Integrating Engine Start, Soak, Evaporative, and Truck Hoteling Emissions into MOVES-Matrix

Abstract

The MOVES (MOtor Vehicle Emissions Simulator) model was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to estimate emissions from mobile sources and is required to be used for regional air quality planning and conformity analysis in all states except California. However, the MOVES interface is complicated, and assessing emissions from dynamic large-scale transportation networks can be difficult. To aid in these analyses, the MOVES-Matrix modeling tool was developed as an alternative to the direct application of the MOVES model. MOVES-Matrix employs a massive multidimensional array of MOVES outputs created by running MOVES with every allowable combination of input variables. Once this output array has been generated, subsequent energy and emissions analyses can be conducted quickly and dynamically. Until recently, MOVES-Matrix has only been used to analyze running exhaust. In this study, MOVES-Matrix has been used expanded to include emissions from engine starts, truck hoteling, evaporative sources, and brake/tire wear as well as running exhaust. A case study is conducted for the metropolitan Atlanta, GA to verify the feasibility of using this expanded version of MOVES-Matrix and to ensure that the approach obtains the exact same results as applying MOVES directly. The travel activity inputs come from regional travel data generated by the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Travel Demand Model. The emission results from MOVES-Matrix were compared with MOVES output to verify the equivalence of this approach.