100,000 more Eco Stickers Distributed

Over the last month or so, 100,000 vehicle owners across Spain will receive a letter from the DGT which details their vehicle´s eco-friendly characteristics, and provides a sticker to display in the vehicle which denotes the eco classification.

Many owners have already received theirs, especially in the Madrid and Barcelona areas, where 41,000 cars and light vans have already qualified.

Within the 100,000 vehicles listed in an ECO category are passenger cars, light vans, vehicles with over 8 seats and plug-in hybrid vehicles with range of less than 40 km, not pluggable hybrid vehicles, powered by natural gas, natural gas-powered vehicles or liquefied petroleum gas vehicles.

Placing the sticker on the vehicle is voluntary, but it is advisable as it then highlights the environmentally friendly rating of the vehicle, which will also add value if the vehicle becomes for sale. The DGT is advising that the sticker be placed in the lower right corner of the front windshield, where the ITV sticker will be at the top, or, failing that, at any visible location in the vehicle.

This latest batch of stickers is the second to be issued, since the DGT launched the campaign in April of 2015, sending the distinctive Zero Emission category sticker to more than 10,000 vehicle owners.

What is the environmental badge?

This categorization originates in the National Plan of air Quality and Protection of the Atmosphere 2013-2016 (Plan Aire) which stated that both particles and nitrogen dioxide are the main source of emissions from road traffic in large cities and proposes the classification of vehicles based on the levels of pollution they emit.

This measure aims to positively discriminate towards more environmentally respectful vehicles and be an effective tool in municipal policies, both in restricting traffic which causes high pollution, and through the promotion of new technologies through tax or relative benefits to the mobility and the environment.

The vehicle classification is entered in the national vehicle register of the DGT and the same can be accessed in real-time by those bodies dealing with mobility, traffic, security or tax on the environment.

The criteria for classifying the vehicle fleet are as a result of long and deliberate work led by the DGT which involved, amongst others, the Madrid City Council, the City of Barcelona, the Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia (RACC) the National Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers (ANFAC), the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism.

The Classifications

There are four classifications in the national vehicle register of the DGT based on environmental concerns.

ZERO EMISSIONS

Mopeds, tricycles, quadricycles and motorcycles; cars; light vans, vehicles over 8 seats and vehicles transporting goods classified in the Register of Vehicles of the DGT as battery electric vehicles (BEV), electric vehicles with extended range (REEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) with a minimum range of 40 kilometres or fuel cell vehicles.

ECO

Cars, light vans, vehicles over 8 seats and vehicles transporting goods classified in the Register of Vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles with less than 40km autonomy, none plug -in hybrid vehicles (HEV) powered by natural gas, vehicles powered by natural gas (CNG and LNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). In any case, they must meet the criteria of the label C.

C

Petrol fuelled passenger cars and light vans registered from January 2006 and diesel vehicles from 2014. Those with more than 8 seats and freight, both petrol and diesel, registered from 2014. Diesel vehicles must meet the Euro 4,5 and 6 standard.

B

Petrol passenger cars and light vans registered from January 2000 and diesel vehicles registered from January 2006. Vehicles with more than 8 seats and freight both petrol and diesel registered from 2005. Diesel vehicles must meet Euro 3 and Euro Diesel 4 and 5 standards.

Categorising the entire fleet

With this second batch of stickers, the DGT is well on its way to reaching its aim of classifying and labelling the 32 million vehicles on the roads of Spain.

The next wave of the campaign will commence shortly and will then allow each local authority with jurisdiction in matters relating to taxation, mobility and the environment to decide what incentives they can offer to less polluting vehicles in their area of competence.

This article first appeared in issue 2 of the N332 RoadWatch magazine…