This
situation is now beginning to change, partly because fleet managers are
aware that there will soon be a need to meet EURO 3 emission standards,
and partly because an improvement in air quality is widely recognised as
essential to the quality of life and prosperity of our cities. In the UK,
ZEUS is the first purchasing group to be formed for ZEVs, LEVs and related
infrastructure. The potential for early expansion of the project is attracting
the interest of the technical press.The main fuels
being proposed for use in this project are CNG (natural gas) and electricity,
but the project is open to consideration of other fuels such as LPG (liquefied
petroleum gas). There are firm proposals for eight new CNG stations and
at least eight new fast charging stations. These, and other planned infrastructure,
will serve the fuel needs of some hundreds of new or converted vehicles.
They range from low-floor CNG buses, CNG taxis, CNG/LPG light vans and refuse
freighters, electric cars and minibuses to light mobile machinery. In addition,
the consortium aims to attract third-party purchases for over two hundred
vehicles which will not be directly funded by ZEUS but will be able to take
advantage of lower vehicle prices.The vehicle and
infrastructure programme is supported by a wide variety of other measures
designed to reduce energy use and pollution. These include a fleet management
telematics project, ride-share campaign, car sharing, "libre"
easy access rent scheme, improved driver training, improved passenger information,
trip substitution, increased public transport use, plus parking and access
initiatives. Evaluation of these measures include surveys of customer satisfaction
and user accessibility, and an "ecofeed" initiative.The importance
of education and public awareness cannot be overstated, and will be an integral
element of all aspects of the work. Publicity and awareness will, therefore,
also be promoted through a range of campaigns and events, including an interactive
science exhibition which will be made available to other participating cities.
| Horizontal issue: Technical evaluation of vehicles The London/Coventry consortium is responsible for leading the technical evaluation of vehicles by providing all partner cities and businesses with a standard monitoring programme. This is being developed by the Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA), in consultation with partners, and with implementation from the summer of 1997 onwards. Furthermore, research is being carried out by Southwark in conjunction with the University of Greenwich to provide a review of existing data on the environmental impact of zero emission vehicles and low emission vehicles in the first year of ZEUS, and thereafter to develop a model for life-cycle analysis. |
THE
DIFFERENT PARTIES INVOLVED ARE:
London Borough of Sutton (coordinator), London Borough
of Camden, London Borough of Merton, London Borough of Southwark and the
City of Coventry. In association with: Centrica, Powergen (energy companies),
MIRA (The Motor Industry Research Association), London First and The Energy
Savings Trust. Other UK purchasing groups are being actively encouraged
to procure vehicles by Southwark, Coventry and The Energy Savings Trust.
COORDINATOR
FOR THE LONDON/COVENTRY PROJECT:
Helmut Lusser
Global to Local Ltd
Jerome 43, Hove Park
