Tech firm HJS approved to retrofit UK Vito taxi engines meeting greener air quality standards

A vehicle technology firm who provides a solution for cleaner taxi engines has been given official clean vehicle retrofit accreditation approval in the UK.

The company, HJS, say that they can offer a cost effective solution to cabbies and licensing authorities looking to reach Euro 6 standards by retrofitting an efficient SCR system without impact on the engine control unit and performance.

HJS have now been officially approved by the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS) for the Mercedes-Benz Vito taxi, which is valid for Euro VI compliance throughout the UK.

The firm are also in the process of gaining approval for other taxi models. According to sources a system for the popular TX4 taxi is being worked on in Germany ahead of further Transport for London (TfL) inspections and testing.

There is also good news for cabbies driving a Peugeot E7 taxi as the firm confirms they are also looking to develop a solution for the taxi model.

The news will be welcomed as another option available to cabbies and fleets looking to make their vehicles greener. In some regions, like in Scotland, funding is available to support emission upgrades.

In most Local Authorities taxis are seen as a significant contributor to toxic air quality, and are said to be responsible for 16% of NOx and 26% of Particulate Matter (PM) emissions in central London.

If the retrofit were to be approved on all taxi models, the industry could see a swifter move to cleaner vehicles. In London alone there are roughly 4,000 taxis running at Euro 5 standard who could make the change to extend their taxi age limit by three years.