EURO IV EMISSION STANDARDS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES (Introduction)

EURO IV EMISSION STANDARDS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES:

(Introduction): 1.

Dr Tan Sze Wee asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, in view of current diesel engines with Euro IV emission standards offering better efficiency, less pollution and cheaper alternatives compared to petrol engines and the infrastructure for diesel stations being readily available in Singapore, whether his Ministry is (a) planning to introduce Euro IV emission standards for motor vehicles by October 2006; and (b) considering removing or adjusting the diesel tax levied on diesel-powered passenger vehicles.

The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim): Mr Speaker, Sir, in terms of pollution, Euro IV diesel vehicles do emit 70% less particulate matter (PM) than Euro II diesel vehicles. However, compared to petrol vehicles, Euro IV diesel vehicles still emit five times more PM than petrol ones.

Today, our ambient level of particulate matter finer than 2.5 microns, or PM2.5 is 21 ug/m3 which does NOT meet the standards of 15 ug/m3 set by the US Environment Protection Agency (USEPA). If nothing is done, our PM2.5 levels are projected to further increase in the future. PM2.5 is of particular concern to us, as it

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has been linked by many studies to respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and asthma, as well as heart disease, resulting in increased hospitalisations and premature deaths.

To lower our PM2.5 levels to USEPA standards, my Ministry has announced in April 2004 the introduction of Euro IV emission standards for all types of new diesel vehicles from 1st October 2006. This move is in line with other countries' efforts to impose stricter emission standards on diesel vehicles. For example, the EU and Japan have adopted Euro IV or equivalent emission standards for vehicles in 2005 and Hong Kong and Australia will be adopting Euro IV standards from 2006.

As earlier mentioned, Euro IV diesel vehicles, although cleaner than Euro II vehicles, still emit much more PM2.5 than petrol vehicles. This is why we have discouraged diesel passenger cars on our roads through the imposition of a diesel tax. Nevertheless, with effect from 1st January 2006 , the special tax for Euro IV diesel passenger cars has been reduced from six times their road tax to four times their road tax. This is in recognition of the lower emissions of Euro IV compared to Euro II diesel passenger cars. As cleaner vehicles become available, a carefully balanced mix of different types of vehicles would help us move progressively towards higher standards of ambient air quality.