LowCVP stakeholders celebrate start of roll-out of 'environment label' for cars
Fri 07 January 2005
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LOW CARBON VEHICLE PARTNERSHIP NEWS RELEASE
1 July 2005
Partnership stakeholders celebrate start of roll-out of ‘environment label’ for cars
A new, colour-coded environment label for all new cars has begun to appear in new car showrooms. The consumer-friendly label will help car buyers assess the climate change impacts of different cars. The label will also show how car buyers can cut their running costs if they buy a lower carbon car.
Stakeholders in the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership which ‘brokered’ the voluntary agreement to introduce the new label – motor and fuel companies, environmental organisations, road user groups, academics and representatives of central and local government (including Minister for Transport Dr Stephen Ladyman) - gathered to celebrate the start of the roll-out on July 1 in Guildford.
The location was chosen because the colour-coded label will be present in all car showrooms in the borough for the start of the roll-out period as a result of a joint initiative between the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), Guildford Borough Council and LowCVP. The roll-out will take place at new car showrooms nationally between July and September this year. Some brands are already displaying the label in showrooms nationally.
The new fuel economy label is intended to be familiar to consumers as it mirrors important aspects of the design and colour-coding of the energy efficiency labels that now appear on most ‘white goods’, such as refrigerators.
The gradations on the label are also consistent with the CO2 bandings used for Vehicle Excise Duty (‘road tax’) to ensure that the environmental message is backed up by a clear fiscal signal: lower carbon emissions = lower road tax. The label also provides clear running cost information showing that lower carbon, ‘climate-friendlier’ vehicles are cheaper to run.
Speaking at the roll-out celebration, LowCVP Chairman Graham Smith said: “I am delighted that the Partnership approach has delivered this important new initiative and that we can now celebrate the start of its introduction into car showrooms. In future, new car buyers will be offered a much clearer signal of the environmental - and associated tax and running cost benefits - of the cars on sale. ”
Related Links
Label launch pictures (February 2005)
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