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London Congestion Charge Revised

As the automotive market slowly shifts towards hybrids and electric vehicles, London Mayor Boris Johnson and Transport of London (TfL) decided to revise and change, nearly from the ground up, the city famous congestion charge. The move was highly anticipated and pushed for by automotive players, with Volvo, for instance, saying it's absolutely delighted with the new provisions.

According to the new congestion charge plan, the cleanest petrol and diesel cars to get 100 percent off. This means any car which emits less than 100g/km of CO2 and meets Euro V standards will be exempt from the charge.

The new provisions do not come without a cost, however. Hybrid vehicles, which were up until now subject to a so called alternative fuel discount, will no longer receive it. This measure has been taken because carmakers like Volvo called the old scheme ineffective, as it gave discounts to large and relatively fuel inefficient hybrids.

According to whatcar.com, the westward extension of the zone would be scrapped, while the charge will increase from £8 to £10.

"As the instigator of this campaign we are absolutely delighted that the mayor has taken our view that any exemption should not be technology based but purely based around CO2. That then leaves manufacturers free to decide on the best way to achieve lower emissions," a Volvo spokesperson told the source.

"We will continue to work with TFL and make our representations to the consultation to make sure it goes through in the current proposed format.'
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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