On March 9th, the final report of the 200 Heavy-Duty Vehicle Emissions Testing Program was made available to the public on the California Energy Commission’s website. The report outlines the findings of the largest heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) emissions testing program to date, collecting real world activity and exhaust emissions data under real-world driving conditions and laboratory testing. The University of California, Riverside and West Virginia University collaborated with four industry and government agency cosponsors to test more than 200 heavy-duty vehicles in this comprehensive, multi-year, four-phase program.
On-road HDV emissions are major sources of harmful air pollutants, especially nitrogen oxides (NOx) which contribute to the formation of ground level ozone and PM2.5. Bringing the South Coast Air Basin into compliance with federal standards for ozone will depend on the rapid reduction of NOx emission from heavy-duty vehicles.
The study assessed the emissions reduction ability of HDV technologies (i.e., engines, drivetrains, fuels, and aftertreatment systems) in key areas (such as refuse haulers, transit buses, and goods movement trucks) under commonly encountered driving and operational conditions in the South Coast Air Basin. Measured emission levels varied widely across different duty cycles, test methods, engine/fuel technologies and vocations. HDVs tested in this program ranged from model year 2001 to 2019, and most exhibited elevated in-use emissions under operational conditions different than the engine certification cycle. This extensive test program provided new emissions data that is more representative of real-world operating conditions and will be used to improve air quality models and emission reduction planning efforts.
For more information, contact Sam Cao at (909) 396-2069.