On-Road Vehicle Emission and Activity Data Collection and Evaluation in Houston, Texas

Abstract

The newly developed on-road emission measurement device OEM-2100 was used to collect emissions in the Houston, Texas, area. The device can measure second-by-second fuel consumption and emissions of nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and particulate matter. A total of 459.0 mi of on-road tests and 813.9 min of idling tests were conducted on three passenger cars and two trucks under 170 different test conditions (170 bags placed). Global Positioning System data were recorded simultaneously in line with the emission data. Data were analyzed by a six-step data processing procedure. The bag-based analysis indicated that vehicle emissions varied strongly, not only with vehicle activity data but also with roadway facility types and vehicle specifications. Spatial distributions of tested emissions illustrated how the emissions altered along the driving routes. The tested vehicle emissions were compared with the MOBILE6.2 estimates, and significant differences were found for all vehicles and for most testing conditions. Among the roadway facility types, the largest difference was on arterial roads, where the tested on-road emissions were higher than MOBILE6.2 estimates. As for idling conditions, the tested emissions were much higher than MOBILE6.2 estimates and indicates a need for further investigation of idling emissions. The large amount of emission and vehicle activity data collected initiated a useful database in Houston with promising potential uses. More on-road vehicle emission tests are necessary to obtain more accurate and reliable local vehicle emission individuality and to establish a richer on-road emission database.