The Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) is celebrating 10 years of leading the shift to greener cars, buses, trucks and vans as well as the fuels which drive them.

It marks its 10th anniversary tomorrow (Tuesday, January 29).

During the past decade, the not-for-profit organisation has worked in close collaboration with government, the car and fuels industries, vehicle users, NGOs and a range of other stakeholders, to help drive the low carbon vehicle agenda.

When the LowCVP was established, the average new car in the UK emitted 174.2g of CO2 per kilometre. The recently released 2012 figure was 133.1g per km; a reduction of 23.6% - the most rapid efficiency improvement in recent UK automotive history.

At the same time, investments in the low carbon automotive sector have been rising quickly and are expected to continue to do so. More than £150 billion is forecast to be invested in low carbon vehicle technologies in the UK over the next 20 years.

Ten years ago, under its original mandate, the LowCVP aimed to achieve:

• By 2012, 10% of all new car sales will be cars emitting 100g/km CO2 or less at the tailpipe
• By 2012, 600 or more buses coming into operation per year will be low carbon, defined as 30% below current average carbon emissions

The first ambition was achieved in the fourth quarter of 2012 and, based on plans already announced, the bus sector is well on the way to achieving the second.

Andy Eastlake, managing director of the LowCVP, said: “The UK automotive industry ended 2012 on a high. Investment in low carbon technology development and production is providing growth and jobs in the UK - and has delivered the most rapid annual reductions in emissions and fuel use that the UK has ever seen.

“This success relies on every stakeholder playing an active part and ‘doing their bit’. The LowCVP sits at the centre of this agenda and develops the collaborative focus from research and innovation, all the way through to the buying public.”

LowCVP’s influence has ranged widely across the road transport spectrum for the last 10 years: from the successful introduction of a colour-coded fuel economy label for new (and latterly, used) cars; to the sustainability and carbon accreditation methodology for biofuels which was adopted by the government; to the design and development of the Department for Transport’s Green Bus Fund, which has been a main driver in the deployment of over 850 low carbon buses on UK roads, making it one of the largest green public transport programmes in the world.

Transport minister Norman Baker MP said: “LowCVP shares our commitment to achieving benefits for UK businesses and they have worked closely with the Government to help to reduce CO2 emissions and improve economic growth.

“This approach has proved a successful one and I hope to see the partnership continue to develop and improve in the future.”

Andy Eastlake added: “The LowCVP was a unique experiment in policy development when it was formed in 2003.

“The fact that it is still thriving ten years later is testimony to our members and the effectiveness of the participative approach to policy making and to the facilitation of industry-led approaches to cutting carbon from road transport. 

“We are still held up as a model to other industries and countries and plan to keep leading the way for at least the next decade.”