Discount would cease to be accepted from July. But drivers already registered would continue to qualify for the exemption until June 2015.

TfL, which made a £136.8 million net profit from the congestion charge in 2011/12, believes the existing system “creates an incentive” for owners of hybrid and diesel cars to enter the zone. It fears the number could more than double to 6,000 “free” cars a day by the end of this year.

The new rules would sit alongside a £10 increase in penalty fines — taking them to £130 — and the closure of C-charge payment points in shops and petrol stations. These changes would generate a further £2.5 million a year.

Environmentalists criticised both the current discount scheme and the proposed new one.

Simon Birkett, director of Clean Air in London, said: “Since the Greener Vehicle Discount was introduced in January 2011, the number of qualifying car models has tripled with most of these emitting carcinogenic diesel exhaust fumes.

“It is doubtful whether any overall reduction in CO2 has been achieved and, of course, the extra vehicles have worsened congestion.

“The proposed new scheme risks repeating the Mayor’s backward steps of the past.”

A consultation on the proposals is taking place. Nick Fairholme, TfL’s director for congestion charging, said: “I want to encourage as many people as possible to submit their views on these proposed changes.”

The consultation closes on February 8. More information at tfl.gov.uk/ccyourviews

Cars that will lose the discount:

Audi A3 1.6TDI

Citroën C3 1.6HDi

Citroën DS3 1.6HDi

Fiat 500/500C

Fiat Punto Evo 1.3 16V Multijet

Ford Fiesta ECOnetic 1.6TDCI Duratorq

Ford Focus ECOnetic 1.6 TDCI Duratorq

Hyundai i10 1.0SOHC

Mini One D

Mini Cooper D

SEAT Leon 1.6TDI

SEAT Ibiza ST 1.2TDI

Skoda Fabia hatchback and estate 1.2TDI

Smart Fortwo CDI Coupé and Cabrio

Smart ForTwo Coupé and Cabrio

Toyota Auris T4 and T Spirit

Toyota Prius T3, T4 and T Spirit

Toyota IQ 1.0 VVT-i

Vauxhall Corsa 1.3TDI

Volvo S40 DRIVe

Volvo V50 DRIVe

Volvo C30 DRIVe

Volkswagen Polo 1.2TDI

Volkswagen Golf 1.6TDI

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