The Motor Trade Association wants the Government to require annual air pollution tests for vehicles older than 10 years, Marc Daalder reports
Older cars will face an extra hurdle during the warrant of fitness process, if the motor industry has its way.
On Tuesday night, the Motor Trade Association released a policy document for changes to transport policy it wants to see carried out by whomever wins the election in October. Among suggestions of wide-ranging changes to the warrant of fitness check system is a proposal to require all cars older than a decade to undergo emissions testing.
Particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide from vehicle exhaust is the leading contributor to air pollution in New Zealand. Groundbreaking research released in July found more than 2000 deaths each year can be attributed to pollution from cars and trucks.
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In response, the Motor Trade Association (MTA) wants vehicles to automatically fail their warrant if their "check engine" light is on and for older vehicles to undergo more rigorous testing.
"Currently, the only form of emissions testing which exists for a vehicle which is already on the road is a sight test," MTA chief executive Lee Marshall told Newsroom. That involves the tester revving the vehicle and looking out the rear mirror for visible smoke.
"Our contention is that's not fit for purpose. A lot of the noxious fumes that come out the back of car exhaust can't be seen. When you overlay that with the fact that we have one of the oldest fleets in the developed world – the average vehicle age in this country is almost 15 years and almost 60 percent of our fleet is in excess of 10 years old – and we know from data from overseas that it's about 10 years old that vehicles start to more routinely fail emissions testing, we think it makes sense to make it mandatory."
Catalytic converters, the technology that cleans harmful pollution from exhaust fumes, have an average lifespan of 10 years.
Overseas, emissions testing is a routine part of vehicle fitness checks.
Fixing this gap is one of the measures recommended by the researchers from last year's air pollution study. Those same researchers also produced a report for the Government on the impact of stricter import standards.
New Zealand currently requires new vehicles brought into the country to meet Euro 5/V standards. But the European Union adopted a new, stricter standard, Euro 6/VI, in 2015. Requiring imports to meet Euro 6/VI would save $1-$8 billion in avoided health and productivity losses, even after accounting for the costs to importers. The benefits are greater the sooner the rules are introduced, according to the report.
Transport Minister Michael Wood said he had considered the report and it's important that New Zealand stay up to date with air pollution standards.
"I am continuing to consider the benefits of further regulation in this area and I'll be looking to consider that further in the coming months," he said.
Marshall said the MTA broadly "supports any measure that would see cleaner vehicles being brought into our country. I think with regards to classifications like Euro 6 and Euro 7, it's probably not a question of 'if', it's a question of 'when'. The critical thing is just to make sure that we get the timing right with that kind of change."
He said New Zealand should align changes to import rules with Australia, because manufacturers treat the two countries as a single market.
Other policy proposals in the MTA's document included requiring six-monthly warrants of fitness for vehicles over 15 years old, a phase-out of the clean car discount as the need for EV subsidies fades and redirecting transport funding to roads.
