ICCT: Saudi fuel economy standard a pioneering model

ICCT: Saudi fuel economy standard a pioneering model
Updated 06 December 2014
Follow

ICCT: Saudi fuel economy standard a pioneering model

ICCT: Saudi fuel economy standard a pioneering model

The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has commended the fuel economy standard of the Kingdom saying, "Saudi fuel economy standard is a pioneering model for the level of government achievement."
The ICCT lauded the Kingdom on its success in issuing the Saudi corporate average fuel economy standard (Saudi CAFE) for light-duty vehicles.
In a statement, the ICCT indicated that this standard is a pioneering model of government achievement considering that it has been developed in an accelerated and efficient manner compared to similar standards that ICCT has witnessed globally.
Commending the effort, Drew Kodjak, executive director of ICCT, said: “This is a landmark achievement.”
He noted that this is the first standard of its kind in the Middle East.
“It is an excellent example of international alignment as this program closely tracks the fuel economy standards of the United States,” Kodjak observed.
"It shows a purposeful commitment to setting long-term standards. It is also uniquely innovative in incorporating used imported vehicles as well as new, something no other country has managed to accomplish. The regulatory team clearly did their homework,” said ICCT’s program director Anup Bandivadekar, who earlier participated in the May 2014 Saudi energy efficiency forum.
The Saudi energy efficiency program has been committed to a comprehensive, thorough and flexible standard, which can be used as a reference by other national governments and opens the door to wider adoption of similar standards across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Bandivadekar also indicated that the standard was developed in a short period of time (less than two years) by a small team of experts compared to similar standards observed in other markets, which typically required five to ten years of development.
Moreover, the ICCT team expressed its delight to have cooperation with the technical team addressing the transportation sector in the Saudi energy efficiency program.
They also showed their admiration to the level of ambition, professionalism, comprehensive analysis and thorough outreach in responding to automakers.
In addition, they commended the prompt resolution of the multiple hurdles that have faced the team throughout the development of the standard.
Earlier, Saudi Standards, Meteorology and Quality Organization (SASO) signed memorandums of understanding on Nov 16 with 78 automakers representing more than 99.95 percent of the light-duty vehicle sales in the Saudi market.