Diesel, so long the dominant force in the fleet sector, is a fuel under fire. Last year, worsening air quality in UK cities led environmentalists to point the finger of blame at diesel transport, highlighting the amount of NOx and particulate matter it produces. This say fleet news magazine, forced the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders to fight back against this "unfair demonisation" with a campaign to highlight the environmental credentials of the latest Euro 6 engines.
However, the fuel suffered another blow in September when the Volkswagen Group emissions scandal broke. This saw the manufacturer admit that ‘defeat devices’ were used during NOx emissions tests to mask the true level of pollution produced by some of its diesel engines.
The controversy was swiftly followed by Chancellor George Osborne’s announcement that the Government would postpone April’s planned removal of the benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax 3% diesel supplement – handing the fleet industry an unexpected BIK and Class 1A national insurance bill for £1.36 billion over the next five years.
It is widely expected that the future of vehicles will heavily feature electrification, whether it is pure-electric or plug-in hybrid models: a KPMG survey published at the beginning of this month found that 79% of UK automotive executives believe that hybrid electric vehicles would be the powertrain of choice by 2030.
Share this:
