Vehicles & the Environment
The Department is responsible for managing policy and standards development on vehicle emissions, vehicle noise and fuel consumption labelling.
The Department provides input on fuel quality issues and manages the environmental criteria for the fuel tax credit for heavy diesel vehicle operators.
The Department also hosts and manages the Green Vehicle Guide website.
Review of Emission Standards (Euro VI) for Heavy Vehicles Discussion Paper
A discussion paper was released for public comment in October 2012 to consider the merits of adopting more stringent (Euro VI) air pollutant emission standards for heavy vehicles in Australia.
Comments on the discussion paper closed on 31 January 2013.
Light Vehicle CO2 Emissions Standards Discussion Paper
In September 2011, the Australian Government released a discussion paper examining the implementation of new carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions standards for new light vehicles. The CO2 standards will complement the Government's carbon price and help reduce carbon emissions from cars, SUVs and light commercials.
Comments on the discussion paper closed on 9 December 2011.Green Vehicle Guide
The Green Vehicle Guide (GVG) website provides information about the environmental performance of new light vehicles (up to 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass) sold in Australia since mid-2004. It is updated regularly as new models come onto the market and contains detailed information to helps consumers identify the performance of individual vehicle models. Information provided for each vehicle helps consumers compare the level of emissions and fuel consumption of different vehicles and consequently their impact on the environment.
To ensure that the GVG website remains a relevant source of information for Australian consumers, the Department will be launching a new GVG website in 2014.
The new website results from the consultation processes conducted in 2011 and 2012. The Department would like to thank all stakeholders for their contributions to this process.
The new website will be consistent with the approach suggested in the 2012 consultation paper and will place a greater emphasis on CO2 emissions, while continuing to provide information on fuel consumption, air pollution, noise and fuel lifecycle emissions. Further details of the proposed changes can be found on the GVG website.
The look and feel of the GVG site will change and we will be investigating the addition of new features and the modification of old features. For example, a single consolidated search page for current and older model vehicles and providing more comprehensive fuel consumption and CO2 emissions data for dual fuel vehicles (such as LPG/Petrol vehicles). To ensure the new GVG is of most assistance to consumers the Department is seeking feedback on how the functionality of the current GVG website could be improved, suggestions can be provided to futuregvg@infrastructure.gov.au, by 30 August 2013.
Australian Design Rules and the Environment
Motor vehicles are a significant contributor to urban air pollution and noise that can impact on the quality of life in our major cities.
To date, the principal measure used in Australia for reducing vehicle emissions and noise has been the through the introduction of tighter standards for new vehicles through the Australian Design Rules (ADRs).
These ADRs are made under Section 7 of the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989 and set the standards that each vehicle model is required to meet, prior to their first supply to the market. The full text of all ADRs is available on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments, and this site can be accessed from the numerical ADR list. The current ADRs addressing emissions, noise and fuel consumption labelling are:
- ADR30/01—Smoke Emission Control for Diesel Vehicles
- ADR79/02—Emission Control for Light Vehicles
- ADR80/03—Emission Control for Heavy Vehicles
- ADR81/02—Fuel Consumption Labelling for Light Vehicles
- ADR83/00—External Noise
For further information see:
- Vehicle Emission Standards in Australia (including the new ADRs adopting the Euro 5 standards)
- Vehicle Noise issues
- Fuel Consumption Label
Fuel Tax Credit For Heavy Diesel Vehicles: Guidelines for Environmental Criteria
Under the fuel tax credit arrangements that applied from 1 July 2006, businesses wishing to seek a fuel tax credit for the use of diesel fuel in a heavy road vehicle must satisfy one of four environmental performance criteria to be eligible for the credit.
Fuel Quality Standards
As vehicle emissions control technology becomes more sophisticated, the quality of the fuels is critical. The Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000 managed by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities provides the capacity for the Australian Government to set limits on those fuel parameters which impact on environmental/health objectives, vehicle technology and vehicle operation. The standards in place for petrol, diesel, LPG and biodiesel address fuel properties that are considered important in facilitating the adoption of emerging vehicle engine and emission control technologies, and in managing ambient levels of pollutants identified as posing health and environmental problems.