Aftermarket July/August 2022 Issue

I s the concept of car sharing about to come back to the fore? Recently, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been pushing to widen the capital’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in order to reduce pollution and traffic in the conurbation. Transport for London (TfL) has launched a consultation on the plan, which proposes a much wider zone to cover most of Greater London from 29 August 2023. Around 4,000 premature deaths have been caused by poor air quality in London, according to TfL, congestion cost London £5.1 billion, largely as a result of snarl-ups in the outer suburbs. If the zone was expanded, TfL says that if the Zone was expanded, the number of cars not meeting the ULEZ standards in outer London would fall from 160,000 to 46,000, and the number of vans would drop from 42,000 to 26,000. Mayor Sadiq Khan commented: “Air pollution is not just a central London issue and Londoners in the outer boroughs should be able to enjoy the clean air benefits the ULEZ brings.” The consultation closes on 29 July. To respond, visit: gov.uk/clean-air Collective focus While there is some anecdotal evidence of the ULEZ drawing older, but emissions compliant vehicles like the Volvo V70 in from the Home Counties to become Metropolitan work-horses, the idea is to get people out of their cars. According to James Taylor, General Manager of car sharing provider Zipcar UK, car sharing can help people maintain mobility, while reducing congestion. “The Mayor’s office and TfL are absolutely doing the right thing by treating London’s growing air pollution and congestion issues with the gravitas that they need. Expanding the city’s Ultra Low Emission Zones will be crucial in helping to combat the risks for people and our planet associated with high air pollution levels and will also serve to make London’s streets friendlier for pedestrians and cyclists. Reducing car ownership is where our collective focus should lie.” Zipcar has 450,000 members in the UK, with more than 3,000 vehicles in its fleet across London, Bristol, Cambridge and Oxford. While the company says that each car currently in its fleet is fully compliant with ULEZ and removes the need for 23 privately-owned cars to be on the road, Zipcar is aiming for a fully electric fleet by 2025. This would require more EV infrastructure however: “A multi-modal approach to urban transportation is the most realistic route forward. We can only achieve goals set out by the Government for a greener city, however, if we accelerate the rollout of electric vehicle infrastructure. In the city, we currently have 500 rapid chargers, which is significantly behind where we should be, particularly in light of additional ULEZ expansion and further restrictions being placed on car users.” James added: “To fulfil its urban sustainability ambitions London will require 4,000 rapid chargers by 2025, leaving 8 AFTERMARKET JULY/AUGUST 2022 BIG ISSUE www.aftermarketonline.net SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE? With the wait for a new car getting longer, will more people look to opt out of car ownership entirely and go for sharing?