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The Tata Nano can proudly enter the city of Cologne with a green badge.

Mohan Murti

One of the most enjoyable, leisurely strolls I had was in June 1994 with Ratan Tata, in Paris. The India Development Fund (Aid India Consortium) meeting of the World Bank had just concluded and the business delegation accompanying the Finance Minister was free to take a break from the day-long humiliating begging exercise for foreign assistance.

Ratan Tata, in his typical inimitable style, decided to take a walk and invited us to join. Jamshyd Godrej, Tarun Das, Subodh Bhargava and this author had the pleasure of accompanying him. In the 20 minutes brisk walk from the World Bank office in Avenue d’Iena to the Eiffel Tower in Jardins du Trocadero, Mr Tata, in an informal way, unveiled his plan to develop an affordable family car designed for the Indian customer.

Mercedes Benz had just begun assembling in a joint venture with Telco and we were a bowled over by his avowal. Kept under wraps for nearly three years, Indica, the most modern car ever to be designed by an Indian company, was on offer to its customers in 1998. Many in the European auto industry scoffed at the idea when Ratan Tata later announced the Rs 1 lakh car but, last week, the European media gave a magnificent and gracious welcome to the new ultra-small and ultra-cheap Tata Nano.

When it comes to cars and the freedom that comes with the open road, few countries are as enthusiastic as Germany, which invented the autobahn. So, I was not really surprised that the media here was blanketed with coverage of Nano from India that is supposed to do for developing countries what the Volkswagen Beetle did for the West — make an affordably produced car for the masses. In Germany, the other story that hit the headlines was that the Nano was meeting Euro 4 standards and has lower emissions than the average Volkswagen.

Europe has not reduced emissions by eight per cent, as agreed to in the Kyoto Treaty, but only a mere two per cent. Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel, firmly believes that the EU should be the leaders of the fight against climate change. That’s why she’s asked Germany’s fellow members in the EU to accomplish their Kyoto Treaty figures. For the past two decades, Germany has done more than most others in Europe to structurally promote energy conservation, wind and solar power as well as recycling, biofuels (RME, BTL and biogas) and CNG. The US, for instance, is light years behind the rest of Europe in environmental protection. Germany ranks second behind Sweden in UN ranking to honour the leading nations in environmental protection.

The first of January 2008 marked the introduction of the first three environmental zones in Germany — in Berlin, Cologne and Hanover. These green zones are designated by special road signs. Starting March 2008, other German cities will also follow suit. Every vehicle entering an environmental zone — no matter whether registered in Germany or another country — now needs to display an environmental badge. These badges have unrestricted validity for the individual vehicle in all German environmental zones. Within a few months, over 30 more cities throughout Germany are implementing new Green Zones.

With the vehicle and from the vehicle registration document, the issuing officer is able to class any vehicle into one of the four categories. The four colour categories are directly linked to the European emission standards; these are sets of requirements defining the acceptable limits for exhaust emissions of new vehicles sold in EU member states. Euro 1 (No Badge); Euro 2 (Red); Euro 3 (Yellow); and Euro 4 (Green).

While the Tata Nano can proudly enter the Cologne city with a green badge, the all-new Dodge Caliber would only get a yellow sticker. A Lexus LS 600hL (Hybrid!) is only good enough for a red sticker. Our Porche Boxter got a green sticker while my wife’s BMW 740 diesel got a red sticker. And, my diesel engine-powered Mercedes S-350 got no sticker! Any takers?

From 2010, it is likely that only vehicles with a green or yellow badge will be allowed to enter a city centre, although this may vary and, in some cities, the phasing in period, with time and colour, may be different. Failed, red or orange badge holders are encouraged to upgrade their vehicles with a catalytic converter, or for diesel engines a particulate filter.

Vehicles fitted with such filters can reduce the toxicity of emissions or soot from exhaust gas by 85 per cent to100 per cent. Most upgraded vehicles will be able to claim a green badge which is necessary to enter a Green Zone in 2010.

Anyone caught without a valid badge, either on the move or parking, will be fined €40. German driving licence holders will also face one penalty point. Enforcement will be managed by the police, local authorities and traffic wardens. Germany’s motoring club ADAC estimates that 1.7 million cars will not be allowed into the zones because of their high level of emissions. Similar plans are currently being applied in cities around Italy (with mixed results). Other cities in Europe are also thinking about similar bans.

London, Milan and Stockholm have all implemented an entrance fee, based on CO{-2}. In this case, the greenest cars enter for free, and other cars will pay a scaled fee depending on how much they pollute. In other words, the most polluting cars pay more. The European Commission has outlined proposals designed to ensure the average car sold in Europe produces no more than 120g/km by 2012.

As for India, this is the best time for the 25 large cities to dredge up revenues by imposing hefty motor vehicle taxes and make car-free zones in the inner city. Several streets in Indian cities need to be closed and access to others limited. This can result in substantially reduced traffic and, thus, noise-levels and emissions in the cities.

More Stories on : Environment | Cars | Euroscape

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