Three Japanese ministries, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, jointly published the "Low-Emission Vehicle Guidebook 2004" in November 2004. The guidebook has been published every year as part of the government's low-emission vehicle (LEV) promotion policy, which is one of the main countermeasures against global warming and air-pollution in urban areas, and this is the ninth edition since fiscal 1996.

The guidebook covers a total of 157 LEV models now available in Japan: electric vehicles (24 models), fuel cell vehicles (9), compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles (63), hybrid vehicles (13) and others (48).

It covers a wide range of essential data to guide purchasing decisions and maintenance for each of the 157 models, such as emissions performance, vehicle prices, and maintenance services. It also provides a summary of the government's LEV-related programmes and subsidy systems. Starting with the fiscal 2004 edition, the guide also provides information on subsidy systems in municipalities and various sectors' activities to promote LEVs.

The guidebook is distributed to governmental agencies and local authorities, and sold to the public through the Environmental Information Center. It is also open to the public by Internet as the "Low-Emission Vehicle Pavilion 2004" (in Japanese only).



Posted: 2005/03/12 11:54:56 AM
Japanese version

TAG Global warming , Government , Local government , System/Law , Transportation