In-use Compliance Research Articles

Regulatory Insights for On-Board Monitoring of Vehicular NOx Emission Compliance.

Nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from heavy-duty diesel vehicles (HDDVs) have adverse effects on human health and the environment. On-board monitoring (OBM), which can continuously collect vehicle performance and NOx emissions throughout the operation lifespan, is recognized as the core technology for future vehicle in-use compliance, but its large-scale application has not been reported. Here, we utilized OBM data from 22,520 HDDVs in China to evaluate their real-world NOx emissions. Our findings showed that China VI HDDVs had a 73% NOx emission reduction compared with China V vehicles, but a considerable proportion still faced a significant risk of higher NOx emissions than the corresponding limits. The unsatisfactory efficiency of the emission treatment system under disadvantageous driving conditions (e.g., low speed or ambient temperature) resulted in the incompliance of NOx emissions, especially for utility vehicles (sanitation/garbage trucks). Furthermore, the observed intertrip and seasonal variability of NOx emissions demonstrated the need for a long-term continuous monitoring protocol instead of instantaneous evaluation for the OBM. With both functions of emission monitoring and malfunction diagnostics, OBM has the potential to accurately verify the in-use compliance status of large-scale HDDVs and discern the responsibility of high-emitting activities from manufacturers, vehicle operators, and driving conditions.

Performance of BS-VI catalyst and influence of deactivation conditions on emission durability for commercial vehicle applications

On one hand, to bring down the vehicular pollution levels, the Indian government implemented BS-VI emission standards from April 2020. On the other hand, future regulatory requirements for in-use compliance of large sources like heavy-duty vehicles (HDV) are monitored using Portable Emissions Measurement Systems (PEMS). Henceforth, to meet these regulatory emissions requirements, the advancement in catalyst technologies is progressing rapidly to meet the ever-tightening control on tailpipe emissions. It is also imperative to ensure no significant catalyst performance deterioration throughout the useful emission life of the vehicle. However, for such catalyst technology, performance durability validation is important based on vehicle market and duty cycle applications. Moreover, the durability of the selected catalyst is validated for emission performance after accelerated regeneration conditions to understand the thermal stability and the sintering effect of catalyst behaviour in an engine rig. Based on this, the significance of catalyst technology selection for commercial vehicle applications as well as catalyst validations for the Indian market are discussed in this paper. Related to in-use performance, the catalyst performance behaviour after a vehicle mileage accumulation of 160,0000 km and the exhaust emissions under real-world conditions using PEMS are also conversed.

Research on the Situation of In-use Consistency of China V Heavy Diesel Vehicles in Shenzhen

In order to explore the current status of in-use compliance of China V heavy-duty diesel vehicles in Shenzhen, five China V heavy-duty diesel vehicles were tested for NOX emissions using the LugDown cycle, and CO, NOX, and PM emissions were tested for these vehicles using the Portable Emissions Measurement System (PEMS).The test results showed that all 5 vehicles meet the NOX limit requirements of the LugDown test method, and 2 vehicles exceeded the limit requirements of the PEMS test method. For 3 vehicles below the PEMS test NOX limit, the difference in the average value of the two test methods was 14%-18%, and the median difference was 1%-63%; For the two vehicles that exceeded the PEMS test NOX limit, the average difference was 32%-63%, and the median difference was 81%-127%. For vehicles with higher NOX emissions, the LugDown test was not able to reflect the actual situation of real driving emission well. The particulate emission test results showed that the difference in the removal efficiency of different diesel particulate filter could reach more than 113 times, and the difference in the technology of cleaning in engine could reach more than 6 times. The study showed that the current status of compliance of in-use China V standard heavy-duty diesel vehicles was not optimistic.

On-road emission measurements of reactive nitrogen compounds from heavy-duty diesel trucks in China

Emissions of major reactive nitrogen compounds, including nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ammonia (NH3), from heavy-duty diesel vehicles (HDDVs) place substantial pressure on air quality for many large cities in China. To control nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions from HDDVs, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems have been widely used since the China IV standards. To investigate the impacts of aftertreatment technologies and driving conditions on real-world emissions of reactive nitrogen compounds, a portable emissions measurement system was employed to test eighteen heavy-duty diesel trucks in China. The results showed that the China IV and China V HDDVs with appropriate SCR functionality could reduce NOX emissions by 36% and 53%, respectively, compared to the China III results, although their real-world emissions were still higher than the corresponding emission limits for regulatory engine tests. For these HDDVs, five samples were tested with NH3 emissions, ranging from 1.67 ppm to 51.49 ppm. The NH3 emission rates tended to significantly increase under high-speed driving conditions. The results indicate that the current SCR technology may have certain risks in exceeding the future China VI NH3 limit. However, five China IV/V HDDVs were found to have SCR temperature sensors that were intentionally tampered with, resulting in comparable or even higher NOX emissions and zero NH3 emissions. Increased NO2 emissions due to the adoption of diesel oxidation catalysts and diesel particulate filters were also found from our experiments. This study highlights the importance of enhancing in-use compliance requirements and eliminating aftertreatment tampering for China IV and China V HDDVs.

Solid Particle Number (SPN) Portable Emissions Measurement Systems (PEMS) in the European Legislation: A Review.

Portable emissions measurement systems (PEMS) for gaseous pollutants were firstly introduced in the United States regulation to check the in-use compliance of heavy-duty engines, avoiding the high costs of removing the engine and testing it on a dynamometer in the laboratory. In Europe, the in-service conformity of heavy-duty engines has been checked with PEMS for gaseous pollutants since 2014. To strengthen emissions regulations with a view to minimise the differences between on-road and laboratory emission levels in some cases, PEMS testing, including solid particle number (SPN), was introduced for the type-approval of light-duty vehicles in Europe in 2017 and for in-service conformity in 2019. SPN-PEMS for heavy-duty engines will be introduced in 2021. This paper gives an overview of the studies for SPN-PEMS from early 2013 with the first prototypes until the latest testing and improvements in 2019. The first prototype diffusion charger (DC) based systems had high differences from the reference laboratory systems at the first light-duty vehicles campaign. Tightening of the technical requirements and improvements from the instrument manufacturers resulted in differences of around 50%. Similar differences were found in an inter-laboratory comparison exercise with the best performing DC- and CPC- (condensation particle counter) based system. The heavy-duty evaluation phase at a single lab and later at various European laboratories revealed higher differences due to the small size of the urea generated particles and their high charge at elevated temperatures. This issue, along with robustness at low ambient temperatures, was addressed by the instrument manufacturers bringing the measurement uncertainty to the 50% levels. This measurement uncertainty needs to be considered at the on-road emission results measured with PEMS.

On-Board Sensor-Based NO x Emissions from Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicles.

Real-world nitrogen oxides (NO x) emissions were estimated using on-board sensor readings from 72 heavy-duty diesel vehicles (HDDVs) equipped with a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system in California. The results showed that there were large differences between in-use and certification NO x emissions, with 12 HDDVs emitting more than three times the standard during hot-running and idling operations in the real world. The overall NO x conversion efficiencies of the SCR system on many vehicles were well below the 90% threshold that is expected for an efficient SCR system, even when the SCR system was above the optimum operating temperature threshold of 250 °C. This could potentially be associated with SCR catalyst deterioration on some engines. The Not-to-Exceed (NTE) requirements currently used by the heavy-duty in-use compliance program were evaluated using on-board NO x sensor data. Valid NTE events covered only 4.2-16.4% of the engine operation and 6.6-34.6% of the estimated NO x emissions. This work shows that low cost on-board NO x sensors are a convenient tool to monitor in-use NO x emissions in real-time, evaluate the SCR system performance, and identify vehicle operating modes with high NO x emissions. This information can inform certification and compliance programs to ensure low in-use NO x emissions.

Real-world gaseous emissions of high-mileage taxi fleets in China

Mileage of taxi fleets is significantly higher than regular passenger vehicles in China, which might trigger greater tailpipe emissions of air pollutants. To investigate their real-world gaseous emissions, we applied portable emissions measurement systems (PEMSs) to test 44 gasoline and 24 bi-fuel taxis in seven cities. Our real-world measurement results indicated that a major part of the tested China 3 and China 4 gasoline taxis, especially the samples with high mileage (>300,000 km), far exceeded the corresponding emission limits of NOX, THC and CO. Only the newest China 5 gasoline taxis with relatively lower mileage had effective emission controls and the gaseous emissions were below the limits. Illegal tampering, malfunction and deterioration of three-way catalytic converters (TWC) are major reasons for high emissions from high-mileage taxis. First, China 4 gasoline taxis without TWC (purposely removed by drivers) increased their gaseous emissions than TWC-equipped counterparts by more than one order of magnitude. Second, bi-fuel taxis when using compress natural gas (CNG) had much higher NOX and THC emissions than those when using gasoline, which might be probably attributed to unsophisticated engine calibration and unfavorable TWC working conditions. Furthermore, TWC renewal could bring immediate and substantial emission reductions (up to 70%) for high-mileage taxis. However, such benefits from TWC renewal would become less significant as the mileage levels further increase. We also found a good correlation between CO and THC emissions for gasoline taxis, whose cold start effects were both significant. This study poses significant concerns regarding real-world emissions of high-mileage taxi fleets in China, which could consist of many gross emitters in the urban areas. Stringent in-use compliance programs and in particular frequent TWC renewals for high-mileage taxis should be implemented by policy makers in China.

Experimental assessment of solid particle number Portable Emissions Measurement Systems (PEMS) for heavy-duty vehicles applications

Heavy-duty engines are type approved on engine dynamometers. However, the in-service conformity or in-use compliance is conducted on the road over driving patterns, conditions and payloads defined in the regulation using Portable Emissions Measurement Systems (PEMS). In Europe PEMS testing is currently applicable to gaseous emissions only, but the introduction of solid particle number (SPN) PEMS is under discussion for heavy-duty vehicles. Although SPN PEMS testing is required for light-duty vehicles, the robustness and the accuracy of the systems for the different conditions of heavy duty vehicles (e.g. higher exhaust gas temperatures, high content of bio-fuels, CNG engines) needs further investigation. This paper describes the experimental assessment of four SPN PEMS models by comparing them to reference regulated laboratory systems. One of the SPN PEMS was circulated to most laboratories. The tests were conducted by heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers in Europe. The results showed that the PEMS measure within 40–65% of the laboratory standards with only minor robustness issues. Thus, they can be included in the in-service conformity regulation taking into account their measurement uncertainty.

Differences between emissions measured in urban driving and certification testing of heavy-duty diesel engines

Emissions from eight heavy-duty diesel trucks (HDDTs) equipped with three different exhaust aftertreatment systems (ATS) for controlling nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions were quantified on a chassis dynamometer using driving schedules representative of stop-and-go and free-flow driving in metropolitan areas. The three control technologies were: 1) cooled exhaust gas recirculation (CEGR) plus a diesel particulate filter (DPF); 2) CEGR and DPF plus advanced engine controls; and 3) CEGR and DPF plus selective catalytic reduction with ammonia (SCR). Results for all control technologies and driving conditions showed PM emission factors were less than the standard, while selected non-regulated emissions (ammonia, carbonyls, and C4–C12 hydrocarbons) and a greenhouse gas (nitrous oxide) were at measurement detection limits. However, NOx emission factors depended on the control technology, engine calibration, and driving mode. For example, emissions from engines with cooled-exhaust gas recirculation (CEGR) were 239% higher for stop-and-go driving as compared with free-flow. For CEGR plus selective catalytic reduction (SCR), the ratio was 450%. A deeper analysis was carried out with the assumption that emissions measured for a drive cycle on either the chassis or in-use driving would be similar. Applying the same NTE rules to the chassis data showed emissions during stop-and-go driving often exceeded the certification standard and >90% of the driving did not fall within the Not-To-Exceed (NTE) control area suggesting the NTE requirements do not provide sufficient emissions control under in-use conditions. On-road measurement of emissions using the same mobile lab while the vehicle followed a free-flow driving schedule verified the chassis results. These results have implications for scientists who build inventories using certification values instead of real world emission values and for metropolitan populations, who are exposed to elevated emissions. The differences in values between real world emissions and certification cycles should be narrowed. For example, one might use a different mix of cold and hot start testing to greater emphasize low temperature/load operation, a separate cycle to specifically characterize low-load operation, or broaden the in-use compliance testing requirements and associated conformity factors to incorporate a wider envelope of vehicle operation, especially at low load conditions. .

In-Use Emissions from 2010-Technology Heavy-Duty Trucks: Impact on Air Quality Planning in California

Introduction of a selective catalytic reduction system for heavy-duty diesel trucks (HDDTs) has substantially reduced emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx). However, it was found that in-use NOx emissions measured from three 2010-technology HDDTs were higher than the certification standard and higher than the levels measured during engine certification. In-use NOx emissions from three HDDTs tested over chassis dynamometer cycles were 1.7 to 9 times higher than the NOx certification standard of 0.20 grams per brake horsepower-hour, and the emissions measured with a portable emissions measurement system over highway test routes were up to five times higher than the certification standard. Such high in-use NOx emissions occurred primarily during low-speed operations (25 mph or less). This is a concern in California because more than 50% of running-exhaust NOx emissions from HDDTs will occur during low-speed operations that constitute only 11% of total vehicle miles traveled by 2025. This substantial contribution of NOx emissions during low-speed operations should be addressed carefully in the process of developing regulations and strategies to improve air quality in California. For better understanding and control of high in-use NOx emissions, there is a strong need for investigation of NOx control technologies effective at low-speed operation, differences between engine testing and whole vehicle testing procedures, and the roles of both engine certification requirements and in-use compliance requirements in reducing real-world NOx emissions.

Evaluating real-world CO2 and NOX emissions for public transit buses using a remote wireless on-board diagnostic (OBD) approach

The challenge to mitigate real-world emissions from vehicles calls for powerful in-use compliance supervision. The remote on-board diagnostic (OBD) approach, with wireless data communications, is one of the promising next-generation monitoring methods. We collected second-by-second profiles of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) emissions, driving conditions and engine performance for three conventional diesel and three hybrid diesel buses participating in a remote OBD pilot program in Nanjing, China. Our results showed that the average CO2 emissions for conventional diesel and hybrid diesel buses were 816 ± 83 g km−1 and 627 ± 54 g km−1, respectively, under a typical driving pattern. An operating mode binning analysis indicated that CO2 emissions reduction by series-parallel hybrid technology was largely because of the significant benefits of the technology under the modes of low speed and low power demand. However, significantly higher CO2 emissions were observed for conventional diesel buses during rush hours, higher than 1200 g km−1. The OBD data suggested no improvement in NOX emission reduction for hybrid buses compared with conventional buses; both were approximately 12 g km−1 because of poor performance of the selective catalyst reduction (SCR) systems in the real world. Speed-dependent functions for real-world CO2 and NOX emissions were also constructed. The CO2 emissions of hybrid buses were much less sensitive to the average speed than conventional buses. If the average speed decreased from 20 km h−1 to 10 km h−1, the estimated CO2 emission factor for conventional buses would be increased by 34%. Such a change in speed would increase NOX emissions for conventional and hybrid buses by 38% and 56%, respectively. This paper demonstrates the useful features of the remote OBD system and can inform policy makers how to take advantage of these features in monitoring in-use vehicles.

Robust Emission Management Strategy to Meet Real-World Emission Requirements for HD Diesel Engines

Heavy-duty diesel engines are used in different application areas, like long-haul, city distribution, dump truck and building and construction industry. For these wide variety of areas, the engine performance needs to comply with the real-world legislation limits and should simultaneously have a low fuel consumption and good drivability. Meeting these requirements takes substantial development and calibration effort, where an optimal fuel consumption for each application is not always met in practice. TNO's Integrated Emission Management (IEM) strategy, is able to deal with these variations in operating conditions, while meeting legislation limits and obtaining on-line cost optimization. Based on the actual state of the engine and aftertreatment, optimal air-path setpoints are computed, which balances EGR and SCR usage. Due to IEM's adaptation characteristics based on the actual state of engine and aftertreatment system, the strategy is robust for varying conditions during real-world operation. This is especially of interest, since real-world emissions become increasingly important: in-use compliance, including Not-To-Exceed (NTE) areas, challenging On-Board-Diagnostics requirements and In-Use Performance Ratio (IUPR) monitoring. The main contribution of this work is to demonstrate the robustness of IEM on a variety of real-world cycles by means of a simulation study. Whereas previous publications focus on demonstration of the IEM strategy on Type Approval cycles, this work can be seen as an extension, which also addresses In-Service Conformity (ISC). This paper discusses in detail the performance and robustness of the IEM strategy at these cycles compared with a state-of-the-art Euro-VI engine control strategy (baseline). Consequent improvements are obtained among the different cycles. Fuel consumption and fluid cost are reduced up to 2% and 1.7%, respectively, compared to this baseline strategy.

In-Use Compliance Emission Testing Analysis Applied in LabVIEW for Engineers

Analyzing test data of a vehicle for evaluating its emission performance is an essential process in automotive development field, yet it is intricate and tedious task. In addition, clear understanding and care are required when the analysis process is carried out. Computer software solutions significantly reduce the time and the effort for such analysis. Developing a computer routine to analyze the emission data in a vehicle test demands a complete understanding of the emissions analysis and its related details. In this paper, the principals to develop a LabVIEW analysis routine (VI) are introduced helping automotive engineers comprehend the emission analysis process of a vehicle test data and instruct them to develop similar routines for such analysis.

The challenge to NO<sub>x</sub> emission control for heavy-duty diesel vehicles in China

Abstract. China's new "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" set a target for total NOx emission reduction of 10% for the period of 2011–2015. Heavy-duty diesel vehicles (HDDVs) have been considered a major contributor to NOx emissions in China. Beijing initiated a comprehensive vehicle test program in 2008. This program included a sub-task for measuring on-road emission profiles of hundreds of HDDVs using portable emission measurement systems (PEMS). The major finding is that neither the on-road distance-specific (g km−1) nor brake-specific (g kWh−1) NOx emission factors for diesel buses and heavy-duty diesel trucks improved in most cases as emission standards became more stringent. For example, the average NOx emission factors for Euro II, Euro III and Euro IV buses are 11.3 ± 3.3 g km−1, 12.5 ± 1.3 g km−1, and 11.8 ± 2.0 g km−1, respectively. No statistically significant difference in NOx emission factors was observed between Euro II and III buses. Even for Euro IV buses equipped with SCR systems, the NOx emission factors are similar to Euro III buses. The data regarding real-time engine performance of Euro IV buses suggest the engine certification cycles did not reflect their real-world operating conditions. These new on-road test results indicate that previous estimates of total NOx emissions for HDDV fleet may be significantly underestimated. The new estimate in total NOx emissions for the Beijing HDDV fleet in 2009 is 37.0 Gg, an increase of 45% compared to the previous study. Further, we estimate that the total NOx emissions for the national HDDV fleet in 2009 are approximately 4.0 Tg, higher by 1.0 Tg (equivalent to 18% of total NOx emissions for vehicle fleet in 2009) than that estimated in the official report. This would also result in 4% increase in estimation of national anthropogenic NOx emissions. More effective control measures (such as promotion of CNG buses and a new in-use compliance testing program) are urged to secure the goal of total NOx mitigation for the HDDV fleet in the future.

On-road diesel vehicle emission factors for nitrogen oxides and black carbon in two Chinese cities

Abstract Nitrogen oxides (NOx) and black carbon (BC) emission factors (EF) of 440 on-road diesel trucks were determined by conducting on-road chasing studies in Beijing and Chongqing, China, in the winter 2010. NOx and BC EF distributions are reported. The median NOx EFs for trucks sampled on level roads in Chongqing and Beijing are 40.0 and 47.4 g kg-fuel−1, respectively. The median BC EFs are 1.1 and 0.4 g kg-fuel−1in Chongqing and Beijing, respectively. In addition, a clear downward trend of BC EFs of on-road diesel trucks sampled in Beijing since 2008 is observed. Moreover, Beijing-registered trucks had the lowest BC EFs among the entire sample. These observations appear to reflect the effectiveness of emission standard and fuel quality standard implemented in Beijing (China IV) and nationwide (China III) in reducing BC (and likely overall particulate matter) emission. However, NOx EFs for Beijing-registered trucks did not show lower value than those from other regions. Unlike black carbon, there is no clear correlation between emission controls and NOx emissions from the sampled on-road trucks. Further analysis shows that trucks with high BC EFs do not usually have high NOx EFs, and vice versa, indicating that the current emission standards implemented in Beijing and nationwide have only limited impact on NOx emissions control. Therefore, effective multi-pollutant control strategies and in-use compliance programs are imperative to reduce the overall emissions from the transportation sector.

Experimental Demonstration of a New Model-Based SCR Control Strategy for Cleaner Heavy-Duty Diesel Engines

Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is a promising diesel after treatment technology that enables low nitrogen oxides (NO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">x</sub> ) tailpipe emissions with relatively low fuel consumption. Future emission legislation is pushing the boundaries for SCR control systems to achieve high NO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">x</sub> conversion within a tailpipe ammonia (NH <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> ) slip constraint, and to provide robustness to meet in-use compliance requirements. This work presents a new adaptive control strategy that uses an ammonia feedback sensor and an online ammonia storage model. Experimental validation on a 12-liter heavy-duty diesel engine with a 34-liter Zeolite SCR catalyst shows good performance and robustness against urea under- and over-dosage for both the European steady-state and transient test cycles. The new strategy is compared with a NO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">x</sub> sensor-based control strategy with cross-sensitivity compensation. It proved to be superior in terms of transient adaptation and taking an NH <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> slip constraint into account.

On-road comparison of a portable emission measurement system with a mobile reference laboratory for a heavy-duty diesel vehicle

On-road comparisons were made between a mobile emissions laboratory (MEL) meeting federal standards and a portable emissions measurement system (PEMS). These comparisons were made over different conditions; including road grade, vibration, altitude, electric fields, and humidity with the PEMS mounted inside and outside of the tractor's cab. Brake-specific emissions were calculated to explore error differences between the MEL and PEMS during the Not-To-Exceed (NTE) engine operating zone. The PEMS brake-specific NOx (bsNOx) NTE emissions were biased high relative to the MEL and, in general, were about 8% of the 2007 in-use NTE NO x standard of 2.68 g kW −1 h −1 (2.0 g hp −1 h −1). The bsCO 2 emissions for the PEMS were also consistently biased high relative to the MEL, with an average deviation of +4% ± 2%. NMHC and CO emissions were very low and typically less than 1% of the NTE threshold. This research was part of a comprehensive program to determine the “allowance” when PEMS are used for in-use compliance testing of heavy-duty diesel vehicles (HDDVs).

Ammonia Sensor for Closed-Loop SCR Control

Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) is the dominant solution for meeting future NOx reduction regulations for heavy-duty diesel powertrains. SCR systems benefit from closed-loop control if an appropriate exhaust gas sensor were available. An ammonia sensor has recently been developed for use as a feedback element in closed-loop control of urea dosing in a diesel SCR aftertreatment system. Closed-loop control of SCR dosing enables the SCR system to be robust against disturbances and to meet conformity of production (COP) and in-use compliance norms.

Emission control options for power two wheelers in Europe

This paper quantifies the emission contribution of motorcycles and mopeds in Europe, in the period 1999–2012. Projections show that these vehicles will emit more than 7% and 20% of total road transport CO and HC, respectively, by the year 2012, if no additional regulatory measures are taken. In contrast, they will continue to be negligible NO x (0.7%) and CO 2 (<1%) emitters, while their particulate matter (PM) emission contribution is expected to decline to below 1% in the future. The relative importance of their emissions, however, increases in urban environments, especially in southern European countries, which host large fleets of small two wheelers. Hence, further regulatory measures are being considered which include durability requirements for the emission controls, in-use compliance and roadworthiness procedures, on-board diagnostics, control of evaporation emissions, PM specific measures and new steps for emission standards. The study quantifies the environmental benefits and the costs associated with each measure, and calculates cost-effectiveness figures which may be used to evaluate each policy option. Results show that for the reduction of HC emissions, both evaporation control and roadworthiness tests are cost-effective while a further tightening of the emission standards for mopeds will bring the largest benefit. Additionally, on-board diagnosis for motorcycles is found to be an expensive measure with questionable effectiveness, while the replacement of mineral with synthetic lubricants would bring clear benefits with respect to PM of 2-stroke engines.

Motor vehicle air pollution control in Sweden

One-third of the passenger cars in Sweden today are certified with current state-of-the-art emission control technology. For gasoline-fueled vehicles this involves, for example, closed-loop three-way catalyst control technology. From now on light-duty and heavy-duty trucks and buses also need to be certified against stringent emission requirements. The enforcement program is run to check the equipment's ability to meet the requirements in use and if the manufacturer is meeting their responsibility. The Conformity of Production Audits have shown some of the emission control systems to be preferable and others less so. The In-Use Compliance testing is forcing durable emission control systems. Tests thus performed have revealed potentials to meet lower emission levels than currently required. Urgent need to further cut emissions has guided the Swedish Parliament to adopt a tax incentive scheme with voluntary emission requirements. The manufacturer may chose to certify against a set of more stringent emission standards, and get a lower sales tax on the vehicle. By this scheme the use of USA/California ‘tier 1’ and ‘Low-Emission’ light vehicles and low-emitting heavy-duty vehicles will be encouraged.