Würzburg/Germany, March 28, 2007
"The German government is preparing an amendment to the decree governing vehicle code plates, and in doing so intends to take older vehicles with a regulated catalytic converter into consideration too," is the statement made by Germany's minister for the environment, Sigmar Gabriel, in the latest edition (no. 13) of our motor trade magazine "kfz-betrieb", which is going on sale on 29 March 2007. "The aim is to include a further code in the decree to cover older cars with petrol engines. Then it would be possible for the German states and municipalities to differentiate more distinctly, rather than issue individual exemptions if driving bans were imposed in certain places."
In the overall process of introducing color-coded car emission certification discs, the question of how to deal with older petrol-run cars with regulated catalytic converters is one of the key points of criticism in the whole affair. These could be affected by driving bans even though they do not emit any particulate matter - which is what the main issue is about. The reason for this is that cars with petrol engines will only get a certification disc allowing them entry into environmentally sensitive zones if they at least fulfill the "Euro 1" exhaust standard. This standard, however, did not come into effect until 1992 which means that although all vehicles with regulated catalytic converters registered before that year do actually meet the comparable US norm, they have not yet been homologized to fit the "Euro 1" norm. This may, for owners of such cars, ultimately prove to be their downfall. And it must be said that it applies to some 4.6 million vehicles - which is the equivalent of ten percent of all vehicles on German roads.
In order to protect these car drivers from the threat of driving bans, Mr. Gabriel is now trying to speed things up: "The federal government will first be consulting the German states (Länder) and the Association of German Towns and Cities (Deutscher Städtetag) over the details. It is intended that the amended decree should enter into effect as soon as possible." It remains to be seen, however, whether this will actually happen before the first environmentally sensitive zones are laid down on July 1, 2007.
"kfz-betrieb" is published by Vogel Auto Media, Würzburg/Germany, and is the most widely read specialist magazine in the German car trade, celebrating its 95th anniversary in 2005 and fulfilling the role of official publication of the German vehicle trade association (ZDK), which represents the interests of over 40,000 car dealer businesses and repair garages.
If you have any queries, please feel free to contact:
Jan Rosenow
Editor - Services & Technology
Editorial office of "kfz-betrieb" - weekly journal & website
Vogel Auto Media
97064 Würzburg/Germany
Phone +49 (0)931-418-2179
Fax +49 (0)931-418-2050
Email: jan_rosenow@vogel-automedien.de
