A spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department said today (January 1) that the Air Pollution Control (Non-road Mobile Machinery) (Emission) (Amendment) Regulation 2018, which aims to tighten the statutory emission standards in phases for newly approved non-road vehicles to improve air quality, came into effect today. Details of the Amendment Regulation are as follows:

(a) newly approved non-road goods vehicles, petrol private cars, buses with design weight of more than 9 tonnes and light buses with design weight not exceeding 3.5 tonnes are required to comply with Euro VI emission standards;
(b) newly approved non-road diesel private cars are required to comply with California LEV III emission standards; and
(c) the emission standards for other non-road vehicle classes, including buses with design weight not exceeding 9 tonnes, light buses with design weight of more than 3.5 tonnes and special purpose vehicles remain unchanged.

     The spokesman added that to prevent the transfer of old road vehicles which are no longer roadworthy into use for non-road applications, it is the Government's standing policy to adopt the same emission standards for non-road vehicles as those for road vehicles. The Government had tightened the emission standards for newly registered road vehicles to Euro VI in phases since July 1, 2017. The Amendment Regulation tightens the emission standards of the same classes of newly approved non-road vehicles in line with the latest emission standards for road vehicles.

     Compared with their Euro V counterparts, Euro VI heavy duty diesel vehicles emit about 80 per cent less nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 50 per cent less respirable suspended particulates, while Euro VI light duty diesel vehicles emit about 55 per cent less NOx.

     For enquiries, please contact the EPD on 2594 6590 or at nonroadenq@epd.gov.hk.

Ends/Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Issued at HKT 14:00

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