The Partnership for Clean Fuels & Vehicles has held its annual meeting in Delhi, India. The Partnership, established at the Sustainable Development summit in Johannesburg in 2002, is coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and brings together governments, industry and NGOs, including the FIA Foundation, to promote strategies for introducing cleaner fuels and cleaner vehicles in developing countries.
The meeting in Delhi, hosted by the Society of Indian Motor Manufacturers (SIAM) discussed progress on the Partnership's campaign to phase out leaded petrol.
The recent focus has been on sub Saharan Africa, where major progress has been made, but there are still 67 countries around the world that predominantly use leaded petrol. The aim of the Partnership is to complete phase out of lead by the end of 2005.
The Partnership meeting also discussed a strategy for encouraging lower sulphur content in fuel. While the US, Europe and Japan currently have regulations which will ensure petrol and diesel sulphur content of no more than 15 parts per million (ppm)by the end of the decade, many countries are only aiming to reduce sulphur content to 350 - 500 ppm, and some, accounting for around 10% of the world's vehicles have no strategies in place to reduce sulphur from levels of up to 10,000ppm. A report on sulphur will be published by the Partnership in 2005.
Participants in the meeting also debated measures to encourage the introduction and acceleration of new, cleaner cars with advanced engine technologies and ways of improving the emissions of existing cars. Newer cars require cleaner fuels, so the urgent need for lower sulphur across the world as part of a systematic approach to reducing emissions was made clear. Two new working groups, one on measures to improve 'in-use' cars, including retrofit and inspection & maintenance regimes, and another on new vehicle technologies and alternative fuels, were approved at the meeting.
Saul Billingsley, the FIA Foundation's Deputy Director General, described the meeting as very positive. 'The Partnership has achieved a great deal in a short time, particularly on phasing out leaded petrol. There was a consensus amongst all stakeholders represented at this meeting, including the oil industry, governments and NGOs, that the next major effort must be to reduce sulphur levels in fuel, which is the key to unlocking major emissions improvements through new engine technologies for both petrol and diesel cars. The FIA Foundation is pleased to be playing a role in the Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles'.