The Environmental Protection Department will today launch three measures to improve roadside air.
A one-off grant will encourage motorists to replace their pre-Euro and Euro I diesel commercial vehicles with new ones. Pre-Euro vehicles fail to meet the most basic European Union emission standards.
The new Euro IV models will cut emissions of respirable suspended particles by 74 per cent and of nitrogen oxides by 38 per cent. This would cut emissions by 18 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively. There are 74,000 vehicles eligible for the grant, with HK$3.2 billion earmarked.
Also, buyers of environment-friendly petrol cars will get a 30 per cent reduction in their first registration tax, up to HK$50,000 per car.
Environment-friendly petrol cars emit 50 per cent less hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide, and consume 40 per cent less fuel than conventional Euro IV cars. Owing to higher fuel efficiency, they emit 40 per cent less carbon dioxide, a key contributor to global warming.
Pre-Euro diesel concrete mixers, road sweepers, truck-mounted cranes and pressure tankers that weigh more than four tonnes - except those with a cross-boundary road permit - must install emission- reduction devices. Failure to comply will lead to loss of vehicle licences.
