The battle over a proposed £25 Congestion Charge increase that would have been socked to big, dirty vehicles entering London is over. Porsche was the lead opponent of this fee increase, and announced the win on its Judicial Review website. I guess Porsche's huge PR campaign worked. Back when Ken Livingstone, who came up with the £25 congestion charge proposal, was still Mayor of London, the city announced that the majority was in favor of it. Porsche had other data.

The new mayor, Boris Johnson, was never in favor of the new C-Charge, so it's not a huge surprise that it's been scraped. He said he hopes the city will now institute a 'fairer and more effective' Congestion Charge. The agency responsible for the Congestion Charge, Transport for London, will now need to pay Porsche's legal bills. Porsche has said it will donate the money to Skidz, an anti-crime charity. h/t to TheRookie.

[Source: Porsche, What Car?, Times Online]

We have spoken quite a lot about Low Emission Zones (LEZ) in Europe. The most well-known is the one in Central London, but we have also reported about Milan's and some German cities as well. If you want to see all of these areas at a glance, you can check this multilingual website, which includes an interactive map that includes each zone with descriptions. The website also has a very good definition of what LEZ are: "areas where the most polluting vehicles are restricted from entering an area. This means that vehicles are banned, or in some cases charged, if they enter the LEZ when their emissions are over a set level." According to the website, 28 European cities and a highway already run a LEZ scheme, while 33 will introduce it this year and five more are coming some time later.

[Source: Low Emission Zones]

With pro-congestion charge London mayor Ken Livingstone on the way out, there are a lot of questions about what happens next regarding the city's vehicle laws. At least one company, NICE, thinks electric car sales will increase under incoming mayor Boris Johnson, who is against the C-charge. In this time of flux, the UK-based website Clean Green Cars is offering Johnson ideas on how to "help frame a revised Congestion Charge that will be both fairer to motorists and more effective in reducing overall pollution." CGC is against Livingstone's congestion charge plan and hopes that its more moderate plan will be the new standard in London. The highlights of the plan include:

• A stricter target of 110 g/km CO2 for cars qualifying for the lowest charge be applied
• Vehicles achieving 110g/km or below should be charged £4 rather than being allowed in for nothing
• Vehicles emitting more than over 225g/km should be charged £12 rather than £25

There are more details about this plan after the jump, but that 110 grams of CO₂ level catches our eye. With so many automakers able to bring out vehicles that just ducked under the old 120 level thanks to minor tweaks, pushing the target down a bit further is an interesting move. We'll see if Johnson likes what he reads.

The advent of changes to London's congestion charge that makes the fees based on a vehicle's carbon dioxide emissions has prompted many automakers to tweak some of their models to get their emissions down. Any car that emits less than 120g/km of carbon dioxide is exempt from having to pay the charge. The latest brand to go after that threshold is BMW with their 318d. The existing version is rated at 123g/km, so BMW will make some changes to get into the charge free band. BMW engineers feel they can meet the challenge with the 318d. The smaller 118d already achieves 119g/km with it's start-stop system and brake energy regeneration. Both cars use a 1.8L four cylinder turbodiesel. Some changes in gearing, lower rolling resistance tires and some aero tweaks may be all it takes to meet the target.

[Source: AutoCar]

We don't want to take sides on London's Congestion Charge, but we are keenly interested in what the charge will mean for the environment and motorists. Ken Livingstone claims that the charge is intended to reduce congestion and CO₂ emissions while Porsche claims that the charges are unnecessarily high and unfair. New evidence that Porsche has located, though, indicates that CO₂ emissions will actually increase if the charges go into effect as planned. In fact, Porsche claims that the mayors office was aware of this report and chose not to release it.

The report, prepared for Transport for London by King's College London's Environmental Research Group, predicted that the charges would create a "very high disbenefit" not only for CO₂ but also for NOx, NO₂ and particulate matter. The reason cited for the increased emissions is that drivers will choose to drive around London instead of driving straight through, which would be a much shorter trip. London's emissions may drop, but the surrounding areas will be disproportionately hurt.

According to Andy Goss, Managing Director of Porsche Cars GB, "We always knew the environmental impact of this unfair tax would be minimal, now we know it will make matters worse. The Mayor and TfL need to explain why this report was not disclosed and why they want to increase taxes on motorists that will increase CO₂. It seems absolutely clear that the report shows that not only have Mayor Livingstone and TfL not presented all of the information to the public about the impact of his £25 charge, but that they have also created a new tax on motorists that will do the exact opposite of its stated goal." Read more of Porsche's response here.

[Source: Porsche]

Click on the image to enlarge

Lexus would like to remind drivers who frequent the city of London that the GS450h is a credible sports sedan which falls well below the maximum penalty which will be in effect as part of the upcoming Congestion Charge. Emitting 185g/km of CO₂ will allow for a daily charge of £8, as compared to the £25 maximum penalty which many performance and luxury vehicles will be subject to.

We're not going to dispute the facts as presented by Lexus, but we'll also stop well short of suggesting that the GS 450h is the eco-friendly choice (there are certainly other options). Still, its comparatively low emissions, along with its 35.8mpg in the combined cycle, give a possible reason to choose it over some of its rivals, if for none other than to save some extra cash.

After the break, Lexus provides a chart comparing the power, acceleration, CO₂ emissions, combined fuel economy and congestion charges of the BMW 540i, Jaguar XF and Audi A6 4.2 V8 FSI against its own GS450h. Very thoughtful of them, wouldn't you say?

Click in the image to enlarge

London's Congestion Charge has drawn ire from some manufacturers, but others are doing something to help alleviate the "financial burden" the charges place on their customers. According to Jim Tyrrell, Mitsubishi's Managing Director, "The vast majority of our customers run a 4x4 for a specific purpose – not simply as a fashion item. We have worked hard to reduce the emissions levels wherever we can to help minimize any negative financial impact on the thousands of businesses that have chosen to use our pick-ups."

In line with this statement, new Mitsubishi L200s equipped with a manual transmission and not fitted with the Rallitronic power upgrade will now come with a 225 g/km CO₂ emissions rating, placing them in a lower Congestion Charge band. Before the modifications to the L200, drivers would be forced to pay £25 per day for trips into London; now the charge will be £8 per day.

The TfL Congestion Charge on dual purpose double cab pick-ups will be effective starting October 6th, 2008 and will be retroactive, meaning that older pickups will face the same penalty as brand new ones.


[Source: Mitsubishi]

By now, you're surely aware of the efforts of London Mayor Ken Livingstone to increase London's congestion charge. You're also likely know about the distaste that Porsche feels regarding these changes. Back in late February, Porsche polled Londoners themselves and found that 74 percent of Londoners think that the new £25 congestion charge is too high. Hmm... Livingstone's got his own survey too, and he says, "This robust survey provides further clear evidence of the strong support from Londoners for these measures, with 61% behind the decision to charge £25 for gas-guzzlers. Moreover, 65% say that the overall policy is good for London." Who's right? Don't know, be we do konw that someone's wrong. Unless 74 and 61 make 100 in some sort of new math.

This ongoing debate seems far from over. We're sure that more numbers will be thrown around from both camps (and just about anybody else who has an opinion) which support their viewpoints. Round and round we go!

[Source: What Car]

Lately, London Mayor Ken Livingstone has seen a great deal of press coverage regarding his efforts to increase the congestion charges in London, which caused Porsche to vehemently disagree with said charges. This is not Livingstone's only legislative issue these days, though, as he is also opposed to allowing motorcyclists access to London's bus lanes. He claims that there is "only a very small safety benefit for motorcyclists [versus] a larger disbenefit for other vulnerable road users. On this basis I do not propose to further allow motorcyclists to use bus lanes. Those who have advocated rushing though a change have clearly acted prematurely and irresponsibly. Such changes could have endangered the lives of cyclists and pedestrians."

What evidence does he point to? Transport for London's Road Safety Unit ran something is called the "Tanner Test," and the results are what Livingstone consulted. There's a looming issue about the test, though, as Chris Hodder, government relations executive for the British Motorcyclists Federation, has alleged that Livingstone's report was purposely doctored in order to remove evidence that casualties actually decreased by 42 percent when cyclists were allowed in bus lanes.

Craig Carey-Clinch, policy director for the Motorcycle Industry Association, put his thoughts very plainly into words when he said, "By doctoring the results to suit both his and his advisors' personal opinions, Livingstone has condemned cyclists and motorcyclists to greater vulnerability in London's traffic." That sounds like a very serious allegation to us. We'll be sure to keep you informed if more information regarding this case becomes available.

[Source: Motorcycle News]

The City Council of Madrid, Spain, has unveiled plans to create a low-emissions zone in the city center which would ban polluting cars. This system is very similar to the ones implemented in several German cities and differs from Milan and London's option of an urban toll (or congestion charge).

If the measure gets the green light, only cars that accomplish the Euro III emission standards or higher would be allowed in the city center from 2010. Note that German cities require Euro IV and Diesel Particulate Filters for diesels. Residents might be exempted from this measure.

According to the City Council, this area will reduce NOx emissions by 47 percent, as well cutting particulate matter (under 10 micrometers) by 37 percent. Madrid's traffic accounts for more than 75 percent of NOx and particulate emissions in the city.

[Source: Europa Press via Econoticias]

In the ongoing fight between Porsche and Transport for London over the increased emissions charges in that city (previous stories - in chronological order - here, here, here, here and here), Porsche has now taken another step towards requesting judicial review of the charge. Following TfL's rejection of an earlier request from Porsche about changing the congestion charge, Porsche is giving the Mayor's office three weeks to respond to this latest filing.

Porsche's side of the story is being told at Porschejudicialreview, a Porsche website. There's more after the jump.

Well, this Porsche-London fight certainly isn't going to end any time soon. Earlier today, London mayor Ken Livingstone told Porsche to butt out of local politics, but the German automaker isn't displaying any such intention. In fact, Porsche released a statement yesterday (available after the jump) that calls on Livingstone to make public the full tables of a poll showing that the public supports the increased congestion charge or else retract a mayoral statement that announced the support. Porsche, you see, says it's done its own polling and found 74 percent of Londoners think that the new £25 congestion charge is too high and various other majorities that are negative on the increase. You can read the letter Porsche wrote to the Mayor here and check out the company's statement after the jump.

The next step happened today, when the mayor said at a press conference that the full details have indeed been published. Porsche - surprise - disagrees and I'll let you read their detailed reasons why in a second press release pasted after the jump if you're into the minutiae here. The general gist remains: Porsche is calling the mayor's facts into question. Again. There will be more to this sory, I am sure.

The war of words between the Mayor of London and Porsche is heating up. Thanks to Mayor Ken Livingstone (the guy in the black Prius), London's congestion charge will be increased, a move that sparked the threat of a lawsuit and even the creation of a website by automaker Porsche. At a news conference today, Mayor Ken Livingstone said "they [Porsche] should be redoubling efforts to produce less-polluting cars" and notes that Berliners would be annoyed "if a British company tried to intervene in a mayoral election" (remember, Porsche is a German company).

Livingstone is standing for his third term May 1 and, wouldn't you know it, his two opponents don't support the fee increases. Porsche spokesman Andrew Davis says they "are not interested in the election at all -- we're not a political company. ... We are simply fighting on the issue of modifying the congestion charge." I don't know Porsche, this web page and this one look a little political to me.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Following Porshce's threat to start a legal process against the City of London for the city's upcoming increase in the congestion charge, a spokesperson for Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, has issued a response, calling Porsche's action a "double attack on Londoners." The two prongs are an attack on Londoners democratic rights and an attack on clean air in the city. The statement ends with, "No one is allowed to throw their rubbish in the street and Porsche should not be allowed to impose gas guzzling polluting cars on Londoners who do not want them." Doesn't sound like the city is willing to back down in this fight. More to come, I'm sure.

Related:

• Mayor of London bashed for new congestion charge
• Porsche officially starts legal process against London's congestion charge

[Source: Transport for London]

The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, is being condemned by drivers' associations, residents, car companies and local business for the new plans for London's congestion charge, the £25 charge for drivers of cars with CO₂ emissions over 225g/km (road tax band G). For some drivers, this could add up to about £6,000 per year.

One criticism came from Porsche, which announced that it was considering taking the mayor to a judicial review to challenge the plans because all Porsche models (but two) will have to pay the highest charge. Two of London's boroughs, Kensington and Chelsea, are also considering going to court against Livingston for "exceeding" his attributions. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has its own reasons to take aim at the C-Charge. They claim that the £25 charge "will not significantly cut CO₂ emissions from ultra sports cars," but will instead affect families with people carriers or people driving cars built before 1998 with engines of more than 3 liters.

Related:

• Porsche officially starts legal process against London's congestion charge
• Congestion charge up for gas guzzlers: 25 quid for a ride in Central London
• Toyota Aygo, Yaris and Prius exempt from revised London Congestion Charge
• Electric vehicle drivers get some not-so-good news in London

[Source: Times]