Gasoline Passenger Vehicles Research Articles

CO2 fluxes of vegetation in the Greenbelt of Ontario and increased net ecosystem emissions associated with its removal

The fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2) to and from vegetation can be significant on a regional scale. It is therefore important to understand the biogenic fluxes of CO2 in order to quantify local carbon budgets. The Greenbelt of Ontario is a protected region of cropland and natural vegetation surrounding the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) in Ontario, Canada. Recently, changes were proposed to the Greenbelt, including the removal of 2,995 ha (7,400 acres) of protected land to be replaced with housing. In this study, we estimate the biogenic CO2 fluxes of the entire Greenbelt as well as the areas that were proposed for removal by using a modified version of the Solar-induced fluorescence for Modeling Urban biogenic Fluxes vegetation model. We find that, on average, the entire Greenbelt has a net sequestration of 9.9 ± 6.4 TgCO2 each year, where the uncertainty represents half of the interannual variability plus error from the individual years, for the years 2018–2020. The net amount of CO2 absorbed by the Greenbelt is roughly equivalent to a fifth of the annual human-made emissions reported for the entire GTHA. The areas proposed for removal are found to have a net sequestration of 0.0061–0.031 TgCO2 annually. During construction, these lands will remain barren, and the soil will continue to emit CO2, thus changing the area from a net sink to a net source of CO2. For a 3- to 5-year construction period, this soil efflux would result in net ecosystem emissions of 0.314 ± 0.078 TgCO2, in addition to the net sequestration lost by removing the original vegetation (−0.077 ± 0.035 TgCO2). This results in a net difference in biogenic CO2 fluxes of 0.390 ± 0.083 TgCO2, which is equivalent to the average CO2 emissions of roughly 85,000 gasoline passenger vehicles over the course of a year. In addition to biogenic fluxes, there will be CO2 emissions associated with the construction of the proposed single-family housing developments as well as larger per capita emissions associated with low-density housing compared to creating higher density housing using less land.

Database of emission factors of volatile organic compound (VOC) species in motor vehicle exhaust in China

The synergistic strategy for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and O3 pollution prevention and control has emerged as a pivotal approach in combating air pollution. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) serve as crucial precursors to both O3 and secondary organic aerosols (SOAs), with motor vehicles representing one of their significant sources. In this study, a standard for establishing a database of VOC species emission factors for motor vehicles was developed, and a database containing 134 VOC species was constructed through field tests and literature surveys. The VOC emissions of light-duty gasoline passenger vehicles (LDGPVs) comprised primarily alkanes and aromatics. The VOC emissions of light-duty diesel trucks (LDDTs) comprised mostly alkanes. Regarding low-speed trucks, 3-wheel vehicles, medium-duty diesel trucks (MDDTs) and heavy-duty diesel trucks (HDDTs), their VOC emissions comprised mainly oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs). The update of emission standards resulted in a reduction in VOC species emission factors while altering the composition of VOCs. Attention should be directed toward isopentane, benzene and dichloromethane emitted by LDGPVs, dodecane, undecane, ethene and propene emitted by LDDTs, and acetaldehyde emitted by HDDTs. VOC species originating from LDGPVs were more dispersed than those originating from LDDTs and HDDTs. In addition, variations in VOC species were observed among motor vehicles with different fuel types. Toluene, ethene, benzene, m,p-xylene, isopentane, hexanal, ethyne and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene were the predominant VOC species emitted by gasoline vehicles. Diesel vehicles emitted mainly dodecane, formaldehyde, propene, undecane, acetaldehyde, ethene, decane and benzene. The results could enhance our comprehension of the emission characteristics of VOC species originating from motor vehicles and provide data support and a scientific foundation for achieving synergistic PM2.5 and O3 pollution prevention and control.

Influence of Battery Energy, Charging Power, and Charging Locations upon EVs’ Ability to Meet Trip Needs

One year of high-resolution driving data from a sample of 333 instrumented gasoline passenger vehicles are used to create a trip inventory of U.S. vehicle travel requirements. A set of electric vehicles (EVs) is modeled, differing in battery size (kWh), recharging power (kW), and locations for charging when parked. Each modeled EV’s remaining energy is tracked while traversing the entire sample’s trip inventory in order to estimate how well each EV meets all U.S. driving requirements. The capital cost of refueling infrastructure is estimated per car, for gasoline and for each analyzed combination of charging station locations. We develop three metrics of the ability of different EV characteristics to meet trip requirements: the percentage of trips successfully met by each modeled EV, the number of days that the driver must “adapt” EV use to meet more demanding trip requirements, and the total driver time required for refueling. We also segment the market of trip patterns per car, finding that 25% to 37% of the vehicle population could meet all their drivers’ trip needs with a smaller-battery EV combined with community charging. This potential combination of EVs and charging would enable lower-price EVs and lower-cost recharging power, and would broaden EV availability to groups for whom today’s EVs and charging configurations are less accessible.

Comparative Analysis of Emission Characteristics of In-Use China II–V Gasoline, Hybrid, Diesel-Fueled Vehicles

Increasingly stringent regulations regarding vehicle emissions have contributed to the diversification of vehicle technologies, resulting in the increasing complexity of typical vehicles that make up a fleet. In order to investigate the real gas emissions of different typical vehicles, tests were conducted using a portable emission measurement system (PEMS) in Beijing and emission studies were conducted on eight light-duty passenger vehicles (LDPVs, including light-duty gasoline passenger vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles), eight heavy-duty passenger vehicles (HDPVs), and four light-duty trucks (LDTs). The results show that the emissions of relevant pollutants from LDPV meet the emission standard limits. The emission factors of CO2, CO, NOX, and HC of China IV and China V hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are much smaller than the emission standard limits and the emission factors of other vehicles, which have better emission reduction effects. Among LDPV, heavy-duty passenger vehicles (HDPVs), and LDT, the emissions of HDPV and LDT are extremely high. Emission characteristics vary on different types of roads, with the highest emission factors generally occurring on secondary roads. The micro-trip method was used to explore the influence of speed on emission factors. HEV are less sensitive to speed changes and can still maintain a low emission level at low speeds. The average speed and emission factors of HDPV in micro-trip has a strong correlation.

A Study on Emission Measurement Method by Using Automated Intermittent Sampling for Real Driving Emissions of Gasoline Passenger Vehicles, Including Hybrid Electric Vehicles and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Electric vehicles have become more widespread globally, with the aim of realizing a carbon-neutral society. In addition, the various policies for vehicle engines have become increasingly strict. It is desirable to evaluate fuel consumption and exhaust emissions using real vehicles on actual roads, with the goal of improving air quality. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have a high frequency of engine stops during driving. In a real driving emission (RDE) test, a portable emission measurement system (PEMS) is used, which continues to measure emissions even when the engine stops; this can decrease the emission concentration inside the tailpipe and result in an inaccurate emission measurement. Furthermore, RDE tests are affected by the installation performance of the PEMS; the emission intake is often installed by extending the exhaust outlet. Gasoline vehicles have specific emission characteristics that pose an issue when the tailpipe at the muffler outlet is extended and the measurement is made after merging.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">This study thus examines the methods for constructing the high-precision PEMS necessary for RDE evaluations for the increasingly common HEVs and PHEVs. In particular, the emission rates and sampling locations are investigated, and a method for operating the emission analyzer intermittently to synchronize with the engine is examined and evaluated.</div></div>

Energy Consumption from Transport Sector and CO₂ Emission: A Case of Kandahar City

This paper is concerned with the prospective estimation of energy consumption in the transport sector. To determine the long-term energy consumption targets for transport in Kandahar city. Later on CO2 emission is calculated based on energy consumption in transport sector of Kandahar city from year 2017 to 2020 and the amount of emission is forecasted till 2030. Upon conducting this research it is found out that transport demand has increased during the last few years due to change in population growth and GDP. As a result, traffic congestion, road accidents, parking problems and air quality are worsening. In addition to those, lack of proper transport management system, public transport infrastructure and insufficient road capacity are adding growing energy demand and environmental problems of Kandahar transport sector. In order to avoid such problems, this research is conducted to focus on the energy demand and CO2 emission only in transport sector of the Kandahar city.
 This study has focused on energy demand and emission of CO2 from passenger transport sector of Kandahar city from 2017 to 2020. If there is no policy intervention, energy demand can reach from 5.5 TJ in 2017 up to 14.8 TJ in 2030. Again gasoline passenger vehicles contributes the most in energy demand and emission. CO2 emission can reach from 381 Thousand metric tons in 2020 up to 860.9 Thousand metric tons in 2030.
 Out of all vehicle types of transportation, private cars are responsible for 26% of energy share, motorbikes consuming the most and reaching up to 35%.

A Study on Emission Measurement Method by Using Intermittent Sampling for Real Driving Emissions of Gasoline Passenger Vehicles, Including Hybrid Electric Vehicles and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

A Study on Emission Measurement Method by Using Intermittent Sampling for Real Driving Emissions of Gasoline Passenger Vehicles, Including Hybrid Electric Vehicles and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

High-resolution assessment of environmental benefits of dockless bike-sharing systems based on transaction data

Dockless bike-sharing systems (DLBS) have gained much popularity due to their environmentally friendly features. This study puts forward a distinctive framework for assessing the environmental influences of DLBS in high resolution based on DLBS transaction data. The proposed framework firstly estimates the transport mode substituted by DLBS for each recorded bike-sharing trip by utilizing the route planning techniques of online maps and a well-calibrated discrete choice model. Afterward, greenhouse gases (GHG) emission reductions in every recorded DLBS trip are quantified using Life Cycle Analysis. The proposed framework is applied to an empirical dataset from Shanghai, China. The empirical results reveal that the substitution rates of DLBS to different transport modes have substantial spatiotemporal variances and depend strongly on travel contexts, highlighting the necessity of analyzing the environmental impacts of DLBS at the trip level. Moreover, each DLBS trip is estimated to save an average 80.77 g CO2-eq GHG emissions versus than the situations without DLBS in Shanghai. The annual reduced GHG emissions from DLBS are estimated to be 117 kt CO2-eq, which is substantial and equals to the yearly GHG emissions of over 25,000 typical gasoline passenger vehicles. Additionally, the associations among built environments and GHG emission reductions from DLBS are quantitatively investigated to shed light on the spatial variances in the environmental impacts of DLBS. The results can efficiently support the benefit-cost analysis, planning, and management of DLBS.

A Study on Precision Test Method of Real Driving Emissions for Gasoline Passenger Vehicles by Focusing on Pitot Tube and Emission Measuring Position

A Study on Precision Test Method of Real Driving Emissions for Gasoline Passenger Vehicles by Focusing on Pitot Tube and Emission Measuring Position

A comprehensive study on emission of volatile organic compounds for light duty gasoline passenger vehicles in China: Illustration of impact factors and renewal emissions of major compounds

BackgroundMany volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are efficient precursors for both ozone and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) which are problematic to environmental controls in many global cities. Vehicle emission is one of the most important anthropogenic sources for VOCs. In between, light duty gasoline passenger vehicles (LDGPVs) contributed more than half of the on-road vehicles in China, demonstrating unique emission characteristics and also significant contributions in emission inventory. ObjectivesTo illustrate the variation of VOCs emissions from LDGPVs under different conditions, evaluate the sensitivity of the potential influencing factors, such as emission standards, displacement, cumulative mileage, and driving mode, on the VOCs emissions profiles, and to update the emission inventory by taking into account of the most influential factor. MethodsIn this study, seventy-four in-used LDGPVs were examined by the chassis dynamometer. A total of 25 VOCs in the emissions was quantified using an online time of flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS). Fuel-based emission factors (EF) were calculated. ResultsThe results showed that the maximum ΣEF (260.4 ± 241.1 mg/L) was seen for LDGPVs at a high acceleration rate (0.9 m/s2). From the technical control emission standard aspect, the total emission factor of VOCs (expressed as ∑EF) was declined for China IV LDGPVs relative to China III vehicles, with the decreasing extent determined as 24.8%. Among LDGPVs with engine capacity of <1.5 L, 1.5–2.5 L and >2.5 L, it is for 1.5–2.5 L that the lowest ∑EF (101.2 ± 70.1 mg/L) was determined. Along with the increasing of cumulative mileage, the EF values of VOCs were uplift, and the ∑VOCs increased almost linearity, while the increasing trend became steady for ∑EF when the cumulative mileage more than 8 × 104 km. As for different driving conditions, the sequence of EFs from high to low are presented as acceleration (239.3 ± 203.5 mg/L) >idle (226.1 ± 195.6 mg/L) >deceleration (218.5 ± 193.1 mg/L)>uniform (218.2 ± 182.5 mg/L)>slide (176.1 ± 165.2 mg/L). While the cruising speeds increased between 15 and 50 km/h, the linearity between ΣEF declined; however, an opposite trend was seen when the acceleration rates increased. In the chemical speciation, the reactive aromatics contributed the largest fraction of the VOCs (>40%). The ratio of benzene to toluene (B/T) was loaded in high interval (0.94–1.33) in this paper. Larger fluctuation of coefficient of variation (CV) was found among different cumulative mileage and displacement. By taking into account the deterioration effect related to cumulative mileage, emissions of butene, pentene, benzene and toluene were 42.9 Gg, 49.7 Gg, 109.6 Gg and 51.9 Gg in respect for LDGPVs that composed of China III and China IV. ConclusionsOur results demonstrated the necessaries in upgrading the emission control technology. Cumulative mileages and displacements are the two most dominated factors that impacted on the EFs and chemical profiles of VOCs. The higher emission of benzene estimated demonstrated the possible elevation of VOCs in comparison with previous studies.

Characteristics of the real-driving emissions from gasoline passenger vehicles in the Kuala Lumpur urban environment

Emission factors (EFs) are empirical functions that envisage the amount of an emitted pollutant based on travel activity and vehicle characteristics. This paper aims to estimate on-road gaseous emission factors of gasoline passenger vehicles under urban Malaysian road traffic conditions. Eleven vehicles were tested and the carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emission results were analyzed according to driving conditions. The effects of inter-vehicle variability in terms of accumulated mileage on emission factors were explored using regression analysis. The links of real driving condition on exhaust emissions were examined using hierarchical cluster analysis. The emission factors of CO, CO2 and NOx were calculated using a fuel-based approach. The 95% confidence intervals obtained for the population mean of emission factors were CO: 0.76 ± 0.15 g/km, CO2: 236.02 ± 14.98 g/km, NOx: 0.23 ± 0.03 g/km. Vehicle age as echoed by accumulated mileage was responsible for the increase in the average emission factors of CO and NOx. The results of the cluster analysis formed four meaningful clusters which described driving conditions and exhaust emissions. Higher observations were recorded for Cluster 1 (43.25%) indicating low vehicle speed and better fuel efficiency produced low NOx and CO emissions but high CO2 emissions. The measurements reported in this paper highlight the significance of this work in quantifying CO, CO2 and NOx emissions from gasoline passenger vehicles under real-world driving conditions of urban street in Malaysia where there is a paucity of EFs studies.

Well-to-wheels greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions from battery electric vehicles in China

Electric vehicles (EVs) play a crucial role in addressing climate change and urban air quality concerns. China has emerged as the global largest EV market with 1.2 million EVs sold in 2018. This study established a novel life cycle energy use and emission inventory collecting up-to-date data including the electricity generation mix, emission controls in the power and industrial sectors, and the energy use in the fuel transport to estimate the well-to-wheels (WTW) greenhouse gas (GHG), and air pollutant emissions for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and gasoline passenger vehicles in China. The results show that an average BEV has 35% lower WTW GHG emissions than an average gasoline car. BEVs reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) emissions by 98% and 34%, respectively, but have comparable or slightly higher primary fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions. Compact and small-size vehicles generally have lower GHG and air pollutant emissions than mid- and large-size vehicles. Class A vehicles contribute the most in the absolute amount of GHG and air pollutant emissions and therefore have the biggest potential for emission reduction. Our results suggest that global policymakers should continue to promote the transition to clean power sources, emission control, and fuel economy regulations, which are critical to enhancing emission mitigation benefits of BEVs. We also suggest EV development strategies should be formulated targeting vehicle class with the biggest emission mitigation potentials.

Tailpipe VOC Emissions from Late Model Gasoline Passenger Vehicles in the Japanese Market

High concentrations of tropospheric ozone remain a concern, and strategies to reduce the precursors of ozone, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides, have been established in many countries. In this study, chassis dynamometer experiments were conducted for 25 late model gasoline passenger vehicles in the Japanese market to evaluate VOC emission trends. Tailpipe emissions were collected and analyzed using gas chromatography mass spectrometer and flame ionization detector, and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Results showed that tailpipe VOC emissions increased linearly with vehicle mileage due to deterioration of the three-way catalysis converter used to purify the toxic components in vehicle emissions. Distance normalized total VOC emissions showed that port injection mini-sized vehicles were effective in decreasing tailpipe VOC emissions because of their low vehicle weight. The VOC composition of tailpipe emissions was dependent on the fuel type (regular or premium gasoline). VOC emissions from hybrid vehicles were similar to those of other vehicles because cooling of the three-way catalysis converter during battery operations sometimes tended to reduce catalyst effectiveness during engine operations. However, it can also be assumed that each manufacturer is aware of this phenomenon and is taking action. Further monitoring of hybrid vehicles is warranted to ensure that these vehicles remain an effective means of mitigating air pollution.

Influences of accumulated mileage and technological changes on emissions of regulated pollutants from gasoline passenger vehicles

In this study, the influences of accumulated mileage (deterioration) and technological changes (emission standards) on emission factors (EFs) of regulated pollutants (CO, HC, and NOx) from gasoline passenger vehicles were investigated based on Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) data using the chassis dynamometer method. The accumulated mileage of passenger vehicles was significantly linearly correlated with vehicle age. For most cases, the average EFs of CO, HC and NOx were significantly linearly correlated with accumulated mileage, indicating that emission deterioration had a significant impact on pollutant EFs. Implemented emission standards markedly influenced the EFs of regulated pollutants, and EFs markedly decreased with progressing emission standards. The present study also compared EFs of regulated pollutants between this study and the International vehicle emission (IVE) model, and marked differences in EFs were seen with variations in emission standards, vehicle types and accumulated mileage; NOx EFs in this study were higher than in the IVE model. The results provide new insight into estimating regulated pollutant emissions using the IVE model.

Presenting the implementation of power-to-gas to an oil refinery as a way to reduce carbon intensity of petroleum fuels

Hydrogen plays a crucial role in refining industry to meet the growing demand and stringent quality of produced gasoline and diesel. Steam methane reforming (SMR) is commonly used by refiners for on-purpose hydrogen production. However, despite being a mature and efficient technology, SMR has a considerable carbon emissions footprint that adds to the carbon intensity of petroleum fuels. Therefore, this paper examines utilizing Ontario province electricity grid that is based mostly on CO2-free sources of electric power to generate hydrogen by electrolysis using the concept of ‘power-to-gas’. Consequently, the study evaluates the deployment of a series of 1 MW nameplate capacity polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzers to produce 25 MMscfd of hydrogen for a refinery, instead of the conventional pathway based on steam methane reforming. It assesses the production costs and life cycle emissions for five production scenarios to meet the hydrogen demand of the refinery. Aspen HYSYS and mixed integer linear programming models are employed for the purpose of this study. Steam methane reforming provides a lower cost hydrogen under low natural gas prices, even with stringent carbon-pricing policy. However, the renewable electrolytic hydrogen production method shows a potential to curb significant carbon emissions from steam methane reforming level, increasing the CO2 free energy and renewable content of the gasoline and design within the life cycle production scheme. This power-to-gas hydrogen production can be compared to eliminating as many as 34,893 gasoline passenger vehicles from the road. Accordingly, supplying electrolytic hydrogen to a refinery by a grid powered from clean energy sources is considered a good venue for providing decarbonization of petroleum fuels.

Integrated indicator to evaluate vehicle performance across: Safety, fuel efficiency and green domains

In general, car manufacturers face trade-offs between safety, efficiency and environmental performance when choosing between mass, length, engine power, and fuel efficiency. Moreover, the information available to the consumers makes difficult to assess all these components at once, especially when aiming to compare vehicles across different categories and/or to compare vehicles in the same category but across different model years. The main objective of this research was to develop an integrated tool able to assess vehicle’s performance simultaneously for safety and environmental domains, leading to the research output of a Safety, Fuel Efficiency and Green Emissions (SEG) indicator able to evaluate and rank vehicle’s performance across those three domains. For this purpose, crash data was gathered in Porto (Portugal) for the period 2006–2010 (N=1374). The crash database was analyzed and crash severity prediction models were developed using advanced logistic regression models. Following, the methodology for the SEG indicator was established combining the vehicle’s safety and the environmental evaluation into an integrated analysis. The obtained results for the SEG indicator do not show any trade-off between vehicle’s safety, fuel consumption and emissions. The best performance was achieved for newer gasoline passenger vehicles (<5year) with a smaller engine size (<1400cm3). According to the SEG indicator, a vehicle with these characteristics can be recommended for a safety-conscious profile user, as well as for a user more interested in fuel economy and/or in green performance. On the other hand, for larger engine size vehicles (>2000cm3) the combined score for safety user profile was in average more satisfactory than for vehicles in the smaller engine size group (<1400cm3), which suggests that in general, larger vehicles may offer extra protection. The achieved results demonstrate that the developed SEG integrated methodology can be a helpful tool for consumers to evaluate their vehicle selection through different domains (safety, fuel efficiency and green emissions). Furthermore, SEG indicator allows the comparison of vehicles across different categories and vehicle model years. Hence, this research is intended to support the decision-making process for transportation policy, safety and sustainable mobility, providing insights not only to policy makers, but also for general public guidance.

Policy evaluation of vehicle exhaust standards in Japan from 1995 to 2005 based on two human health risk indices for air pollution and global warming

Measures for vehicle exhaust emissions aimed at reducing either air pollution or global warming could have counterproductive effects on one another. Increasing diesel passenger vehicles, which generally have lower CO2 emissions than gasoline counterparts, leads to increasing particulate matter (PM) emissions, while gasoline has lower PM emissions than diesel. It is said that stringent limits on PM emission factors discourages improved CO2 emission factors. Without including both effects in a risk evaluation, one cannot evaluate whether the total risk is reduced or not. Hence, we evaluated representative exhaust emission measures based on risk evaluation for both air pollution and global warming. Considering consumer choice between diesel and gasoline passenger vehicles and emissions standards adopted in Japan from 1995 to 2005, we built five cases for vehicle policy evaluation. For each case, we estimated disability-adjusted life years (DALY) as an index of human health risk caused by lung cancer linked to inhalation exposure of elemental carbon in PM as well as due to global warming linked to CO2. The results of our risk evaluation reveal that the case adopting the 2005 new long-term Japanese emission standard reduces the human health risk caused by lung cancer due to air pollution by 0.6 × 103 DALY, but would increase the risk due to global warming by 31.9 × 103 DALY compared with the case of adopting EURO 4, for the same conditions of passenger vehicle choice from 1995. These results suggest that the characteristics of Japanese emissions standards are mainly designed to reduce air pollution.

Assessment of Life Cycle Energy Consumption and Emissions for Conventional and Advanced Powertrain Vehicles

In this study, an environmental comparison of hybrid, fuel cell and gasoline passenger vehicles is performed with the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Unlike in a classic LCA, the vehicle cycle and fuel cycle of vehicles have both been modeled to cover vehicles with the full life time.According to the assumptions, the total energy consumption of the hybrid and fuel cell vehicles are respectively 27% and 37% lower than that of the gasoline vehicle. The GHG emission of the hybrid and fuel cell vehicles are respectively 27% and 44% lower than that of the gasoline vehicle. The results of the study show that the FCV is the one that presents the lower LCA energy consumption and GHG emission compared with the HEV.

Better cars or older cars?: Assessing CO2 emission reduction potential of passenger vehicle replacement programs

The primary motivation for the vehicle replacement schemes that were implemented in many countries was to encourage the purchase of new cars. The basic assumption of these schemes was that these acquisitions would benefit both the economy and the environment as older and less fuel-efficient cars were scrapped and replaced with more fuel-efficient models. In this article, we present a new environmental impact assessment method for assessing the effectiveness of scrappage schemes for reducing CO2 emissions taking into account the rebound effect, driving behavior for older versus new cars and entire lifecycle emissions for during the manufacturing processes of new cars. The assessment of the Japanese scrappage scheme shows that CO2 emissions would only decrease if users of the scheme retained their new gasoline passenger vehicles for at least 4.7 years. When vehicle replacements were restricted to hybrid cars, the reduction in CO2 achieved by the scheme would be 6–8.5 times higher than the emissions resulting from a scheme involving standard, gasoline passenger vehicles. Cost–benefit analysis, based on the emission reduction potential, showed that the scheme was very costly. Sensitivity analysis showed that the Japanese government failed to determine the optimum, or target, car age for scrapping old cars in the scheme. Specifically, scrapping cars aged 13 years and over did not maximize the environmental benefits of the scheme. Consequently, modifying this policy to include a reduction in new car subsidies, focused funding for fuel-efficient cars, and modifying the target car age, would increase environmental benefits.

Contribution of Evaporative Emission in Total Emitted VOCs from Gasoline Passenger Vehicles

Contribution of Evaporative Emission in Total Emitted VOCs from Gasoline Passenger Vehicles