Converting older cars to modern Euro emission levels

I recently had to argue with TFL to get the wife's Euro4 diesel compliant Volvo V50 on the "no charge" list for the T-charge.

I was originally asked to provide a letter from the Volvo homologation department proving the car complied. However, the various references to "e4" in the VIN, V5c and emissions levels cited on the V5c proved sufficient. Only until next April when London goes to e4 petrol/e6 diesel as well though...

My point is that you can in theory get the status related to the reg changed, but you will have to give a lot of proof.

There's a lot of technology implemented on petrol/diesel to meet these tight levels, so you've no chance of making an old engine meet them.

Since the emissions are a function of engine AND vehicle (weight, aerodynamics, transmission etc etc) I would expect any transplant to be followed by some sort of verification at great expense.

I imagine an electric conversion would end up being the easiest as it's zero emission and easiest to prove.

Not exacty a subtle work-around when it results in you having the only old car in the area, not to mention the clearly wrong age on its plate!

Engine from a what into a what though?

A 1.0l ecoboost engine in a fiesta gets better figures than when it's lugging a mondeo around. So you'd have to prove that the new combination meets the right levels. Only one way of doing that - testing...

I always entertained the idea of getting a compliant lorry, but hitch it up with a trailer loaded full with non compliant emission cars and then start driving through town with the loaded cars idling happy away.

Nothing illegal about that?

This forum really needs an uproarious laughter button as well as the like button. May as well add a couple of poorly maintained 50's diesel tractors to your transporter load for bonus black smoke.

Could register as an ambulance in London at one point, but it looks like they've tightened up that rule Are there going to be exempt classes up there?

I will never believe it is about emissions with councils, it’s just a very easy way to make money, to have an older car exempt it has to be I think 40+ so anything decent and reliable will be expensive to buy.
It does not yet seem viable/possible to get older diesels to run with adblu.
There are 36,000,000 motorists in Britain, if they banded together they could stop any council fleecing them.
I’m pretty sure Birmingham will be next with ulez and I would then expect manchand Liverpool to follow.
They are all quick to bring these schemes in but never provide an alternate that is cheap, reliable, able to take capacity and efficient

A mate lives within the London LEZ (not the ULEZ) and drives a Diesel VW van for his work as a mobile mechanic, an 02 model IIRC. He was given a choice, buy a newer van that DID meet the requirements, update his existing vehicle with a DPF etc.... or pay £50 A DAY, just to keep it at his house!
Since they apparently keep moving the goalposts, he was reluctant to buy a newer vehicle since that might quickly be outdated, a NEW vehicle is too expensive and anyway, he retires in another couple of years, paying up is obviously a no-no, so he elected to modify. It cost him a couple of grand, but is now up to 2016 manufacturer spec on emissions and this should see him out.
So it IS do-able, though I didn't get all the details on just how many different beurocratic hoops he had to jump through to get the modified vehicle approved!

Steve

As said you can retrofit DPFs. This will give you a Reduced Pollution Certificate, aka an RPC. This was the case for trucks too.

Note the word was. I know when I was involved in transport, VOSA stopped giving out RPCs for lorries, probably due to the ever moving goalposts.

A shame it has gone that way. Small wonder as to why new car prices are so expensive.