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To further improve roadside air quality, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) will strengthen the control of emissions from petrol and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vehicles by using roadside remote sensing equipment that will identify vehicles with excessive emissions, starting from September 1, 2014.
Under the new emission control programme, the EPD will deploy mobile remote sensing equipment at roadsides to step up monitoring of excessive emissions from petrol and LPG vehicles.
Owners of vehicles found to have excessive emissions will be notified by an emission testing notice issued by the EPD. Their vehicles will then be required to pass a dynamometer-based emission test at a designated vehicle emission testing centre within 12 working days so as to ensure the problem is rectified.
Failure to meet the requirement will lead to cancellation of the licence of the vehicle concerned. A similar test requirement, the Smoky Vehicle Control Programme which targets diesel vehicles, has been in place since 1988.
A spokesman for the EPD said today (June 17), "To avoid excessive emissions from petrol or LPG vehicles which might result in the cancellation of the vehicle licence, vehicle owners are advised to undertake proper vehicle maintenance including timely replacement of key emission control components such as catalytic converters, which can wear out over use."
He noted that a vehicle with a worn out catalytic converter could have emissions that exceed normal levels tenfold, and defective catalytic converters could also increase fuel consumption, accelerate wear-and-tear of mechanical parts and reduce the reliability of vehicles.
Remote sensing equipment is a mature technology for the detection of excessive vehicle emissions, and has been used in the United States and Taiwan to check for excessive emissions from petrol and LPG vehicles.
In August last year the EPD rolled out a subsidy programme on a voluntary basis for the replacement of catalytic converters and oxygen sensors on petrol and LPG taxis and light buses. The subsidy programme has now ended. About 80 per cent of all eligible vehicle owners joined the programme and had parts of their vehicles replaced.
The EPD is now offering free emission tests for owners of petrol cars, LPG taxis and light buses to assess the emission levels of their vehicles. The free test will be offered until the end of August this year. Owners interested in taking the free tests can call 2264 2299, 2768 2885 or 2768 2887 for appointments. For more details, please visit the EPD's website at www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/air/guide_ref/air_guidelines.html.
Ends/Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Issued at HKT 19:35
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