Volvo Celebrating Congestion Charge Modifications

Volvo has chosen to introduce a special project in order to mark the introduction of the new Greener Vehicle Discount for London’s Congestion Charge. The new rules state that any Euro 5 compliant car (regardless of its energy source) with CO2 emissions under 100 grams per km will be exempt from the GBP10 daily charge.

“The introduction of the new Greener Vehicle Discount follows a successful 18-month campaign led by Volvo Car UK, which called for a review of the previous Alternative Fuel Discount of the congestion zone charging by London Mayor Boris Johnson,” stated the press release.

The carmaker has begun to offer a free chauffeuring service into Central London today (4th January 2011), using three of its low-emission DRIVe models. The company has catered for transportation needs of people attending appointments and meetings in the Congestion Charge zone with a Volvo C30, S40 and a V50 - all thee models are eligible for the Greener Vehicle Discount, as they only emit 99 grams of CO2 per km.

“Through our ongoing Emissions Equality campaign, Volvo has been instrumental in persuading the Mayor to change the Congestion Charge rules and create a level playing field for all vehicles regardless of powertrain," said Peter Rask, Regional President of Volvo Car UK.

“The new system addresses the unfairness of the old pricing structure, which granted automatic Congestion Charge exemption to all hybrid vehicles, despite the fact that certain models had higher emissions than some non-qualifying petrol or diesel powered models," the executive concluded.