APPROVED: Game changing TX4 Euro 6 retrofit receives Energy Saving Trust approval
Retrofitting the popular TX4 black taxi to a cleaner Euro 6 compliant cab is now an option for many cabbies as news of the Energy Saving Trust approving the technology is released.
The news is welcomed by many in the industry and follows the recent Peugeot E7 taxi conversion approval.
Several major councils across England and Scotland are currently offering grants to taxi drivers willing to upgrade the cabs they drive to cleaner EURO 6 compliant levels.
Cab drivers could make the switch to greener cabs for as little as £1,300 in some cities according to the latest research.
Aside from buying a new Zero-Emission Capable (ZEC) taxi, retrofitting existing cabs to meet Euro 6 compliance standards is seen as one way to eliminate daily charges and future proofing a driver’s taxi. Using a fully approved retrofit conversion could not only save money on fees, but it will also ensure that the taxi is less harmful to the environment.
Several councils in England and Scotland have made grants available to taxi drivers to shift to the cleaner technology.
According to Cybrand, a UK firm that provides retrofit exhaust and emission control solutions for diesel-engined applications, Manchester, Birmingham, Portsmouth, Bradford and Bath all offer taxi drivers the option to convert their cabs in England. In Scotland the big four cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee also provide clean air grant funding for cabbies.
The conversion is currently available for Euro 5 Mercedes Vito, Peugeot E7 taxis and now the LTi TX4. The price is £5,195 + vat though for most cities implementing Clean Air Zones there are grants available through local government, generally for 80% of this amount meaning the typical cost to a taxi driver is just £1,234.
The table below outlines the funding details for each city:
The accreditation required to become exempt from emission zone fees within the LEZ or CAZ is known as Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS) and is administered by the Energy Saving Trust.
According to sources, the UK’s biggest taxi licensing authority, Transport for London (TfL), are yet to approve the retrofit and the approval process remains ongoing. TfL have chosen to use their own testing regime rather than that of the recognised Energy Savings Trust standard used across the rest of the UK.
On a standard Euro 5 compliant taxi, exhaust gas from the turbocharger passes directly into the combined catalytic converter and diesel particulate filter and from there through the silencer to the tailpipe.
On a retrofitted Euro 6 compliant cab, a new Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system is installed into the exhaust system further downstream. This incorporates a thermo-electric element which helps to bring the exhaust to an ideal temperature to encourage efficient catalytic conversion. Together with the introduction of AdBlue, which is a diesel exhaust fluid, the SCR system reduces NOx down to levels that exceed the requirements of Euro 6.
SCR is beneficial because it reduces NOx by up to 90% and is one of the most cost-effective and fuel-efficient technologies available.
The retrofit system also comes with a full 2-year warranty and local installation options are being rolled out continuously.
