Annual Vehicle Test to Show Carbon Footprint

Annual road-worthiness test reports will show the carbon footprint of the vehicle from next month.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has introduced an automated system that will rate vehicles according to their CO2 emission levels while also showing the vehicle’s cost effectiveness in the annual test report.

The annual test reports will also show the distance clocked by the vehicle and the volume of fuel used in a year.

“We will be recording the vehicle’s mileage at each renewal and based on that we can calculate the distance clocked by the vehicle during the past 12 months. The mileage, combined with the engine capacity of the vehicle, the number of cylinders, weight of the car and other features will be used to calculate the eco-friendliness of the vehicle,” said Ahmad Hashem Behroozian, CEO of RTA’s Licensing Agency.

The mechanism will have all vehicles divided into four categories, with those with a carbon footprint rating of four considered the most eco-friendly.

Other categories include vehicles with ratings between four and eight, which is considered good, while those rated between eight and 12 are average and vehicles with a 12 plus rating of carbon footprint are considered the worst.

Though the emissions rating may not immediately impact the result of the vehicle tests, the data accumulated will be used to formulate new environmental policies.

“This will enable the government to take corrective environmental action, while also increasing the awareness of the public on the harmful effects of emissions generated by their vehicle through the annual vehicle test certificate,” said Behroozian.

He added that the idea of the initiative is to show people the impact their vehicles have on the environment as the report will also show the environmental cost of the vehicle.

“It will create awareness among the people about the positive or negative impact their vehicles are having on the environment. It is a way of advising people as to where they stand in terms of their carbon footprint on the road. We are trying to link the ownership of vehicle to responsibility in protecting the environment,” said Behroozian.

Source: GN