GREEN MEANS GO
EV OWNERS RISK FINES FOR NOT REGISTERING CARS IN TAX SYSTEM DESPITE BEING EXEMPT
EV owners are being urged to register their cars in the tax system despite being exempt from fees, as failure to do so risks fines and having the car clamped. Experts are warning owners of EVs to get their vehicles taxed even though they don’t need to pay. EVs are currently exempt from all tax charges - so long as the electricity comes from an external source (for example a chargepoint), an electric storage battery not connected to power when the car is moving, or from hydrogen fuel cells.
This means the majority of EVs on UK roads aren’t subject to pay tax, despite still needing to register their vehicle on the taxing system. But research shows some EV owners are being slapped with fines of £80 for driving without road tax because they haven’t registered their vehicles. Failure to pay the fine means that some drivers could be subject to fines of up to £1,000. The DVLA may also clamp EVs without road tax until the fine is paid in full. However, the government recently
announced that EVs will no longer be exempt from paying any tax from April 2025 when they will pay £10 towards tax - the lowest rate - for one year, after which the price will increase to the standard rate. Also from April 2025, EVs with a list price of over £40k, will be subject to pay an annual supplement cost of £390 each year for five years. It’s easy to tax your vehicle and avoid these fines - go online to the government website or visit your local Post Office which deals with vehicle tax.
SOUTH AYRSHIRE CABBIE FORCED TO SPEND “FRIGHTENING” £4,000 AFTER DIESEL FILTER ISSUES
A taxi owner was forced to spend almost £4,000 after problems arose with a diesel emission filter that is becoming a real issue for the taxi industry. Two hearings over suspension of taxi vehicle licences were heard at South Ayrshire Council’s Reg- ulatory Panel in April. South Ayrshire taxi owners Graham Campbell and David Kerr had seen vehicles fail emissions tests which were eventually narrowed down to issues with equipment designed to capture harmful particles. The Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) - sometimes known as ‘soot traps’, captures the larger particles from diesel emissions. However,
the
filters have a finite capacity and must either be ‘burned off’ through a process called regeneration or replaced. Regeneration generally happens on longer, higher speed journeys
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on trunk roads and motorways. However, the shorter, lower speed journeys
undertaken by taxis,
mean that the temperature needed to regenerate is not met and increases the likelihood that they will get clogged with soot. Graham Campbell had to fit a new DPF, costing £900, plus fitting, which sorted his Citadel Taxi vehicle’s emissions problem. One of David Kerr’s vehicles was also refused over exhaust emissions. Having been advised to replace the injectors, he found that the engine had began to make ‘knocking’ noises. A mechanic recommended a new engine, but after this was installed and the car was deemed to be running well, it failed on emissions a second time. Only once the DPF was replaced did the vehicle get the all clear. So that was £900 for the DPF, £1,450 for the engine and £1,600
for fitting. Councillors were asked whether to suspend the vehicle licences, but in both instances agreed to take no further action. Cllr Ian Cavana commented on Mr Kerr’s situation: “The gentleman has spent enough money. The figures there are quite frightening actually. Cllr Dixon asked council fleet inspector Matt Wright whether the issues around diesel engines, such as the DPF, were
becoming
apparent in the taxi industry. Mr Wright replied: “It is becoming apparent worldwide, certainly in the UK because of the stop start nature of driving here. Taxis do more stop and start mileage than any which blocks the system and you pay by paying £1,000 for a DPF. “They are really not suited to that [short journeys]. But we have to live with it - it’s not ideal for cabbies.”
JUNE 2023 PHTM
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