Experimental research on vehicles equipped with a GMP Hybrid for the new Euro 7 emissions standard

Abstract

With the increase the number of vehicles on European roads, the road transport has become the biggest source of air pollution in the cities of the old continent. According to European Commission estimates in 2018, more than 39% of NOx (nitrogen oxides) emissions and 10% of PM2.5 and PM10 emissions (mechanical particles with diameters of 2.5 and 10 micrometers) were attributed to road transport. It is known that, in order to limit to some extent, the uncontrolled increase in harmful emissions from road vehicles, the European Commission has gradually introduced new pollution standards to be met by manufacturers of new vehicles. In the second half of 2022, the Commission presented a new proposal to reduce pollutant emissions from new vehicles sold in the European Union (EU), defining the new Euro 7 pollution standards. Compared to Euro 6 by 2035, according to European Commission estimates, these new Euro 7 standards, together with a progressive increase in the number of electric vehicles sold, aim to reduce pollutant emissions from private vehicles and vans by around 35% for NOx emissions and around 13% for particulate emissions. Therefore, both the Euro 7 and CO2 emissions standard (CAFE) for vehicles have been designed to improve air quality in cities and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including by increasing the use of electric vehicles. Starting from this hypothesis, the first part of the paper presents the experimental model developed in the AMESim simulation platform of a mid-size vehicle equipped with a hybrid GMP, tested on a roller bench, which simulates pollutant emissions in this new Euro 7 standard. In the second part of the paper, the simulation results and possible causes influencing hybrid GMP behavior leading to the evolution of pollutant emissions are analyzed. Finally, the paper formulates conclusions on the evolution of pollutant emissions.