Gas- and particle-phase primary emissions from in-use, on-road gasoline and diesel vehicles

Tailpipe emissions from sixty-four unique light-duty gasoline vehicles (LDGVs) spanning model years 1987-2012, two medium-duty diesel vehicles and three heavy-duty diesel vehicles with varying levels of aftertreatment were characterized at the California Air Resources Board Haagen-Smit and Heavy-Duty Engine Testing Laboratories. Each vehicle was tested on a chassis dynamometer using a constant volume sampler, commercial fuels and standard duty cycles. Measurements included regulated pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO), total hydrocarbons (THC), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter (PM). Off-line analyses were performed to speciate gas- and particle-phase emissions. The data were used to investigate trends in emissions with vehicle age and to quantify the effects of different aftertreatment technologies on diesel vehicle emissions (e.g., with and without a diesel particulate filter). On average, newer LDGVs that met the most recent emissions standards had substantially lower emissions of regulated gaseous pollutants (CO, THC and NOx) than older vehicles. For example, THC emissions from the median LDGV that met the LEV2 standard was roughly a factor of 10 lower than the median pre-LEV vehicle; there were also substantial reductions in NOx (factor of similar to 100) and CO (factor of similar to 10) emissions