Is London ready for more congestion?

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has announced a new Greener Vehicle Discount as part of the revised London Congestion Charge starting in January 2011, what will this mean to the streets of central London?
With the outgoing current Alternative Fuel Discount only applicable to handful of vehicles ? mainly hybrid-powered cars, such as the Toyota Prius and Lexus RX 450h, or electric quadracycles such as the Reva G-Wiz ? this switch will lead to greater number of make/models that qualify for a 100% discount.

The new Greener Vehicle Discount will be available, for a �10 per year admin charge, on any car that emits 100g/km of CO2 or less and meet the strict Euro 5 standard for air quality. Bad news for the large hybrid SUVs of Porsche and Lexus et al, as well as Honda which sees all three of its hybrid-power cars fail to meet the new standard, (although for current owners there?s no need to panic just yet as their discount will be phased out over the next two years), but potentially great news for any car manufacturer that currently has a car that meets the new Greener Vehicle Discount criteria.

The new Greener Vehicle Discount will be available, for a �10 per year admin charge, on any car that emits 100g/km of CO2 or less and meet the strict Euro 5 standard for air quality. Bad news for the large hybrid SUVs of Porsche and Lexus et al, as well as Honda which sees all three of its hybrid-power cars fail to meet the new standard, (although for current owners there?s no need to panic just yet as their discount will be phased out over the next two years), but potentially great news for any car manufacturer that currently has a car that meets the new Greener Vehicle Discount criteria.

And what a list it currently is:

Make	Model	Type	Derivative
Audi	A3	Diesel Hatchback	1.6 TDI
Citroen	DS3	Diesel Hatchback	1.6 HDi
Citroen	C3	Diesel Hatchback	1.6 HDi
Fiat	500	Petrol Hatchback	0.9 TwinAir
Ford	Fiesta	Diesel Hatchback	1.6 TDCi Econetic
Lexus	CT-200h	Petrol Hybrid Hatchback	1.8 CVT
MINI	Cooper	Diesel Hatchback	1.6 D
MINI	One	Diesel Hatchback	1.6 D
SEAT	Ibiza	Diesel Sport Tourer	1.2 TDI CR Ecomotive
SEAT	Ibiza	Diesel Sport Coupe	1.2 TDI CR Ecomotive
SEAT	Ibiza	Diesel Hatchback	1.2 TDI CR Ecomotive
SEAT	Leon	Diesel Hatchback	1.6 TDI CR Ecomotive
Skoda	Fabia	Diesel Estate	1.2 TDI CR GreenLine II
Skoda	Fabia	Diesel Hatchback	1.2 TDI CR GreenLine II
smart	Fortwo Cabrio	Diesel Cabrio	CDI
smart	Fortwo Coupe	Diesel Coupe	CDI
smart	Fortwo Coupe	Petrol Coupe
smart	Fortwo Cabrio	Petrol Cabrio
Toyota	Prius	Petrol Hybrid Hatchback	1.8 VVTi
Toyota	Auris	Petrol Hybrid Hatchback	1.8 VVTi
Toyota	IQ	Petrol Hatchback	1.0 VVT-i
Vauxhall	Corsa	Diesel Hatchback	1.3 CDTi ecoFlex
Volkswagen	Polo	Diesel Hatchback	1.2 TDI Bluemotion
Volkswagen	Golf	Diesel Hatchback	1.6 TDi 105 BlueMotion
Volvo	C30	Diesel Sport Coupe	DRIVe
Volvo	S40	Diesel Saloon	DRIVe
Volvo	V50	Diesel Sportwagon	DRIVe

While the switch can be seen in a positive environmental light, the fact remains that the London Congestion Charge is there to control and reduce the amount of cars in the capital?s busy central districts. No doubt greater consumer choice, but will this move result in more traffic? Only time will tell.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments box below.

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