Local authorities and car park operators can now set individual parking tariffs according to the CO2 emissions of vehicles, enabling them to offer lower parking fees or even free parking for drivers of ultra-low emission vehicles.

The new feature from APT Skidata enables car park operators to use a flexi-tariff system – the lower the vehicle’s emissions, the less the parking cost is

The new feature has been developed by parking technology business APT Skidata and uses automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to identify and record each vehicle as it enters a car park, and compare the licence to a database that includes details around CO2 emissions.

Pete Brown, APT Skidata’s managing director, explained: “Car park operators and local authorities are increasingly looking to address the environmental impact of cars on the local area. By being able to charge customers according to CO2 emissions, they will be able to effectively reward users for driving more fuel-efficient vehicles, especially in busy town and city centres.”

He added that any surcharges put in place for vehicles with the highest emissions could be used to help offset the car park’s carbon footprint.