The new Vehicle Exhaust Emissions Rule updates standards for new and used vehicles imported into New Zealand. Used vehicles will also be tested when they enter the country to make sure they comply with tighter minimum emissions standards.
The Rule also makes it illegal to modify a vehicle's emissions control equipment if this would worsen the vehicle's emissions. There are certain vehicles that do not have to comply with the Rule.
From 3 January 2008 petrol vehicles, such as cars, vans and 4WDs will need to have been built to the Japan 98 standard. The Japan 00/02 standard will be the minimum standard from 2009.
For all types of used diesel vehicles including cars, vans, 4WDs, trucks and buses, the Japan 02/04 standard will be the new minimum standard required from 1 January 2008. Diesel vehicles will be required to comply with the Japan 05 standard from 2010.
Note. Japanese standards are named for the year or years they began to be implemented in Japan. Because of the way standards are implemented not all vehicles made in the first year will comply with that standard. For example some 2003 model vehicles were not built to the Japan 00/02 standard.
The new Rule also changes the requirements for new vehicles entering New Zealand. In some cases the previous Rule allowed delays of up to four years for some standards to come into force. The timeframe has been shortened to two years – a move which is supported by the new vehicle industry. In other words, New Zealand will adopt new emission standards as they are adopted internationally.
The Rule comes into force on 3 January 2008. However, a one month delay has been allowed for used vehicles. This is because the period between the signing of the Rule in November 2007 and its coming into effect on 3 January 2008 is relatively short, and some vehicles may be in transit when the Rule comes into effect.
The Rule allows these vehicles, inspected at the border before 1 February 2008, to comply with the existing emission standards in the earlier 2006 Rule. This transitional provision should improve implementation because the Rule would otherwise be implemented during the New Year holiday period.
To further reduce the impact of the timing, the proposed Rule will apply at time of border inspection. This can occur in Japan, rather than at entry certification, which happens in New Zealand.
Emission testing of used vehicles before they are allowed to enter the fleet will commence on 1 May 2008. The delay is to allow Land Transport NZ to prepare the necessary documentation and recording systems for the testing, and for workshops to purchase emissions testing equipment and train staff in its use.
Virtually all suppliers of new vehicles for New Zealand also make vehicles for other markets that require high emissions standards. Therefore there is not likely to be any increase in cost for dealers over what they would otherwise have faced.
As vehicles are manufactured for multiple markets to the same standard, there would be no reason for the price of new cars to rise significantly in New Zealand as a result of updated vehicle emissions standards. Emissions control equipment makes up a relatively small part of a new vehicle.
Will the new Rule affect the cost of buying a used car?
The new Rule is unlikely to affect the cost of buying a used car. The fact that dealers won’t be able to import nine or 10-year-old vehicles won’t make six or seven-year-old cars any costlier than they are now. However, the used cars that are for sale will be less polluting.
There are a very large number of nine and 10 year old cars already in our fleet for buyers to choose from.
What are vehicle exhaust emissions?
Vehicle exhaust emissions arise from the combustion of the fuel and air mixture in the engine. Exhaust emission gases generally include carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), hydrocarbons (HC), particulates, and the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2).
Why are restrictions on vehicle emissions necessary?
Poor air quality resulting from harmful vehicle emissions can seriously damage people's health.[1]
Anyone may be affected by poor air quality, with children and the elderly most at risk. A National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd (NIWA) report, commissioned by the Ministry of Transport and released in 2002, estimated that around 400 people were dying prematurely each year from exposure to vehicle emissions.[2]
A further report, entitled the Health and Air Pollution in New Zealand (HAPiNZ)[3] study was released in 2007, and based on 2001 data. It estimated that there were 500 premature deaths associated with vehicle emissions.
The problem is worse in cities and towns with high traffic rates and congestion. Vehicle emissions also reduce visibility because of smog and haze.
Reducing harmful emissions is in line with the following government objectives:
In addition, under Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004[6] it is an offence to operate a petrol or diesel-engined vehicle that emits visible smoke for 10 seconds or more on the road. Until the 2006 introduction of the visible smoke check at Warrant of Fitness/Certificate of Fitness inspections, this was New Zealand’s only in-service emissions requirement.
New vehicles: Much of the 2006 Rule was based on 2002 standards. Many of these standards have since been updated internationally. The new Rule brings New Zealand into line with other countries.
Used vehicles: Up to now, imported used vehicles manufactured before 1 January 2004 did not have to comply with a minimum emissions standard. Vehicles only had to have been manufactured to a recognised emissions standard applicable to the year of manufacture.
The revised Rule is intended to clearly establish minimum standards for all used vehicles. It also introduces a testing regime to ensure that emissions from used vehicle imports have stayed within stated limits.
The average age of all types of used vehicles entering New Zealand is increasing. Because of this, New Zealand is not benefiting from emissions standards improvements or from other technology gains in safety or fuel consumption.
The new emissions Rule for imported used cars are part of a package of measures the government is undertaking to improve air quality. Cleaner diesel fuel and a visible smoke check as part of a warrant of fitness test have also been introduced.
The government has also trialled a vehicle scrappage scheme in Auckland. The car recycling scheme targeted owners of unwarranted vehicles or vehicles that wouldn’t pass their next warrant, or where the next warrant would cost more than the vehicle. People were encouraged to trade-in their old vehicle and receive free bus and rail passes in return. Other work programmes are also seeking to reduce traffic congestion, promote public transport and introduce bio-fuels. In the future, there will be further improvements in fuel quality.
The target for a 10 percent reduction in single occupancy trips included in the recently announced New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy should also have a positive effect on harmful emissions. This is because vehicles have their lowest emissions when they are not being used.
Policies being introduced in the climate change area that are intended to reduce the use of vehicles and improve transport efficiency, especially of freight, are also likely to have benefits for harmful emissions.
The United States and Japan have had emissions standards in place since the late 1970s. Europe has also had emissions controls from the 1970s and has been steadily tightening emissions standards since the early 1990s through its Euro standards regime.
In New Zealand, emissions standards were only put in place in 2004. Without updating them, vehicles will continue to enter New Zealand with older and less efficient emissions control equipment.
Because New Zealand did not legally require emission controls until recently, we have a very different vehicle mix. New Zealand must therefore develop its own unique approach.
See Appendix: Table 1
See Appendix: Table 2
Why are there so many standards in the tables?
To cover all potential imports, the tables need to include the standards applied in every jurisdiction New Zealand recognises. A Japanese-manufactured vehicle made for the European market may be certified to a different standard than one for the domestic market in Japan, so we have specified exactly the standards required in New Zealand.
New vehicle certification will be checked at the time of entry into New Zealand by vehicle-inspecting organisations that are required to legally register the vehicle. The vehicle will not require testing if compliance with the standard at manufacture can be shown by documentation.
Used vehicle status is also demonstrated by producing suitable documentation. In most cases this will be via a de-registration certificate from Japan, or a statement of compliance.
If the vehicle is not accompanied by the appropriate proof of standards compliance, the vehicle will not be certified for use on New Zealand roads.
See Appendix: Table 3
See Appendix: Table 4
It needs to be checked that used vehicle's emissions technology has not deteriorated or been altered since manufacture.
What form of emissions testing is being proposed?
As more than 95 percent of vehicles imported to New Zealand are from Japan, New Zealand will adopt a test equivalent to Japanese in-service emissions tests and test limits relevant to the vehicle's fuel type. These tests will also be appropriate for those vehicles coming from other countries.
These tests are metered tests measuring tailpipe emissions. For petrol, LPG and CNG vehicles it is an idle-test for carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. The test limits are 1 percent carbon monoxide and 300 parts per million hydrocarbons, for four-stroke or rotary engine petrol vehicles. For two-stroke petrol and LPG vehicles the limits are 4.5 percent carbon monoxide or 7800 parts per million hydrocarbons.
For diesel vehicles it will be a snap acceleration test, with a requirement for smoke levels to be less than 25 percent of opacity (cloudiness).
The new Rule allows vehicles to be tested in Japan prior to being exported to New Zealand. They could also be tested by vehicle inspectors in New Zealand responsible for registering vehicles for legal entry into New Zealand.
If a vehicle fails the test in New Zealand or Japan, it will need to be brought up to the appropriate standard and re-tested before being registered in New Zealand.
Emission testing for used vehicles will be implemented from 1 May 2008.
The price of the equipment will depend partly on the final decision as to the exact nature of the testing procedures, but an appropriate unit is likely to cost $5,000-$10,000, although costs can range up to $20,000.
Testing sites may also have to install appropriate occupational safety and health equipment to deal with any excess harmful emissions arising from the testing procedures. These costs will vary greatly depending on where the testing is carried out.
The cost of emissions testing, whether carried out in Japan or New Zealand, is estimated to be approximately $25-$30, including the impact of installation costs, per vehicle. This cost would be passed on to the vehicle importer and ultimately to the customer. At present, it costs approximately $600 to certify and fully register a vehicle for use in New Zealand. The additional emissions test cost would not be significant in this context.
In 2006 the Ministry of Transport had a sample of petrol and diesel vehicles tested in Japan2. The study found that around 4 percent of the petrol vehicles failed for having excessive carbon monoxide emissions, but around 16 percent failed for excessive hydrocarbon emissions (HC). Subsequent analysis suggested that the high level of failures for excessive hydrocarbon emission levels were likely to be rectified very simply, possibly by driving the vehicle around the block to properly warm the engine. Other repairs were also likely to be relatively easy to address, such as fitting new air filters or spark plugs.
The same study showed that over 50 percent of the diesel vehicles tested failed. The study could not diagnose the faults. Therefore, costs could vary from the replacement cost of an air filter to many thousands of dollars for major repair work.[7]
This technology is required to monitor that a vehicle's emissions control equipment is functioning. It is required by the most recent emissions standards for petrol and diesel vehicles including Euro 3 for petrol vehicles and Euro 4 for diesel-powered heavy vehicles. It is possible to use an electronic scan tool to check that the equipment is functioning as part of an emissions test.
The technology will also display a warning light on the dashboard to advise the owner that there may be a fault with the vehicle. It is therefore, a way for most people to ensure their own vehicle continues to operate properly.
This will only affect importers of new vehicles into New Zealand. They must ensure that vehicles not only meet the levels of exhaust emissions, but have all other relevant technology set out in the standards, designed to ensure vehicles continue to have low emissions throughout their life.
There was a concern that the 2006 Rule, as worded, may have been vague about the requirement to fit on board diagnostic equipment. This equipment is essential to ensure that exhaust emissions remain within stated limits over time. For the avoidance of any doubt, the Rule clarifies that on-board diagnostic equipment must be fitted, where required by the relevant emissions standard.
The check will take place during initial vehicle registration procedures for entry into the New Zealand fleet.
Emissions control equipment includes technologies on petrol vehicles such as catalytic converters and electronic engine management systems which are essentially computer chips that monitor the performance of the vehicle's components and adjust these to minimise emissions. On diesel vehicles, it includes exhaust gas recirculation systems, filters, particulate traps and electronic engine management systems.
This is to ensure vehicles are not modified in a way that will make their emissions worse.
Previously, there have been cases where emissions control technologies were actively tampered with or removed because the owner thinks this will enhance the vehicle's performance. Equipment may also have been removed because it was damaged in an accident or has developed genuine faults and owners had no obligation to maintain, retain or replace such equipment.
A report prepared for the Ministry of Transport indicates that up to 10 percent of petrol vehicles may have had their catalytic converters removed.[8]
Although the Rule does not require testing of all vehicles in our fleet, this requirement makes it clear that if testing is introduced, vehicle owners will have had a legal obligation to maintain their vehicles.
This applies only to vehicles first registered for use in New Zealand after the new Rule came into effect. It is not considered practical to apply such a requirement retrospectively.
Used vehicles will undergo a metered emissions test during inspection at the time of their arrival in New Zealand, to ensure that the emissions control equipment is working as intended.
Vehicles are also expected to undergo a visual check to confirm that key elements of emissions control technologies are present, as part of ongoing Warrant of Fitness/Certificate of Fitness inspections associated with the visible smoke check and checking of the exhaust system. If there is reason for an inspector to suspect a vehicle may have been modified, it may be required to pass the same emissions test that applies for used vehicles at entry.
The prohibition on removal of, or tampering with, a vehicle’s emissions control equipment is important because it lays the foundations for any future metered emissions test. There will no longer be any excuse for a vehicle not to meet a test standard.
If a vehicle’s exhaust emissions equipment is modified or repaired, the repair must enable the vehicle to continue to comply with the standard to which it was built. If there is doubt, a vehicle may be required to undergo an emissions test to demonstrate compliance. This provision applies only to vehicles that are required to comply with a specific standard when they enter the New Zealand fleet, it does not apply to vehicles that are already part of the in-service fleet.
New Zealand Defence Force: Diesel vehicles compliant with the recently introduced Euro 4 standard, and other planned standards, may shut down their engines or operate at lower power when the emissions control equipment is not operating as intended. The New Zealand Defence Force needs to be able to operate its vehicles in remote areas, overseas and in battlefield conditions, where a loss of power would not be acceptable. These vehicles would be permitted to contain an ‘Override’ facility (also known as a ‘defeat device’) to counter any loss of power.
Such devices are acceptable in similar circumstances in other jurisdictions from which New Zealand imports vehicles. When an override facility is not in use, these vehicles will continue to comply with the emission standards they are built to.
Pre-1 January 1990: Older vehicles, manufactured before 1 January 1990, will not have to comply with the new standards.
Tractors constructed principally for towing an agricultural trailer or powering agricultural implements will not have to comply with the new standards.
Mobile cranes will not have to comply with the new standards but this does not include a truck mounted with crane apparatus.
Immigrants (baggage vehicles), unique collectable and motor sport vehicles will not have to comply with the new standards. NB: Immigrants' vehicles are generally of a high standard, but the owners are unlikely to have documentation to clearly demonstrate their compliance. To prevent any potential abuse of this provision, the Rule proposes the same requirements as those in the Land Transport Rule: Frontal Impact 2001[9] that vehicles must have been owned overseas for a period and cannot be sold in New Zealand for a fixed period.
Low Volume Production Vehicles however, must comply with the emission requirements of the Low Volume Vehicle Code.A vehicle that does not meet a standard may continue to be imported and used on private roads, be repaired or otherwise brought up to standard if possible, or be broken up for parts.
A small number of dedicated LPG vehicles (vehicles that only operate on LPG) are manufactured in Australia and imported into New Zealand. Minimum emission standards will now apply to these also. No vehicles are currently imported that run solely on CNG, but these types of vehicles have been included where relevant standards exist.
Alternative fuels such as LPG and CNG, usually have lower levels of harmful exhaust emissions than petrol or diesel vehicles.
The Rule will not affect vehicles running on biofuels – either as a mixture or 100 percent biofuel. All vehicles currently compatible with biofuels are certified to comply with either petrol or diesel vehicle emission standards and will not be unduly affected.
Vehicles that do not adhere to minimum emissions standards will not be registered for use on New Zealand roads.
Land Transport NZ has publicly notified and consulted on the proposed Rule on behalf of the Minister of Transport in accordance with section 161 (2) of the Land Transport Act 1998. Formal consultation on the proposed Rule began in May 2007 when Land Transport NZ made the yellow (public consultation) draft available to about 850 organisations and individuals who had registered their interest in the Rule.
The availability of the yellow draft was publicised in metropolitan and selected regional daily newspapers, Mana Magazine and the New Zealand Gazette. The draft was also made available, together with Questions and Answers, on the Land Transport NZ and the Ministry of Transport websites. Submissions on the yellow draft closed on 9 July 2007. Written submissions received after this date were read and considered, and used to amend the draft Rule where appropriate. However, these late submissions were not able to be included in the formal submissions analysis.[10] In addition to considering the written submissions, the Ministry of Transport participated in and took on-board feedback from a series of seminars organised by the Independent Motor Vehicle Dealers Association (IMVDA) and the Motor Trade Association (MTA), held in the main centres of New Zealand between May and July 2007. Both the Ministry of Transport and Land Transport NZ have also held meetings with stakeholders on matters concerning the implementation of the Rule.
No. New car standards apply from the date of the vehicle’s manufacture.
This Rule is primarily targeting vehicles at point of entry into New Zealand. If there is reason for an inspector to suspect a vehicle may have been modified, it may be required to pass the same emissions test that applies for used vehicles at entry.
All vehicles will continue to be required to undergo a visible smoke check at subsequent Warrant of Fitness/Certificate of Fitness inspections.
Other emissions testing at Warrant of Fitness/Certificate of Fitness inspection is under consideration as a separate project.
We have already introduced the visible smoke check at Warrant of Fitness/Certificate of Fitness inspections. This targets the very worst vehicles. We will also be continuing to review the in-service fleet as a separate project.
Under the current ‘Road User Rule’, it is also illegal for a petrol or diesel-powered vehicle to emit smoke for 10 seconds or more on-road.
The Land Transport Act 1998 provides for the Minister of Transport to make Land Transport Rules that set out standards and requirements relating to vehicle emissions.
Will the new standards in the Rule lead to a cleaner fleet?
Yes, the new Rule will lead to a cleaner fleet, but the effect may not be immediate.
Because it takes nearly 20 years for the vehicle fleet to turn over, the major benefits of the Rule are expected in the medium to longer term (beyond the 10 year time frame analysed in the report Update and Extension of Vehicle Emissions Modelling[11] produced by the consulting firm Covec for the Ministry of Transport).
The Covec Report assumed that on average, each vehicle will be used more if fleet turnover rates fall (i.e. if people retain their current vehicles). The models used in the report indicate that if the standards were introduced as proposed in the consultation draft of the Rule, the rate at which air quality improves is likely to be slower than otherwise would be the case as older vehicles replacement rates slow down and vehicles are driven further. Covec identified that it was not possible to predict accurately how people would change their behaviour. The same models showed the Rule could lead to considerable improvements in emissions if people drove their existing vehicles the same, or less distances after the Rule came into effect.
For simplicity, the Covec analysis assumed the government takes no other actions to reduce emissions from the existing fleet and that no external factors such as fuel price rises altered people’s behaviour. However, there are already a range of policies that the government is introducing to reduce emissions in addition to the Vehicle Exhaust Emissions Rule. These are set out in the question above. Please see question for to find out what else the government is doing to reduce vehicle emissions and improve air quality.
Date of manufacture | Approved vehicle emissions standard | |||
New petrol, LPG and CNG vehicles | ||||
Light vehicles | Heavy vehicles | |||
New model | Existing model | New model | Existing model | |
Before 3 January 2008 | ADR 79/01; | ADR 79/01; | ADR 80/01; | ADR 80/01; |
On or after 3 January 2008 and before | Before 1 July 2008 | ADR 79/01 | ADR 80/02; | ADR 80/02; |
On or after 1 January 2009 and before | ADR 79/02 | ADR 79/01 | ADR 80/02; | ADR 80/02; |
On or after 1 January 2010 and before | ADR 79/02 | Before 1 July 2010 | ADR 80/03; | ADR 80/02; |
Date of manufacture | Approved vehicle emissions standard | |||
New diesel vehicles | ||||
Light vehicles | Heavy vehicles | |||
New model | Existing model | New model | Existing model | |
Before 3 January 2008 | ADR 79/01 and | ADR 79/01 and | ADR 80/00 and | ADR 80/00 and |
On or after 3 January 2008 and before 1 January 2009 | ADR 79/01 and | ADR 79/01 and | ADR 80/02 and ADR 30/01; | ADR 80/00 and ADR 30/01; |
On or after 1 January 2009 and before 1 January 2010 | ADR 79/01 | ADR 79/01 | ADR 80/02 | ADR 80/02 |
On or after 1 January 2010 and before 1 January 2011 | ADR 79/01 | ADR 79/01 | ADR 80/03 | ADR 80/02 |
Certified for entry into service | Approved vehicle emissions standard | |
Used petrol, LPG and CNG vehicles | ||
Light vehicles | Heavy vehicles | |
On or after 3 January 2008 and before 1 January 2009 | ADR 79/00; | ADR 80/02 |
On or after 1 January 2009 and before 1 January 2012 | ADR 79/01; | ADR 80/02 |
On or after 1 January 2012 and before 1 January 2013 | ADR 79/02 | ADR 80/02; |
Certified for entry into service | Approved vehicle emissions standard | |
Used diesel vehicles | ||
Light vehicles | Heavy vehicles | |
On or after 3 January 2008 | ADR 30/01 and ADR 79/01; | ADR 30/01 and ADR 80/00 |
On or after 1 January 2009 | ADR 30/01 and ADR 79/01; | ADR 30/01 and ADR 80/02; |
On or after 1 January 2010 | ADR 30/01 and ADR 79/01; | ADR 30/01 and ADR 80/02; |
[1] See http://www.transport.govt.nz/vehicle-emissions-and-health
[2] Health Effects of Motor Vehicle Emissions (January 2002)
[3] http://www.hapinz.org.nz/
[4] It is possible for a sports car or large 4WD with a seven litre engine consuming 17ℓ/100km of fuel to have lower levels of harmful emissions than a fuel efficient small car with a 1200 cc engine consuming 5ℓ/100km of fuel. This is achieved essentially by fitting a larger exhaust catalyst to the larger car.
[5] A recent European Union study of potential future emission limits being discussed for adoption after the planned Euro 5 standard, noted that for diesel vehicles most emission reduction technologies will lead to increased fuel consumption, at least in part from increased weight. See http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/automotive/pagesbackground/pollutant
_emission/impact_assessment_euro6.pdf
[6] See http://www.legislation.govt.nz
[7] Emissions Tail Pipe Test Trial Final Report, JEVIC NZ Ltd, October 2006 http://www.transport.govt.nz/results-of-testing-emissions-of-Japanese-used-vehicles-1/
[8] Vehicle Emissions Pilot Project Report for Petrol Vehicles, Fuel Technology Ltd and Auckland UniServices Ltd, January 2006, http://www.transport.govt.nz/vehicle-emissions-pilot-project-reports-1/
[9] See http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/rules/frontal-impact-2001.html.
[10] See Vehicle Exhaust Emissions Rule 2007: http://www.transport.govt.nz/land-transport-rule-vehicle-exhaust-emissions-200-1/
[11] See: http://www.transport.govt.nz/assets/NewPDFs/Emissions-Update-and-Extension-Final-Draft-Report.pdf