Jim Holder
INSIDE INFORMATION
Tailpipe emissions could be a thing of the past before too long
WHAT’S THE BEST way to lower emissions from cars? To sell more cars. How so? The logic is simple. The UK has a car parc of around 38 million; about two million new cars pour into the funnel each year; some eight million used cars change hands; and around 1.5 million cars are scrapped, at an average age of about 14.
In terms of tailpipe emissions, that funnel makes the argument simple enough to understand. Such is the rate of progress from the industry that new cars are significantly less polluting than 14-year-old ones, while the used car shuffling ensures there’s always a conveyor belt running through the parc.