QCOSTARICA – A plan by the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía – MINAE) aims to remove from the roads of Costa Rica vehicles with emissions greater than 200 grams of carbon dioxide.
The program, Programa de Adquisición de Vehículos Eficientes (PAVE) – Acquisition Program Efficient Vehicle in English – encourages vehicle owners to change their old vehicles for a newer, more environmentally friendly one.
Environment minister, Edgar Guttierez, explained that the program includes the owner of an older and non-efficient vehicle to de-register it from the Property Registry (Registro Nacional), and the vehicle will be recycled to prevent further polluting the environment.
The program counts with the support of the state bank, the Banco de Costa Rica (BCR), offering financing at a fixed rate of 6.25% for the first three years, on up to 100% of the value, of vehicles emitting less than 200 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer and an efficiency of more than 15 kilometers per liter.
The president of the Association of Importers of Vehicles and Equipment (Asociación de Importadores de Vehículos y Maquinaria – AIVEMA), Oscar Echeverría, explained that they have identified 50 models that fall under the classification to qualify for the program.
Echeverría added that seven car dealerships have so far agreed to participate in the program.
The price range of PAVE certified vehicles is between US$15.000 and US$17.000 and includes such models as thee Hyundai Accent, Kia Picanto, Ford Fusion SE Hybrid, and Volkswagen Crossfox, among others.
For now, AIVEMA be responsible for carrying out the recycling process, however it is expected that other companies will join.
