Three car scrappage plans have been approved by the parliament, which will hopefully be implemented, secretary of the Association for Scrappage and Recycling Centers said.
“For the past six years, the issue of worn-out cars was neglected and car scrappage centers in the country remained idle and are operating at 10% of their capacity. We had proposed many plans to the previous government, but unfortunately none of them was implemented,” Amir Ahmadi was also quoted as saying by the Persian daily Etemad.
“In the fiscal 2014-15, about 320,000 cars were scrapped, which year was a golden period for car scrappage centers. But after that, six years of investments in this sector were completely ruined.”
According to the official, total investments in the field of car scrappage amounted to 200 trillion rials ($739.64 million).
Transportation and automotive experts believe that the excessive wear and tear of the current freight and passenger fleet give rise to many problems, especially in terms of safety, air pollution and fuel consumption.
Nevertheless, consecutive governments have failed to overhaul the country’s dilapidated road fleet through scrappage and replacement schemes, due to lack of funds for supporting vehicle owners and automakers.
Rules for Car Scrappage
Currently, the only scheme to keep scrappage centers working since fiscal 2018-19 pertained to motorcycles, such that by numbering a new motorcycle, an obsolete motorcycle is scrapped.
"Last year, 8,000 obsolete cars were scrapped, while in the fiscal 2014-15, this figure reached 320,000 cars. Currently, while worn-out cars are not being scrapped, automakers are still providing statistics on production growth, saying they plan to produce 1.2 million cars,” Ahmadi said.
"One of the important issues that does not put any pressure on carmakers is the issue of car replacement and can be a way to support domestic carmakers."
A major problem is that the owners of obsolete cars have no quota in car lotteries and no concession is considered for them to change their cars easily.
“The only hope that currently exists is the issue of importing 50,000 cars. We believe that with the import of these vehicles, 200,000 obsolete cars could possibly be scrapped,” the official said.
One-Third of Tehran Cars Fail Technical Tests
One-third of automobiles in Tehran failed emission and safety tests during the current Iranian year’s first eight months (March 21-Nov. 21, 2021), Tehran’s Vehicle Technical Inspection Bureau announced.
Hossein Moqaddam, CEO of the bureau, noted that during the period under review, 1.05 million vehicles visited the capital's technical inspection centers, 792,000 of which were under four years old and underwent their first technical check, ISNA reported.
“Thirty-one percent of the cars, numbering 325,500, were rejected,” he said.
High emission levels were detected in 14%, wheel misalignment in 9%, shock absorber failure in 4%, brake system problems in 11% and appearance issues were detected in 14% of the tests.
The official said 753,000 technical certificates have been issued, of which 601,000 were regular and 152,000 were premium.
The premium certificate has higher standards than that of regular technical inspection. While under normal tests, vehicles’ emissions are monitored in a low-speed performance, the carbon monoxide emission of cars is assessed at 2,500 rpm for receiving the premium certificate.
Referring to the fact that cars visiting the inspection centers averaged 5,000 per day, the official said the test duration has declined to less than an hour after an online booking system was launched and centers were increased.
According to Moqaddam, 8,000 visits during the month ending Nov. 22 were booked online, which constitute 31% of the total online reservation’s capacity.
He urged people to find less crowded centers on the inspection bureau’s website to save more time.
“During the period under review, 2,575 heavy-duty vehicles have also undergone road tests, out of which 22% did not have the mandatory technical certificate and 19% of all tested vehicles failed to meet the minimum test standards,” he added.
Since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 21, 2021), 645 trucks have been fined for their substandard condition.
Moqaddam said commercial vehicles were subjected to tests in collaboration with Tehran’s traffic police in November 2018 to curb the suffocating air pollution in the metropolis.
Effects on Air Quality
Vehicles that do not meet local emission and safety standards spew poison into the air, harm people’s health and damage the environment.
Tehran Municipality’s Transportation and Traffic Organization has estimated that air pollution in the capital costs $2.6 billion annually.
Air quality in the capital is worsening, with the increasing number of faulty vehicles and almost zero efforts for scrappage.
According to the secretary of the Association for Scrappage and Recycling Centers, the number of dilapidated vehicles on Tehran's streets has reached 3.5 million and is expected to hit 8 million in four years, if no scrappage is carried out.
Earlier in October, Ahmadi told reporters that the scrappage scheme has been abandoned for more than three years due to mismanagement and tactlessness, resulting in the closure of over 220 scrappage centers across the country.
The plan was proposed in tandem with the implementation of the Clean Air Act, a 35-article bill drafted by Iran's Department of Environment and enacted into law in July 2017. Unfortunately, the act was never fully implemented.
