United States Air and Radiation EPA420-F-03-019
Environmental Protection June 2003
Agency
Office of Transportation and Air Quality
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The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Engine
Manufacturers Association (EMA) have reached a settlement
agreement that will result in a manufacturer-run, in-use emissions
testing program for heavy-duty diesel trucks. The in-use testing
program will measure exhaust emissions from diesel engines using
portable onboard emission measurement systems. The detailed
regulatory provisions for this program will be proposed by EPA in
approximately one year. As part of the agreement EPA will issue
guidance documents that will provide engine manufacturers additional
certainties and details of the requirements they must meet in testing
and certifying their engines. This cooperative effort represents a
significant advance in helping to ensure that the benefits of more
stringent emission standards are realized under real-world driving
conditions.
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Background
EPA has issued four rules regarding diesel engines since 1999. These
include the 2004 and 2007 Heavy-Duty Diesel Motor Vehicle Engines
Rules, Recreational Marine Diesel Engines Rule and the Commercial
Marine Diesel Engines Rule. EMA and some manufacturers challenged
parts of the rules regarding legal authority and technical feasibility of
certain emission standards called the Not-To-Exceed Standards (NTE).
EPA, the California Air Resources Board (ARB), and EMA, along with
its member companies, have worked cooperatively to reach an agree-
ment. The resulting settlement includes provisions for proposing a manu-
facturer run, in-use emissions testing program in the Federal Register in
approximately one year. As part of the agreement, EPA will issue guid-
ance documents that will provide engine manufacturers additional cer-
tainties and details of the requirements they must meet in testing and
certifying their engines.
The new testing program will assess in-use exhaust emissions from
heavy-duty diesel trucks using portable emission measurement systems
for the first time. Previously, engine emissions testing involved removing
the engine from the truck and testing the engine in a laboratory on an
engine dynamometer. Starting in the mid-1990s EPA facilitated research
into portable systems by developing and using prototype systems in its
compliance programs. Portable systems were placed inside vehicles to
measure emissions performance during real-world operating conditions.
It became clear that these systems offered advantages over conventional
approaches to assess in-use exhaust emissions from engines for design
improvement, research, modeling, and compliance purposes.
In a largely unprecedented example of proactive government and industry
cooperation, prior to any formal rulemaking initiative, manufacturers
have agreed to implement this new type of in-use emission testing pro-
gram. The resulting collaborative program is a significant step forward
for both parties in helping ensure that heavy-duty diesel engines comply
with applicable emission standards throughout their useful lives while
reducing overall compliance burdens.
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Key Elements of the Manufacturer-Run, in-Use
Emissions Testing Program
• Applicable to 2007 and later model-year engines
• Proposed rulemaking in approximately one year
• Monitors in-use emissions of diesel vehicles with portable emission
measurement systems
• Testing will be conducted on in-use vehicles, under real-world driving
conditions, within the engine's useful life to monitor for NTE compli-
ance and to help ensure overall compliance with the emission stan-
dards.
• Emissions to be measured: Hydrocarbons (HC), Carbon Monoxide
(CO), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and Particulate Matter (PM)
• Testing conducted and paid for by manufacturers with EPA and ARE
oversight
• Addresses a serious, long-standing need for "real-world" in-use testing
data
• Pilot program for 2005 and 2006 model years will allow EPA, ARE
and the manufacturers to gain the necessary experience with in-use
testing protocols and generation of in-use test data using portable
emission measurement systems.
• Fully enforceable program beginning in the 2007 model year
• A nonroad diesel engine in-use testing program is expected to be
patterned after the heavy-duty truck program
• ARE will adopt a parallel in-use testing program for California.
Under the program, manufacturers will test fleet or customer-owned, in-
use trucks. Manufacturers will tap into existing customer relationships
and create new lines of communication with customers, all of which is
expected to fortify the engine development process. This will enhance the
manufacturer's ability to catch any problem engines early on, and encour-
age future engine designs that are cleaner and more durable.
Manufacturers will monitor compliance by testing in-use diesel engines
during normal vehicle operation. If noncomplying engines are identified,
the manufacturer will test more engines for the purpose of determining if
any further action is necessary. EPA will likewise use the in-use data to
make independent evaluations about the possible need to pursue further
actions. The in-use test data, which have never been collected on this
large of a scale, will be used by EPA and ARB to assure that emission
standards are being met, and by manufacturers to improve their engine
designs. The data will also be available to the public.
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Other Important of the Agreement
Representatives of EPA, ARE, and EMA have also agreed to begin a
collaborative effort aimed at developing an outline for a manufacturer-
run, in-use emission testing program applicable for diesel nonroad en-
gines. The program will have features similar to the heavy-duty diesel
truck testing program. The implementation date for the nonroad equip-
ment testing program may be as early as 2011.
Finally, EPA will provide a set of guidance documents to engine manufac-
turers with important details for certifying their diesel engines to the NTE
emission standards. These documents will clarify a number of issues
relating to how manufacturers certify heavy-duty diesel truck engines and
diesel marine engines, and will address manufacturers' concerns regard-
ing technical issues of complying with the NTE requirements.
Health and Environmental Impacts
This announcement seeks to propose an in-use emissions testing program
and is expected to help ensure that the intended health and environmental
benefits from recently-adopted emission regulations are realized through-
out the entire useful lives of heavy-duty and marine engines.
For More Information
For more details on the terms of the settlement, please see the Federal
Register notice, which will be available on the Office of Transportation
and Air Quality Web Site at: www.epa.gov/otaq/hd-hwy.htm.
For inquiries about heavy-duty truck engines please call Rick Gezelle at
(202) 564-9267.
For inquiries about nonroad and marine engines call Rich Wilcox at (734)
214-4390.
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