THE Powershift programme will this year introduce a radical scheme of spot checks for alternatively-fuelled vehicles it has funded in a bid to police claims of improved emissions from converters and manufacturers. If the claims are not matched in the field, converters and manufacturers risk being banned from qualifying for grants.

From April, the trust will begin using inspectors from the Vehicle Certification Agency to carry out random checks. Results will be compared with the Powershift Register, which lists the cleanest vehicles available which qualify for grants of between 25% and 75% towards the extra cost of cost conversion to liquefied petroleum gas or compressed natural gas. The register also includes information on vehicle emissions performance compared with petrol/diesel and Euro II standards.

The Energy Saving Trust plans to test about 5% of the vehicles it has contributed towards purchasing or converting every year. There will be a range of penalties for converters or manufacturers whose vehicles fail to match claims made about them in the Powershift register, from remedial action required on the vehicle or change to the manufacturing process to a vehicle being withdrawn or banned from the list.