Using MOVES for Estimating State and
Local Inventories of On-Road
Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy
Consumption
Final
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
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Using MOVES for Estimating State and
Local Inventories of On-Road
Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy
Consumption
Final
Transportation and Climate Division
Office of Transportation and Air Quality
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA-420-B-12-068
November 2012
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SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION 5
1.1 PURPOSE OF THIS GUIDANCE 5
1.2 WHAT is MOVES? 6
1.3 WHAT VERSIONS OF MOVES SHOULD BE USED FOR ESTIMATING GHG EMISSIONS OR ENERGY
CONSUMPTION? 7
1.4 WHAT KINDS OF GHG AND ENERGY ANALYSES CAN BE DONE WITH MOVES? 8
1.5 WHY USE MOVES TO ESTIMATE ON-ROAD GHG EMISSIONS OR ENERGY CONSUMPTION INSTEAD OF JUST
USING FUEL SALES? 9
1.6 IF WE HAVE NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE USING MOVES, SHOULD WE STILL USE IT FOR ESTIMATING ON-ROAD
GHG EMISSIONS OR ENERGY CONSUMPTION? 11
1.7 WHAT OTHER MOVES GUIDANCE AND INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE? 12
1.8 WHO CAN I CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION? 13
1.9 DOES THIS DOCUMENT CREATE ANY NEW REQUIREMENTS? 13
SECTION 2: MODELING APPROACHES 14
2.1 INTRODUCTION 14
2.2 WHAT DATA ARE NEEDED TO RUN MOVES? 15
2.3 WHAT OPTIONS DO USERS HAVE TO CALCULATE AN INVENTORY WITHIN OR OUTSIDE OF MOVES? 16
2.4 HOW CAN THE COUNTY SCALE BE USED FOR A GHG ANALYSIS? 16
2.5 CAN THE NATIONAL SCALE BE USED FOR A GHG ANALYSIS? 21
2.6 CREATING ANNUAL INVENTORIES BY MODELING VARIOUS PERIODS OF TIME 23
SECTION 3: CREATING A RUN SPECIFICATION FILE 25
3.1 CREATING A RUN SPECIFICATION (RUNSPEC) FILE 25
3.1.1 Description 25
3.2 SELECTING SCALE AND CALCULATION TYPE 26
3.2.1 Domain/Scale 26
3.2.2 Calculation Type 27
3.3 TIME SPANS 28
3.3.1 Time Aggregation Level 28
3.3.2 Calendar Year of Evaluation 29
3.3.3 Month of Evaluation 29
3.3.4 Type of Day of Evaluation 29
3.3.5 Hour of Evaluation 30
3.3.6 Time Span Rates 30
3.4 GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDS 31
3.4.1 National Scale 31
3.4.2 County Scale 31
3.4.3 Domain Input Database 33
3.5 VEHICLES/EQUIPMENT: ON-ROAD VEHICLE EQUIPMENT 33
3.6 ROAD TYPE 35
3.7 POLLUTANTS AND PROCESSES 36
3.7.1 Pollutants 36
3.7.2 Energy Consumption 37
3.7.3 Pollutants and Processes in Emission Rates Mode 37
3.8 MANAGE INPUT DATA SETS 38
3.9 STRATEGIES 38
3.9.1 Alternative Vehicle Fuels and Technologies 39
3.9.2 On-Road Retrofits 39
3.10 OUTPUT 39
3.10.1 Output Database 40
3.10.2 Unit Selection 40
3.10.3 Activity Output 40
3.10.4 Output Emission Detail 40
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3.11 ADVANCED PERFORMANCE FEATURES 42
SECTION 4: IMPORTING LOCAL DATA 43
4.1 INTRODUCTION TO THE COUNTY DATA MANAGER 43
4.2 IMPORTING LOCAL DATA WHEN USING THE NATIONAL SCALE 44
4.3 METEOROLOGY DATA 45
4.3.1 Meteorology Data in Emission Rate Calculations 45
4.4 SOURCE TYPE POPULATION 46
4.4.1 Source Type Population in Emission Rate Calculations 47
4.5 AGE DISTRIBUTION 48
4.6 VEHICLE TYPE VMT 49
4.6.1 Vehicle Type VMT in Emission Rate Calculations 51
4.7 AVERAGE SPEED DISTRIBUTION 51
4.7.1 Additional Guidance for Speeds on Local Roadways 53
4.7.2 Average Speed Distributions in Emission Rates Calculations 54
4.7.3 Creating a Distribution from a Single Average Speed. 54
4.7.4 Average Speed Distributions for Highways and Ramps 55
4.8 ROAD TYPE DISTRIBUTION 55
4.8.1 Road Type Distributions in Emission Rate Calculations 56
4.9 RAMP FRACTION 56
4.10 FUEL TYPE AND TECHNOLOGY TAB 57
4.11 FUEL (FORMULATION AND SUPPLY) 59
4.11.1 Fuel Formulation 60
4.11.2 Fuel Supply 60
4.12 INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS 61
4.13 ZONE (MOVES 2010B CUSTOM DOMAIN ONLY) 61
4.14 GENERIC 63
APPENDIX A 64
APPENDIX B: INCLUDING LOCAL VMT INFORMATION USING THE NATIONAL SCALE 67
B.I INTRODUCTION 67
B.2 RUNSPEC SETTINGS 67
B.2.1. Scale Panel 68
B.2.2. Time Spans Panel 69
B.2.3. Geographic Bounds Panel 70
B.2.4 Output Panel 71
B.3 EXECUTE THE RUN AND POST-PROCESS RESULTS 73
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Section 1: Introduction
1.1 Purpose of this Guidance
This guidance provides information on how to use the MOtor Vehicle Emissions Simulator
(MOVES) model to estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from on-road vehicles to create
state or local inventories, or to estimate total energy consumption from the on-road sector.
MOVES is currently the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) best tool for
developing on-road GHG emission inventories at the state and local level.l Note that this
guidance does not create a requirement for GHG analysis, but merely provides recommendations
for using MOVES for this type of analysis for those that choose to do so, either voluntarily or as
a result of a state or local requirement.
This guidance provides recommendations for using MOVES to create annual on-road mobile
GHG inventories and to estimate energy consumption. Many people may already be familiar
with MOVES, as it is currently used across the country except in California to develop on-road
emission inventories of transportation-related criteria pollutants and their precursors.2 These
criteria pollutant inventories are needed either for state air quality plans (state implementation
plans, or SIPs) or transportation conformity determinations, and existing EPA guidance describes
how and when to use MOVES for these regulatory purposes.3 In addition, MOVES can also be
used to estimate emissions of GHGs from on-road vehicles, including carbon dioxide (CO2),
nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH/i). It can also estimate elemental carbon (black carbon)4
as well as energy use.
MOVES allows users to analyze motor vehicle emissions at various scales: National, County,
and Project. While the County scale is necessary to meet statutory and regulatory requirements
for SIPs and transportation conformity, either the County or National scale can be used for GHG
inventories. This guidance covers both of these scales with an emphasis on the County scale.
This document does not contain guidance for use of the Project scale for estimating on-road
1 This statement is from EPA's "Policy Guidance on the Use of MOVES2010 and Subsequent Minor Revisions for
State Implementation Plan Development, Transportation Conformity, and Other Purposes," EPA-420-B-12-010,
April 2012, Q.& A. 15, on the web at www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/documents/420b 12010.pdf.
2 On-road emissions include those emissions that result from the operation of on-highway vehicles such as
passenger cars and trucks, commercial trucks, buses, motorcycles, and motorhomes. MOVES does not include
"upstream" emissions, i.e, those emissions that come from the production and distribution of fuel, or non-road
vehicles such as construction equipment, agricultural equipment, or recreational off-road vehicles. For more
information about the difference between on-road and non-road sources, please refer to EPA's website at:
www.epa.gov/otaq/inventory/overview/examples.htm. Transportation-related criteria pollutants are carbon
monoxide (CO), ozone, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and paniculate matter (PM2.5 and PM10).
3 Refer to EPA's website at www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/policv.htnrfmodels for the latest versions of
EPA's policy and technical guidance for using MOVES for SIP and conformity purposes. As of the date of this
document's release, the latest versions of these documents are: "Policy Guidance on the Use of MOVES2010 and
Subsequent Minor Revisions for State Implementation Plan Development, Transportation Conformity, and Other
Purposes," EPA-420-B-12-010, April 2012," and "Using MOVES to Prepare Emission Inventories in State
Implementation Plans and Transportation Conformity: Technical Guidance for MOVES2010, 2010a, and 2010b,"
EPA-420-B-12-028, April 2012.
4 For the purposes of this guidance, elemental carbon can be considered the same as black carbon.
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GHG emissions or energy consumption. However, MOVES is EPA's best tool for project-level
GHG analyses, and EPA may offer such guidance in the future, particularly if there is interest
from the user community.
This guidance describes approaches for developing an on-road GHG inventory in different types
of areas and the implications of each of these approaches.5 It discusses the input options in
MOVES that are most important for estimating on-road GHG emissions and explains which
inputs should be populated with locally-derived data versus when data from the MOVES default
database can be used without affecting the quality of the results. This guidance should help users
develop an approach for using MOVES to estimate GHG emissions or energy consumption with
the time and data resources available.
This guidance covers the use of MOVES for estimating on-road GHG emissions and energy
consumption only; it should not be followed when using MOVES to develop criteria pollutant
inventories for SIP or conformity purposes. See Section 1.7 for information about other MOVES
guidance and information. EPA has coordinated with the Department of Transportation during
the development of this guidance.
1.2 What is MOVES?
MOVES is EPA's most recent on-road emissions model and can be downloaded for free from
the web.6 EPA created MOVES as a state-of-the-art model for estimating emissions from all on-
road vehicles including cars, trucks, motorcycles, and buses. MOVES is based on analysis of
millions of emission test results and considerable advances in the Agency's understanding of
vehicle emissions. MOVES can estimate exhaust and evaporative emissions as well as brake and
tire wear emissions from all types of on-road vehicles for any part of the country, except
California.7
In 2010, EPA approved the MOVES model, which replaces the previous on-road emissions
model called MOBILE6.2.8 MOVES incorporates substantial recent emissions test data and
accounts for changes in vehicle technology and regulations as well as improved understanding of
in-use emission levels and the factors that influence them. MOVES significantly improves
estimates of criteria pollutants, air toxics, and GHG emissions compared to EPA's earlier model.
MOVES also has a new software framework that provides more flexibility for input and output
options than MOBILE6.2. Some MOVES features should make it easier for users to develop
5In GHG emissions literature, often a distinction is made between an "inventory," which is for a year in the past, and
a "forecast," which is for a year in the future. The term "inventory" in this and other MOVES guidance refers to
total emissions in a geographic area regardless of whether the year modeled is past or future.
6 See EPA's website at: www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/index.htm . Note that this guidance refers to "MOVES"
generally rather than a particular MOVES version because EPA will release updated versions of MOVES in the
future. EPA will revise this guidance if a future version of MOVES warrants such an update.
7 In California, a different on-road emissions model, EMFAC, is used for regulatory purposes instead of MOVES.
8 New input options in MOVES and changes in the way MOVES handles existing information may appear to require
more types of information as compared to MOBILE6.2, however, in most cases, existing MOBILE6.2 inputs can be
modified to be used with MOVES. Software tools to convert MOBILE6.2 inputs for MOVES are described in this
guidance. See also Appendix A of this document.
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local data for MOVES. For example, MOVES uses a vehicle classification system based on the
way vehicles are classified in the Federal Highway Administration's Highway Performance
Monitoring System (HPMS) rather than on the way they are classified in EPA emissions
regulations. This change should make it easier to use highway activity information as inputs to
MOVES.
EPA released MOVES2010a in September 2010. This minor revision incorporates new car and
light truck GHG emissions standards affecting model years 2012-2016 (these standards were
published May 7, 2010) and updates the effects of corporate average fuel economy (CAFE)
standards for model years 2008-2011.9 Thus for estimating GHG emissions or energy
consumption, this version is a significant improvement over MOBILE6.2, and even over earlier
versions of MOVES. MOVES2010a also includes a number of other improvements, explained
in an EPA factsheet, "EPA Releases MOVES2010a Mobile Source Emissions Model Update:
Questions and Answers," found on the web at
www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/MOVES2010a/420fl0050.pdf
MOVES2010b was released in April 2012. This minor revision includes the 2010a
improvements and additional changes, several of which are discussed in this guidance. For an
overview of the improvements in MOVES2010b, refer to EPA's factsheet, "EPA Releases
MOVES2010b Mobile Source Emissions Model Revision: Questions and Answers," found at
EPA's MOVES website, www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/index.htm. An input database
converter is included with MOVES2010b that allows users to convert input databases created
with MOVES2010a into a format compatible with MOVES2010b.
1.3 What versions of MOVES should be used for estimating GHG
emissions or energy consumption?
Before beginning a new GHG or energy analysis, users should consider using the latest version
of MOVES available on EPA's website at www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/index.htm.
The latest version of MOVES as of the date of this guidance is MOVES2010b. EPA
recommends using MOVES2010b to estimate GHG emissions or energy consumption to take
full advantage of the improvements incorporated in this version; MOVES2010a could also be
used. However, because MOVES2010 does not include either the 2010 GHG emissions
standards or the updated effects of CAFE standards for model years 2008-2011 that are included
in both MOVES2010a and 201 Ob, EPA does not recommend its use for estimating GHG
emissions or energy consumption.
This document reflects MOVES2010b and MOVES2010a . However, this guidance refers to
"MOVES" generally rather than a particular version, as EPA will be updating the MOVES
model over time to account for revisions to GHG emissions and fuel economy standards as well
9 Note that MOVES2010b does not include the effects of the final rule published October 15, 2012, which extended
the GHG standards to model year 2017 through 2025 passenger vehicles, as this rule was published after the release
ofMOVES2010b.
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as other new information. EPA will revise this guidance as needed to reflect future versions of
MOVES.
1.4 What kinds of GHG and energy analyses can be done with
MOVES?
MOVES can be used to create an annual GHG emissions inventory retrospectively or
prospectively, because it can model the year 1990 and any year from 1999 through 2050. Thus
far, most reporting of GHGs has been in terms of annual inventories. Some state and local
governments have already developed annual inventories. MOVES can also be used to calculate
daily inventories, but this guidance does not specifically address daily inventories. (The
MOVES User Guide and Technical Guidance explain how to specify different time periods for
analysis.)
MOVES can be used to estimate GHG emissions and energy consumption at a variety of
geographic scales: county, metropolitan area, state, or multi-state region. For example, MOVES
could be used to generate a statewide or metropolitan area on-road GHG inventory. It could also
be used for scenario planning or to compare GHG and energy impacts of different policy choices
on a regional, state, or local level such as a metropolitan area or a county.
MOVES performs a series of calculations to estimate emissions or energy consumption for the
geographic area and time frame of interest, based on information related to this specific place
and time that the user inputs, or based on default information contained within the model.
Emissions are estimated based on vehicle activity and emission factors. MOVES includes
emission factors for vehicles based on vehicle type, such as passenger car, passenger truck, bus,
other types of trucks; vehicle age; and what the vehicle is doing at a particular moment in time,
i.e., its operating mode. MOVES includes operating modes for running, start, and idle
emissions. Operating modes for running emissions are based on vehicle speed as well as
whether the vehicle is accelerating, decelerating, or cruising. In general, these various emission
factors are multiplied by the corresponding vehicle activity (e.g., vehicle miles traveled or VMT,
number of vehicle starts) to estimate emissions or energy consumption.
Because MOVES emissions are based in part on vehicle activity, MOVES can be used with
forecast data to assess the GHG and energy use impacts of various travel efficiency strategies,
such as:
• Region-wide travel demand management e.g., rideshare programs, employer-based
programs;
• Land use and smart growth strategies, e.g., transit-oriented development policies, policies
to increase diversity and density of land uses;
• Transit-promoting programs, such as increased transit frequency or lower fares; and
• Pricing strategies, such as parking pricing or mileage fees.10
10 For more information about travel efficiency strategies, please see the following documents: "Potential Changes
in Emissions Due to Improvements in Travel Efficiency - Final Report," EPA-420-R-11-003, March 2011, available
on the web at: www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/policv/420rll003.pdf. and "Transportation Control Measures: An
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MOVES can answer these types of questions based on user information about how travel activity
- such as VMT and speeds - will change as a result of the strategy.
MOVES could also be used to evaluate GHG or energy impacts of other types of strategies, such
as those that affect vehicle and fuel technologies or that are designed to change the composition
of the vehicle fleet. MOVES captures the effects of fleet turnover and the change in vehicle
emissions and fuels over time. Note that MOVES includes vehicle and fuel technologies that are
currently in widespread use. As new technologies are adopted and sufficient emissions data are
developed, they will be included in future versions of MOVES.
1.5 Why use MOVES to estimate on-road GHG emissions or energy
consumption instead of just using fuel sales?
Both MOVES and fuel sales are valid approaches for estimating GHG emissions and energy
consumed. As stated in a recent National Cooperative Highway Research Program report:
Conceptually, there are two approaches to estimate on-road transportation GHG
emissions - a fuel-based top-down approach and VMT-based bottom-up
approach. The top-down approach, used in national and state GHG inventories,
relies on fuel consumption by fuel type to determine emissions. The bottom-up
approach, typically applied at the regional or municipal level, relies on estimates
of VMT data and fleet fuel efficiency or emission factors to calculate GHG
emissions.11
With the fuel-based method, CO2 produced per gallon of fuel is multiplied by the total amount of
fuel sold. In contrast, MOVES produces an estimate based on travel activity multiplied by
emission factors. The focus of this guidance is the MOVES VMT-based approach rather than
the fuel-based approach. Figure 1 shows national fuel consumption estimates based on both
approaches. The dashed lines show fuel consumption estimates based on fuel sales records
compiled by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the solid lines show fuel
consumption estimates based on MOVES2010.12 This figure illustrates that at the national level,
estimates of fuel consumption based on MOVES closely match those based on records of fuel
sales.
Information Document for Developing and Implementing Emission Reduction Programs," EPA-430-R-09-040,
March 2011, available on the web at: www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/policv/430r09040.pdf.
11 Grant, Michael, et al, NCHRP Web-Only Document 152: "Assessing Mechanisms for Integrating Transportation-
Related Greenhouse Gas Reduction Objectives into Transportation Decision Making," p. 67,
http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp wl52.pdf
12 The information used to create this graph can be found at EPA's website at:
www.epa. gov/otaq/models/moves/conference201 l/validation-moves-2011 .pdf. The FHWA estimates used in the
comparison are found at www.fhwa.dot.gov/policvinformation/statistics.cfm . Total U.S. gasoline consumptions
estimates were taken from the "total highway use" column of table MF-21. Diesel fuel consumption was estimated
from the "special fuel" column of table MF-21. Note that Figure 1 is based on MOVES2010; the changes in
MOVES2010a and MOVES2010b do not affect the years analyzed in this graph. MOVES2010b is the latest
available emissions model at the date of this document's release.
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Figure 1: National Fuel Consumption Comparison
FHWA (gasoline)
FHWA(diesel)
MOVES2010 (gasoline)
MOVES2010 (diesel)
160
00
1999
2000
2006
2007
For the nation as a whole, using fuel sales data can produce valid estimates of CO2 and energy
use for a year in the past without the effort needed to run MOVES. However, using MOVES to
estimate on-road GHG emissions or energy use has several advantages:
• First, MOVES can estimate future year emissions or energy consumption more precisely
because MOVES accounts for future changes in the vehicle fleet and its activity. Future
year estimates of GHG emissions based on fuel sales may be based on anticipated
population and demographic changes over time; some estimates may also account for
fleet turnover or new technology. However, fuel based estimates may not be able to
account for changes in vehicle activity. For example, projections of future fuel sales
based on economic and demographic projections alone would not account for the
emissions impacts of travel model projections of decreases in average vehicle speeds due
to increased congestion. In contrast, MOVES is specifically designed to account for fleet
turnover as well as changes in vehicle activity. Since MOVES emissions estimates
depend on vehicle types, vehicle ages, vehicle activity (including speeds and operating
modes), road types, and fuel types, MOVES can answer the question of how emissions
would change in the future under various scenarios that affect any of these inputs.
MOVES can estimate the effects of individual control measures and emission reduction
strategies, or combinations of them, in any future year up to 2050.
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• Second, a bottom-up GHG inventory that uses MOVES would be based on the specific
transportation plans that are developed for the modeling area, for example, a metropolitan
or statewide transportation plan. The bottom-up method of estimating GHG that uses
MOVES allows transportation planners to analyze the effects of different planning
scenarios in the modeling area. In contrast, top-down fuel sales approaches are more
general estimates that do not include specific information that would allow planners to
compare effects of different scenarios.
• MOVES can give a more precise estimate of GHG emissions or energy consumed
because there will be some mismatch between the fuel purchased in the modeling area
and the fuel used within the modeling area. At the national level, fuel sales can provide
an accurate estimate of GHG emissions, but such estimates may not be as accurate for a
specific state, metropolitan area, or county. Because vehicles move around and people
purchase fuel without regard to geographic boundaries within the U.S., inventories based
on fuel sales for these smaller geographic areas could either significantly under or
overestimate GHG emissions in that area. MOVES can estimate GHG emissions or
energy consumption from on-road activity within a small geographic area (e.g., a county,
or portion of a county), because they would be based on user-defined vehicle activity in
the area, rather than the fuel sold in the area.
• MOVES can generate better estimates of other GHGs. While CO2 emissions can be
estimated using fuel sales, this method does not work as well for other GHGs that users
may want to include in their analyses: nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH/j), or elemental
carbon. These other GHGs are more dependent on fuel and vehicle standards than fuel
consumption, and thus cannot be accurately estimated based on fuel sales.
• Last, in some cases MPOs and state DOTs are already using MOVES or will need to for
analyzing criteria pollutants and precursors for SIP or conformity purposes. In these
areas, it may be efficient for modelers to select GHG emissions when running MOVES
for these other purposes.
1.6 If we have no prior experience using MOVES, should we still
use it for estimating on-road GHG emissions or energy
consumption?
EPA encourages the use of MOVES for estimating on-road GHG emissions or energy
consumption, even where it has not been used before. EPA believes that MOVES is the most
robust tool for creating on-road GHG emission inventories and estimates of energy consumed at
the state and local level, particularly when users have reliable local information to input into
MOVES for the data fields where they matter most.
MOVES is a sophisticated model, and provides users with various options for analyzing
emissions. Therefore, there are many details with which users will need to become familiar.
However, MOVES includes a graphical user interface to help users define each MOVES run -
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users can make most selections for a MOVES run using a mouse, and the interface helps users
create a Run Specification file. MOVES also includes data managers to facilitate entering local
information into the model. As with the Run Specification interface, these data managers help
users track their progress in completing inputs for the model.
MOVES can also be run with less effort by using the model's National scale, which may help
new users become familiar with MOVES.13 Section 2 provides more details about this approach,
including its advantages and disadvantages.
Directions for installing MOVES can be found on EPA's website, and the MOVES User Guide
can also be found there. For those who are unfamiliar with MOVES, spending a few minutes
browsing through the graphical user interface once the model is downloaded may be worthwhile.
EPA and FHWA also offer free classes on using MOVES; see the MOVES website for details
about course offerings.
1.7 What other MOVES guidance and information is available?
Three EPA websites may be of most interest. Note that each of these contains links to
documents and other websites that may also be relevant.
1. Information about MOVES can be found at EPA's MOVES website:
www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/index.htm.
This website has information about upcoming MOVES training and subscribing to
EPA's MOVES listserv announcements. It also hosts EPA guidance and documentation
related to MOVES such as the MOVES User Guide14 and technical and policy guidance
on using MOVES for SIPs and transportation conformity determinations.15
2. These MOVES SIP and conformity guidance documents as well as transportation
conformity guidance for using MOVES at the project level for PM hot-spot analyses and
CO hot-spot analyses16 can be found on EPA's transportation conformity website:
www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/policy.htm.
13 As stated in other MOVES documentation, the National scale cannot be used for preparing SIPs or transportation
conformity analyses.
14 "Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) User Guide for MOVES 2010b," EPA-420-B-12-001b, June 2012.
The User Guide is included in the MOVES graphical user interface under the "Help" pull-down menu and is also
found on EPA's MOVES website.
15These documents include "Using MOVES to Prepare Emission Inventories in State Implementation Plans and
Transportation Conformity: Technical Guidance for MOVES2010,20lOa and 2010b," EPA-420-B-12-026, April
2012, and "Policy Guidance on the Use of MOVES2010 and Subsequent Minor Revisions for State Implementation
Plan Development, Transportation Conformity, and Other Purposes," EPA-420-B-12-010, April 2012.
16 These documents include "Transportation Conformity Guidance for Quantitative Hot-spot Analyses in PM2.5 and
PM10 Nonattainment and Maintenance Areas," EPA420-B-10-040, December 2010, and "Using MOVES in
Project-Level Carbon Monoxide Analyses," EPA420-B-10-041, December 2010.
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(See both "Project-Level Conformity" and "Emission Models and Conformity"
headings on this page.)
3. Additional resources for state and local planners interested in estimating GHG emissions
from the on-road transportation sector and assessing the impact of specific travel
efficiency strategies can be found on EPA's website at:
www. epa. gov/otaq/stateresources/ghgtravel .htm.
EPA will continue to update MOVES in the future, and will provide additional documentation
and supplementary guidance as needed. EPA encourages MOVES users to check the MOVES
website regularly and subscribe to EPA's mobile source emissions model listserv (subscription
information on the MOVES website) to find information about updates to MOVES and guidance
for its use.
In general, this document assumes that users have a basic understanding of how to run MOVES,
by for example attending MOVES training and reviewing the MOVES User Guide. As you read
this guidance, please refer to the applicable sections of the MOVES User Guide for details about
the operation of MOVES.
1.8 Who can I contact for more information?
Technical questions about using MOVES for estimating GHG emissions should be sent to
mobile@epa.gov.
General or policy questions related to this guidance can be directed to Laura Berry at EPA's
Office of Transportation and Air Quality, berry.laura@epa.gov, (734) 214-4858.
For questions regarding the application of this guidance to specific situations, please contact the
mobile source expert at the appropriate EPA Regional Office. Contact information can be found
at http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/contacts.htm.1?
1.9 Does this document create any new requirements?
This document does not create any new requirements. There is no federal requirement to
estimate on-road GHG emissions or energy consumption. This document does not impose
legally binding requirements on EPA, DOT, states, or the regulated community, and may not
apply to a particular situation based upon the circumstances. This document may be revised
periodically without public notice.
17 This website provides a list of EPA Regional transportation conformity contacts who are familiar with MOVES.
The use of MOVES for on-road GHG inventories is not subject to conformity, but since MOVES is used for both of
these purposes, the EPA Regional transportation conformity contact is a good place to start if you have questions.
Please be sure to indicate your question is related to GHG emissions rather than criteria pollutant emissions.
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Section 2: Modeling Approaches
2.1 Introduction
Because MOVES is a flexible model that offers users an array of input and output options, there
is more than one way to use MOVES to develop emissions and energy consumption estimates.
This section covers some of the approaches a modeler could choose when developing an annual
on-road GHG inventory or estimate of on-road energy consumption using MOVES. These
approaches are combinations of decisions that affect the precision of the analysis, the number of
runs that will be needed to create an annual inventory, and the degree to which additional data
calculations or "post-processing" of the MOVES output will be necessary after the runs.
Modelers can determine which options will best meet their needs. The discussion below is in
terms of creating a GHG emissions inventory, but it also applies to estimating energy consumed.
To create an annual GHG inventory, a modeler will need to identify the GHGs of interest (see
Section 3.7), the geographic area, and the year for which an inventory is to be calculated. Once
these basic aspects are determined, a modeler will also need to decide how to use MOVES to go
about creating this inventory. These choices are made when the user develops the MOVES Run
Specification and therefore are described in Section 3, "Creating a Run Specification File."
However, some of these choices are highlighted in this section, such as:
• Whether to have MOVES create an inventory or provide emission rates;
• Whether to use County or National scale,
• Options for modeling the particular geographic area of interest; and
• Options for modeling the particular time period of interest.
In general, if a comparison of on-road GHG emissions between two cases is to be made, such as
a comparison of two different years, or a comparison with and without a particular transportation
strategy, EPA recommends that the same options for scale, calculation type, geographic area
covered, and time period modeled should be used for each of those cases.
State and local agencies may already be creating inventories for criteria pollutants using
MOVES, and could model GHGs as well when doing those MOVES runs. This would quantify
the GHG co-benefits of programs designed to reduce emissions of criteria pollutants. But even
where MOVES is used for estimating criteria pollutants, users may choose to do the modeling
runs for an on-road GHG inventory separately from MOVES runs for SIP or conformity
purposes, if users want to estimate a different year, area covered, or type of inventory (daily vs.
annual). Estimating GHG emissions with MOVES, whether separately or in conjunction with
other emissions modeling, is completely voluntary. EPA recognizes that areas may have already
begun to estimate GHG inventories using a particular approach that they want to continue using.
These other approaches may also be valid even if not discussed here. Please see Section 1.8 for
EPA contact information if you have questions about the technical validity of a specific approach
for your area.
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2.2 What data are needed to run MOVES?
MOVES needs certain information about the time and place being modeled to calculate
emissions, including information about VMT by vehicle type, the number of each type of vehicle
in the fleet (that is, the population of vehicles), vehicle age distribution, fuel information,
meteorological data, et cetera. Section 4 of this guidance describes the information that is
needed and how users can enter it. Modelers can either input local data, or rely on the default
database of information included in MOVES.
As with any model, the quality of the inputs affects the quality of the model's results. EPA
recommends that local data be used in MOVES for GHG analyses when they are available.
Including specific information about a particular state or county helps to ensure that the GHG
emissions estimates from MOVES will be as accurate as possible. Where MOVES is used for
SIP or transportation conformity analyses, local inputs in the format needed for MOVES may
already be available.18
However, the MOVES database of default information may be useful in some cases. The data in
the MOVES database are typically not the most current or best available for any specific county,
but there are some instances where default information can be used without affecting the quality
of the results. Section 4 discusses the data fields for which it would be appropriate to use default
data. Default data could also be used when local data are not available.
EPA strongly encourages the use of local VMT and vehicle population data at a minimum, even
when relying on default data for other inputs.19 EPA believes these inputs have the greatest
impact on the results. Local VMT and vehicle population data may already be available and
prepared for use in MOVES for areas where MOVES has been used for SIP or transportation
conformity analyses. If not, other sources of VMT and vehicle population data are available.
For a historical year, one source of VMT data is the Federal Highway Administration's Highway
90
Performance Monitoring System. For a future year, travel activity information for a GHG
analysis can be estimated using a variety of methods. For example, future VMT can be
estimated by applying a growth rate to historical VMT, or with a commercially available sketch
planning tool, a traditional four-step travel demand model, or a microsimulation model. For
example, in EPA's Travel Efficiency Assessment Method, a sketch planning tool was used to
estimate changes in travel activity that resulted from various transportation control strategies,
and MOVES was then used to estimate the changes in criteria pollutant and GHG emissions that
18 MOVES is required for use in SIPs and transportation conformity analyses in nonattainment and maintenance
areas for ozone, carbon monoxide, paniculate matter, and nitrogen dioxide. For a list of these areas, refer to EPA's
website at: www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/greenbk/.
19 The national default VMT data included in MOVES2010b is for the year 1999. When a future year is modeled
using the National scale (see Section 2.4), MOVES applies an annual growth rate to the 1999 national VMT for the
appropriate number of years. A portion of this scaled-up VMT is then allocated to the geographic area of interest.
Thus EPA expects that users will always be able to find more recent and accurate VMT information than what is
available within the MOVES model.
20 For more information, see the Federal Highway Administration's website at:
www.fhwa.dot.gov/policvinformation/hpms.cfm.
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91
resulted. Information about vehicle population can come from a state's vehicle registration
records. Section 4.4 of this document provides additional suggestions for obtaining vehicle
population data.
2.3 What options do users have to calculate an inventory within or
outside of MOVES?
MOVES offers two options for calculation type:
• With an Inventory approach, users input VMT and vehicle population data into MOVES
and the model calculates the inventory. Output is total emissions in units of mass.
• With the Emission Rates approach, users apply VMT and vehicle population to the
emission rates that MOVES generates to calculate an inventory (although VMT and
vehicle population data are still needed as inputs for an Emission Rates MOVES run).
The Emission Rates approach produces look-up tables of emission rates. Output
examples include emissions per unit of distance for running emissions and emissions per
vehicle for starts and extended idle emissions. (GHG emissions are not produced from
evaporative processes, therefore users would not need to generate "per profile" emission
rates.)
Users may select either the Inventory or Emission Rates approach to develop emissions estimates
for GHGs or energy consumption.22 Differences in input for Inventory versus Emission Rates
calculation are noted in the guidance text. Using the Inventory method may be preferable when
the user wants to minimize post-processing steps required thus avoiding inadvertent errors during
post-processing. The Emission Rates method may be preferable when the user wants to apply
emission rates to multiple geographic locations, or to use rates in conjunction with travel model
post-processing software already developed to calculate total emissions of other pollutants.
2.4 How can the County scale be used for a GHG analysis?
EPA recommends using the County scale for GHG or energy consumption analyses covered by
this guidance. The County scale facilitates entering county-specific data through the County
Data Manager (covered in Section 4), which helps to ensure results that are more precise. For
example, the County scale would be appropriate for creating an on-road GHG inventory that will
be combined with or compared to GHG inventories for other sectors, such as industrial,
commercial, and residential. The County scale is also appropriate when estimating differences
that depend on detailed local data, such as comparing GHG emissions from various
transportation planning alternatives in a metropolitan area. The County scale allows modelers to
21 For more information, see "Potential Changes in Emissions Due to Improvements in Travel Efficiency," EPA-
420-R-l 1-003, March 2011, on the web at www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/policv/420rl 1003.pdf
22 Section 3.2.2 includes a discussion of the equivalency of the Inventory and Emission Rates options in calculating
emissions.
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include local data in the input file through the County Data Manager, but if the modeler wants to
use MOVES default data for some inputs, the County Data Manager can be used to export them
from the MOVES database and import them into the input database. The County scale may also
be preferred by experienced MOVES users already running MOVES for other purposes.
The County scale can be used to create on-road GHG inventories for an individual or multi-
county area, a metropolitan area, a region of a state, an entire state, or a multi-state area or
region. MOVES provides modelers with various options for analyzing emissions using the
County scale, as described further below. Some combinations may be more convenient than
others depending on the number of counties to be modeled.
Users have two options for defining an area when using the County scale: either "County" or
"Custom Domain" (described in Section 3.4 of this document). Selecting "County" will mean
that only one county is modeled in the run; the user chooses the particular county from a pull-
down list.
For a multi-county area, though, users have two approaches. One approach is to select the
County option and run MOVES multiple times, once for each county. Use of the County option
allows the user to more easily access some of the MOVES database default inputs for that county
if appropriate, as described in Section 4 of this document. Each run where County is chosen will
produce output for the county selected.
The second option is to select Custom Domain as the region within the County Scale, which
allows the user to define a geographic area that may consist of multiple counties, parts of
counties, or combinations of counties and partial counties that can be described using a single set
of inputs. MOVES2010b provides additional flexibility when using Custom Domain:
• In MOVES2010b, the user can vary vehicle activity by zone within a Custom Domain,
and generate output by zone as well. Zones can be the individual counties within the
Custom Domain. Vehicle age distribution, fuel formulation and supply, and I/M program
must be the same throughout the Custom Domain, but the user can vary meteorology
inputs by zone and allocate vehicle activity among the zones. Total activity in terms of
VMT and population is provided for the entire area, and MOVES allocates these data to
the zones based on factors the user inputs. The advantage is that the user can model a
multi-county area and generate output for each county (or zone) with a single run.
• In MOVES2010a, one set of inputs is used to describe the entire Custom Domain.
Therefore, multiple counties can be modeled with a Custom Domain only if they have the
same meteorology, vehicle age distribution, average speed distribution, road type
distribution, ramp fraction, fuel formulation and supply, and I/M program. All of the user
inputs apply to the entire custom domain, and the output MOVES generates applies to the
entire Custom Domain. (This description also applies to MOVES2010b when zones are
not specified.)
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When Custom Domain is selected, users do not have direct access to county-specific information
in the MOVES database, but modelers can obtain this information with some extra steps.
Section 3.4 provides further information on County and Custom Domain, including how activity
can be allocated by zone in MOVES2010b.
These choices mean that there is more than one approach that a user could use when creating an
on-road GHG inventory for an area made up of more than one county, such as a metropolitan
area or an entire state. For example:
• Each county could be modeled individually, either with "Inventory" or with "Emission
Rates," depending on the user's preference.
• The user could define the modeling area as one or more "Custom Domains." One
"Custom Domain" might be appropriate for a metropolitan area; more than one may be
needed to represent an entire state. MOVES2010b allows the user to vary activity by
county and generate output by county (or zone).
• Another option a modeler could use would be to model one county as a representative
county with "Emission Rates" to generate emission rates at various temperatures. These
emission rates could then be applied to a larger area, as long as fuel used in the larger
area is the same as that modeled for the representative county. If methane emissions are
modeled, the Inspection/Maintenance (I/M) program in the larger area also must be the
same as that modeled for the representative county.
Table 2-1 summarizes the combinations of calculation type and geographic area definition that
users can employ for creating GHG emissions inventories using the County scale. Any of the
combinations will produce accurate results when executed correctly. The number of counties
included in the area to be modeled and whether results for each individual county are needed are
key considerations in choosing an approach.
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Table 2-2: Summary of Modeling Approaches Using the County Scale
Geographic Area to
Be Modeled
One county, using
County option
Approach
Use Inventory
Use Emission Rates
Advantages
• Shorter run time and smaller
output files
Considerations
• Rates can be applied on a link
basis if desired
Longer run time, larger output files
Users may want to estimate start
emissions with a separate run, because
temperatures and number of starts vary by
hour
Running, start, and extended idle rates
must be post-processed to create GHG
inventory
Multi-county area
or an entire state
using County
option
Use Inventory and County to
model each county
separately
• Automatic access to MOVES
default database
• Produces results for each county
• An individual run is needed for each
county, so this strategy is more feasible if
the number of counties is small
Use Emission Rates and
County to model a
representative county (or
counties), and create
inventories from rates with
activity data for each county
Only one run per representative
county is necessary
Allows user to generate results
for each county
Automatic access to MOVES
default database
Rates can be applied on a link
basis if desired
Better able to model an area
when vehicle characterization
(age distribution, fuel type, I/M)
are uniform in the area, but
temperatures vary widely
Emission rates from the representative
county can be used for other counties only
if they have the same fuels, and if
methane emissions are being modeled, the
same I/M program as the representative
county (i.e., a separate run is needed for
each combination of fuel type and I/M
program present in the area). See
Sections 4.11 and 4.12 (Fuel and I/M
Programs) for more information.
Users may want to estimate start
emissions with a separate run because
temperatures and number of starts vary by
hour
Running, start, and extended idle rates
must be post-processed to create GHG
inventory
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Multi-county area
or an entire state
using Custom
Domain
Use Inventory and Custom
Domain to model the entire
area
Multi-county area
or an entire state,
or
a multi-state region
with rates by
temperature
23
Use Emission Rates and
Custom Domain to model the
entire area, and create
inventories from rates with
activity data for each county
Note: this approach has no
advantage over using
Emission Rates and a
representative county (see
below)
Use Emission Rates and
County to model a
representative county; model
each hour as a separate
temperature to get emission
rates for each temperature;
then create inventories from
rates at the appropriate
temperature with activity
data for each county
Only one run per Custom
Domain is necessary
MOVES2010b: Some vehicle
activity can be varied by county
within the Custom Domain and
output can be generated by
county
Only one run per Custom
Domain is necessary
Allows user to generate an
inventory for each county, by
taking the MOVES output of
emission rates and multiplying
them by activity data from each
county
Rates can be applied on a link
basis if desired
Allows user to generate results
for each county
Automatic access to MOVES
default database
No automatic access to MOVES default
database
The same fuels, I/M program, and
temperature profile must apply throughout
the area of the custom domain
MOVES2010a: Results cannot be easily
disaggregated by county
No automatic access to MOVES default
database
The same fuels and if methane emissions
are modeled, same I/M program must
apply throughout the area of the custom
domain
A separate run is needed for start
emissions (temps., number of starts vary
by hour)
Running, start, and extended idle rates
must be post-processed to create GHG
inventory
For a multi-state area, several
representative counties will need to be run
to capture the combinations of fuels and
I/M programs that exist
A separate run is needed for start
emissions (temps., number of starts vary
by hour)
Running, start, and extended idle rates
must be post-processed to create GHG
inventory
Users will need to use care to ensure
appropriate rates are used for each county
23 See Section 4.2.1 of this guidance and the MOVES User Guide, Appendix A (Using MOVES to Generate Lookup Tables) for more information. Note with
MOVES20 lOb, there is more flexibility to model multiple counties with varying data using a Custom Domain as described in Section 3.4.2.
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2.5 Can the National scale be used for a GHG analysis?
Since there is no federal requirement for GHG analysis, use of MOVES at the National scale for
GHG analysis may be appropriate for some purposes, but users should understand the limitations
of estimates based on the National scale. In addition, as stated elsewhere in EPA's MOVES
guidance and training materials, use of MOVES at the National scale is not appropriate for SIP
and conformity analysis. Use of MOVES at the County scale, in conjunction with the County
Data Manager, is required for SIP and conformity analysis in order to ensure that local data are
used consistent with EPA guidance to meet the Clean Air Act and federal regulations.
At the National scale, MOVES will use its default database information for the run, unless local
data are entered instead. Use of local data with the National scale is optional; if none are entered
the model will use default data. Users can enter data for just some inputs, and MOVES will rely
on its default database for the remainder. At the County scale, the opposite is the case: the
model expects that the user will supply local data for the run through the County Data Manager.
Users can use the default database information, but only if they export it from the database first.
With the National scale, local data are entered through the Data Importer, which is similar in
structure to the County Data Manager and serves a comparable function when using MOVES at
the National scale.
Since MOVES will use default data with the National scale, the National scale can be run for the
entire nation or for a geographic area smaller than the entire nation: users can select one or more
counties and/or states. The National scale also allows the user to model more than one year at a
time. These features could make the National scale convenient for GHG analyses. In contrast,
the County scale models one county at a time and one year at a time.
However, this convenience comes at a cost: relying exclusively on MOVES default database
information for an analysis reduces the precision of the analysis. The default data are typically
not the most current or best available information for any specific county, and users should use
caution when considering the results from a MOVES run at the National scale. When the
National scale is used to model counties or states, the default database information is applied to
the area being modeled in different ways which affect how well the information represents the
geographic area chosen. For some data fields, the national average data are used for the area as-
is, such as vehicle age distributions and speed distributions, which means that MOVES will use
the national average for any county or state selected. However, in the real world, both vehicle
age distribution and speed distribution vary across the U.S. For VMT and vehicle population
("source type population"), the national data are "scaled down" to the area using allocation
factors within the model.24 The MOVES default database includes information that varies by
county for fuel and I/M program type, based on survey data at the time the model was developed,
and the model will use the information it has for the specific county.
24 The default VMT data included in MOVES2010a database is national VMT for the year 1999. When a future
year is modeled using the National scale, MOVES applies an annual growth rate to the 1999 national VMT for the
appropriate number of years. A portion of this scaled-up VMT is then allocated to the geographic area of interest.
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As stated above, EPA strongly encourages users to input local VMT and vehicle population data
when using MOVES to develop on-road GHG inventories. EPA expects that users will always
have more precise local VMT information than the National scale default VMT for the area.
However, users cannot enter local data for either VMT or vehicle population via the Data
Importer because the model will treat this information as if it applies to the nation as a whole and
produce erroneous results. Because VMT cannot be input through the Data Importer, a method
to incorporate local VMT when using the National scale is described in Appendix B. This
method should improve the GHG estimates obtained compared to not including local VMT.
However, there is no analogous method for inputting vehicle population data when using the
National scale. Thus users should expect their results to be less precise using the National scale,
even when applying local VMT. If the user has local information for vehicle population, EPA
recommends the use of the County scale instead of the National scale so that this important
information can be included. Alternatively, users can run MOVES in Emission Rates mode at
the National scale and then apply local VMT and vehicle populations outside of the model, using
the same approach described in Section 2.4 for the County scale.
Although the National scale allows the user to model multiple counties or states, and more than
one year, the user cannot enter more than one set of data through the Data Importer. If the user
has more than one set of data, EPA recommends using the County scale. For example, if the
user is modeling two states and has information about each state's vehicle age distribution or
each state's speed distribution, both sets of information could not be entered for the run. In this
case, the user should use the County scale, and include the information unique to each state via
the County Data Manager (see Section 2.4 for various approaches). If the analysis is for more
than one year and local data are entered, it will apply to all analysis years. If users have
information that varies by analysis years, again, the County scale should be used.
While EPA cautions users about relying on MOVES default data because it is not the most
current or best available information for any specific county, there may be instances when GHG
estimates using the National scale will be sufficient for a user's purpose. For example, because
the user does not have to input data, the National scale may help new users become familiar with
the model. The National scale may be sufficient for users in areas that are not already using
MOVES for other purposes. In addition, the National scale may be helpful for a screening
analysis designed to inform more detailed subsequent analyses, or for some types of comparative
GHG analyses, where the relative difference in emissions between different scenarios is more
important than the precision of the absolute level of emissions. Examples of comparative
analyses could include developing simple projections of GHG emissions trends over time or over
different speeds, or comparing GHG emissions rates of different vehicle types (e.g., passenger
cars versus passenger trucks) or different road types. If a statewide inventory is needed, the user
may want to use the County scale for each county for which the user has local data, and the
National scale for the rest of the counties in the state, with local VMT information applied for
those counties as described in Appendix B.
In summary, the National scale with MOVES default database information produces a less
precise estimate of on-road GHG emissions. Including local VMT information will improve the
precision of this estimate. If in addition to VMT, the user has other local data, or the user has
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data that varies by analysis year, users are encouraged to run MOVES at the County scale instead
of the National scale.
2.6 Creating Annual Inventories by Modeling Various Periods of
Time
MOVES provides a range of time periods that a modeler can select to create an annual on-road
GHG inventory. MOVES can generate an annual GHG inventory by estimating hourly
emissions individually and subsequently summing them up to produce the year's emissions, or
by "pre-aggregating" data over time to estimate emissions by each day, each month, or the whole
year. The level of aggregation selected can affect the precision of the analysis and the amount of
time it takes to run the model.
The main reason for pre-aggregating hourly data over a longer time period such as "Year,"
"Month," or "Day," instead of "Hour" would be to reduce model run time. In this case, the
model will compute a weighted average of some of the data that are differentiated by hour, such
as VMT distributions and temperature, prior to the execution of the run. For example, if the user
chooses Month, the model will average the temperature of all selected days and hours into an
average Month set, and perform the simulation with these average values for the selected month
or months. While pre-aggregation saves model time, it can reduce precision. For more details,
see the MOVES2010b User Guide at p. 19.25
Pre-aggregation does account well for hourly variations in travel activity data, because the model
weights each hour's activity when it averages over the time period. However, because
temperature effects are non-linear, pre-aggregation does not account as well for variations in
temperatures, and some information about peak emissions at high and low temperatures will be
lost. Runs using average temperatures typically produce lower emissions than runs that account
for all the high and low temperatures.
EPA's general recommendation is that users consider the purpose of the analysis and how the
results will be used when deciding whether to pre-aggregate and over what time period. Users
will want to consider how much variation there is in their input data, how sensitive MOVES is to
those inputs, and whether any control strategies being considered will affect those inputs. For
example, while temperature and humidity vary over the course of a day and year, this variation
may not be of concern for a particular run. At very low temperatures, elemental carbon
emissions will be greater for light-duty gasoline vehicles, but this effect would be irrelevant if
only CO2 is being modeled. At high temperatures, the use of air conditioners affects fuel
economy and will increase CO2 emissions, but this effect may be less of a concern in northern
states. Note that air conditioner use is not a user input, but is estimated by the model as a
function of temperature and humidity.
Users should use judgment about whether pre-aggregating their MOVES GHG runs will produce
output that meets their needs for precision. Users may want to do a simple sensitivity analysis to
25 The MOVES20 lOb User Guide can be found at: www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/documents/420b 1200 lb.pdf.
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determine whether the range of temperatures that occur in the area being modeled has a
significant impact on their GHG emissions inventory. There may be some applications where
precision is not as important as the general trends over time or differences between scenarios
where pre-aggregation may make sense. There may also be some analyses where precision is
more important, such as when an on-road GHG inventory will be combined with or compared to
a GHG inventory for other source sectors.
Specific recommendations:
• If temperatures matter for a GHG inventory, EPA recommends using the default selection
of Hour for the time aggregation level on the "Time Spans" panel instead of pre-
aggregating over a day, month, or year. EPA recommends that users model all 24 hours
in a single run to reduce the post-processing steps needed. (There is no substantial
advantage to running only some and not all hours. If users do not have unique data inputs
for all 24 hours of the day, users should apply the data for the hours they do have to the
24 hours of the day as appropriate. Sections 3 and 4 provide further information.) In
addition to choosing all 24 hours, EPA recommends using a set of 12 average
temperature and humidity profiles, each one representing a month of the year. Results
will need to be aggregated appropriately (i.e., the 24-hour total emissions in each month
need to be multiplied by the number of days in that month, and these 12 monthly totals
summed together) to represent emissions over the entire year.
• Where temperature variations are less important in the GHG analysis, users could save
time when using Inventory mode by pre-aggregating by day, month, or year, depending
on the level of detail desired in the output. Pre-aggregated MOVES runs may also be
useful for purposes such as approximate comparisons of GHG emissions between two
different years, even if they are not accurate enough for assessing the effects of various
programs or control strategies. Before using pre-aggregated MOVES output for a GHG
inventory, users may want to compare results with different levels of aggregation to
determine how much these differences matter based on local inputs.
• When using Emission Rates instead of Inventory, EPA recommends that the time
aggregation level be set to Hour. Preaggregating time does not make sense when using
Emission Rates and would produce emission rates that are not meaningful. All running
and start emission rates vary with temperature, and start emission rates also vary by time
of day because vehicle activity differs throughout the day. For example, the temperature
may be the same at 8 am and 8 pm, but there are more starts at 8 am, and a higher
fraction of those are cold starts. Thus start emission rates at 8 am will be considerably
higher than at 8 pm. This variation in emission rates in different hours would be lost if
the Time Aggregation Level is set to anything other than Hour.
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Section 3: Creating a Run Specification File
3.1 Creating a Run Specification (RunSpec) File
Users need to set up a RunSpec file to define the place and time period of the analysis as well as
the vehicle types, road types, fuel types, and the emission-producing processes and pollutants
that will be included in the analysis. In other words, the MOVES RunSpec defines the question
you are asking. The RunSpec is a computer file in XML format that can be edited and executed
directly, or that can be accessed, changed, and run through the MOVES graphical user interface
(GUI).
The Navigation panel in the MOVES GUI is used to access a series of other panels and tabs that
specify the parameters used for creation of the RunSpec file. The following subsections describe
each set of input options needed to create the RunSpec, as defined in the Navigation panel. For a
GHG inventory, the user would progress through the Navigation panel and make the appropriate
selections or enter the appropriate data in each one of the following panels:
• Description
• Scale and Calculation Type (Inventory or Emissions Rate)
• Time Spans
• Geographic Bounds
• Vehicles/Equipment
• Road Type
• Pollutants and Processes
• Manage Input Data Sets
• Strategies
• Output
• Advanced Performance Features
Each panel is described below and the appropriate references to the MOVES User Guide is
indicated. Note that selections made in some panels affect available options in other panels.
While MOVES does allow the user to complete these panels in any order, we recommend filling
them out in the order they appear in the Navigation panel.
The information below applies for all GHG and energy consumption analyses unless otherwise
indicated (e.g., there are some differences between the County and National scales). Additional
guidance for developing a National scale RunSpec is found in Appendix B, which describes how
to include local VMT information when using the National scale.
3.1.1 Description
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.2.1)
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The Description panel allows the user to enter a description of the RunSpec using up to 5,000
characters of text. Entering a complete description of the RunSpec will help users keep track of
their MOVES runs. Users may want to identify key aspects to help identify the run later, such as
the GHG emissions, geographic area, and time period modeled.
3.2 Selecting Scale and Calculation Type
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.2.2)
Selecting Scale on the Navigation panel in MOVES brings up the Domain/Scale and Calculation
Type panel. Either the National or County scale can be used for estimating on-road GHG
emissions for a county, a metropolitan area, a region of a state, or an entire state; Section 2
contains a discussion of the two scales. MOVES also provides two options for calculation type:
Inventory or Emission Rates, and either option can be used, depending on the user's preference
and purpose, as described in Section 2.
This guidance provides additional detail where necessary to indicate the differences that result
from selecting the Inventory versus the Emission Rates option.
3.2.1 Domain/Scale
Each scale option in MOVES has its own intended purpose and the amount of data that the user
must supply varies depending on the selection:
• The National scale can be used to estimate emissions for the entire country, for a state,
for a group of counties, or for individual counties. At the National scale, MOVES uses
information in its default database to calculate emissions for the geographic area chosen.
The default data used for a county or state is based on a mix of national data, allocation
factors, and pre-loaded local data. In general, EPA cannot certify that the default data in
the national database is the most current or best available information for any specific
county. Users can also input local data using the Data Importer, if desired; see Section
4.2 for more information about the Data Importer.
• The County scale requires the user to enter data to characterize local meteorology, fleet,
and activity information through the County Data Manager. The County Data Manager
facilitates the input of local data and also allows the user to review county data included
in the MOVES default database. The County scale will generally give more precise
GHG estimates compared to the National scale. See Section 2 for more information
about choosing between the National and County scale. Section 2.4 describes possible
approaches for creating inventories for geographic areas comprised of multiple counties.
Detailed guidance on specific inputs in the County Data Manager, including the use of
default inputs, is given in Section 4 of this guidance.
• While it is beyond the scope of this guidance, the Project scale is designed to allow
analysis of emissions on individual roadway links or locations where emissions from
vehicles starts or extended idle activity occur. The Project scale could be used to
26
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examine GHG emissions from a specific travel facility, or to examine GHG impacts of
changes that affect travel (number of trips or driving behavior) on a specific facility. This
document does not cover the use of the Project scale for estimating on-road GHG
emissions. EPA may offer such guidance in the future, particularly if there is interest
from the user community. In the meantime, EPA has provided guidance on the use of the
Project scale in MOVES for quantitative hot-spot analysis for transportation
conformity.26 Users can refer to that guidance for information about setting up run
specifications and using the Project Data Manager for Project scale MOVES runs.
Further description of the Domain/Scale panel is given in Section 2.2.2 of the MOVES User
Guide.
3.2.2 Calculation Type
Under the Scale panel, MOVES gives users the option to calculate emissions either as:
• Inventory (total emissions in units of mass) or,
• Emission Rates (emissions per unit of distance for running emissions or per vehicle for
starts and extended idle emissions) in a look-up table format.27
The selection of calculation type is required early in the RunSpec construction process because
this choice affects the available options in later panels.
• If Inventory is selected, MOVES provides emissions estimates as mass, using VMT and
vehicle population entered by the user. For additional guidance when using the National
scale and Inventory, see Appendix B of this guidance.
• If Emission Rates is selected, MOVES provides emission rates as mass per unit of
activity. The Emission Rates option produces a look-up table of emission rates that must
be post-processed to produce an inventory. Even though vehicle activity would be
applied outside of MOVES when developing an on-road GHG inventory using Emission
Rates, vehicle activity inputs are still important because they are used by MOVES to
calculate the relative amounts of running and non-running activity, which in turn affects
the rates for these processes.
As discussed in Section 2 of this document, each approach has advantages and limitations and
users will need to decide which approach is more appropriate for the type of analysis they are
conducting. Both approaches use the same underlying emission data and will produce the
essentially same results if the user calculates an inventory from rates in the same way that
MOVES does this internally.
26 See Section 4 of "Transportation Conformity Guidance for Quantitative Hot-spot Analyses in PM2 5 and PM10
Nonattainment and Maintenance Areas," EPA-420-B-10-040, December 2010; and "Using MOVES in Project-
Level Carbon Monoxide Analyses, EPA-420-B-10-041, December 2010. Both documents are available at:
www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/policv.htm.
27 Evaporative emission rates would not need to be generated when using MOVES to estimate on-road GHG
emissions.
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As noted in Section 2, the Emission Rates approach is more complex than the Inventory
approach. Successful application of this approach requires careful planning and a clear
understanding of the rates calculations in MOVES. Using the Emission Rates approach may
require multiple model runs to cover all pollutant processes and the pollutant processes do not
use the same activity units. Large differences in results between the Inventory and Emission
Rates approaches are usually an indication of a mistake in post-processing of the emission rates.
The most common mistakes when using Emission Rates approach are not including all pollutant
processes or multiplying emission rates by the wrong activity. To correctly compile an
emissions inventory using rates, running rates must be multiplied by VMT, while start and
extended idle rates must be multiplied by the total population of vehicles in the area. There are
no GHG emissions associated with refueling.
Even when done correctly, minor differences in post-processing methods can create small
differences in results. EPA recommends that the same approach be used in any analysis that
compares two or more cases (e.g., a comparison of emissions with and without a control
strategy).
If you select Emission Rates, you must assign a MOVESScenarioID which will be used in the
rates tables. The MOVESScenarioID should be a unique identifier for the scenario for which the
rates apply. Details on the use of the Emission Rates option are provided in Appendix A of the
MOVES User Guide.28
3.3 Time Spans
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.2.3)
The Time Spans panel includes five sections - one to select the Time Aggregation Level, and
four more to select specific years, months, days, and hours. Guidance for each of these inputs is
described separately in this section. For additional guidance on selections to be made in this
panel when using the National scale, see Appendix B of this guidance. For further details on the
Time Spans panel, see Section 2.2.3 of the MOVES User Guide.
3.3.1 Time Aggregation Level
The Time Aggregation Level has 4 options: Year, Month, Day, and Hour, and determines the
amount of pre-aggregation of input data. A longer time span will aggregate (or average) input
data to create a single value for the time aggregation level chosen. For example, if the user
chooses Hour, MOVES will calculate emissions for each hour of a day based on the specific
inputs for that hour (e.g., temperature, speed distribution, etc.). If the user chooses Day,
MOVES calculates emissions for a day based on the average of the hourly inputs for the day,
e.g., a single average temperature is applied to the whole day. Likewise, if the user chooses
Month or Year, MOVES will calculate emissions based on single monthly or annual average
inputs, e.g., a single average temperature will be applied to a full month or year. Refer to
1 Section 1.7 explains where to find the MOVES User Guide.
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Section 2.5 for discussion regarding when the aggregation at a level above Hour could be used
for a GHG inventory.
3.3.2 Calendar Year of Evaluation
MOVES can model calendar years 1990 and the years 1999 through 2050. Note that the County
scale in MOVES allows only a single calendar year in a RunSpec. Users who want to model
multiple calendar years using the County scale will need to create multiple RunSpecs, with local
data specific to each calendar year, and run MOVES multiple times. Users can refer to
Appendix C of the MOVES User Guide to learn about batch mode operation to automate the
process of doing multiple MOVES runs.
Alternatively, MOVES can model multiple calendar years when operating at the National scale.
3.3.3 Month of Evaluation
MOVES allows users to calculate emissions for any month of the year. Emissions for multiple
months may be produced by a single RunSpec. The best choice for developing an annual
inventory of on-road GHG emissions is to select all months. Since MOVES can model all 12
months in one run, there is no advantage to running only some months and not all of them.
When modeling multiple months (e.g., all 12), the user must be aware of how MOVES treats the
input data. Fuel Supply and Meteorology can vary by month in a single RunSpec because the
month is defined in the data tables used for these inputs. However, the other data fields in the
County Data Manager (or CDM, described in Section 4 of this document) can be input only as a
single set applied to all months selected. Therefore, if the user has, for example, Average Speed
Distribution data that vary by month, the user would have to execute multiple RunSpecs to use
each data set with the corresponding month.
If the user has selected the Emission Rates option, the Month can be used to input groups of
temperatures as a shortcut for generating rate tables for use in creating inventories for large
geographic areas. However, this is useful only for estimating running exhaust emissions, and not
start or extended idle emissions. Appendix A of the MOVES User Guide and the MOVES
9Q
training materials provide more details.
3.3.4 Type of Day of Evaluation
Weekdays and weekend days can be modeled separately in MOVES. MOVES provides the
option of supplying different speed and VMT information for weekdays and weekend days to
allow the calculation of separate emissions estimates by type of day. Average Speed
Distribution, Day VMT Fraction and Hour VMT Fraction are the only inputs in the CDM that
differentiate between weekdays and weekend days.
If you have separate weekend day data for speed distributions, daily VMT fractions, and/or
hourly VMT fractions, then select both weekdays and weekend days and input the weekday and
weekend day speed and VMT data accordingly.
29 The latest MOVES training materials can be downloaded from:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/trainingsessions.htm.
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However, if you have speed distributions for only one type of day, use the same information for
both types of days. Doing so will make using built-in post aggregation tools easier. These tools
are covered in Section 3.10.4 of this document, "Output Emission Detail." (Note that if data is
input for only one type of day, and Month or Year is selected in this panel, MOVES will provide
an incorrect result. The Month or Year will be the total emissions from only one day type (e.g.,
weekdays) in that month or year and emissions from the other day type (e.g., weekend-days) will
be missing.)
For the Day VMT Fraction, users can generate the appropriate mix of VMT on each type of day
with the EPA-provided Daily VMT Calculator (described in Section 4.6 of this document). If
only one type of day is selected, then the day VMT fraction for that type of day can be set to one
and the other type of day can be set to zero. In the actual day VMTfraction MOVES input table,
fractions should be calculated such that each day represents l/7th of the week (e.g., a weekday
fraction of 0.715 and a weekend fraction of 0.285).
The Hour VMT Fraction can also differ by type of day and users can supply this information if
available; however, if information is available only for a single type of day, either the default
value or the user-supplied value for the single day can be used for the other type of day.
3.3.5 Hour of Evaluation
To properly estimate emissions for a day, month or year, EPA recommends that the user select
all 24 hours to reduce the post-processing steps needed (see Sections 2.3 and 2.4 for additional
explanation).
Note, when the Time Aggregation Level is Day, then all 24 hours should be selected; with
Month, then all 24 hours and both day types should be selected; with Year, then all 24 hours,
both day types, and all 12 months should be selected. Refer to Section 2.6 for additional
explanation of time aggregation level.
3.3.6 Time Span Rates
(Appendix A of the MOVES User Guide)
When the emission rates option is chosen, users may choose to approach the selection of options
in the Time Spans panel differently than when using inventory mode. For example, when
modeling running emission rates, instead of entering a diurnal temperature profile for 24 hours,
users can enter a range of 24 temperatures in increments that represent the temperatures over a
period of time. By selecting more than one month and using a different set of incremental
temperatures for each month, users could create a table of running emission rates by all the
possible temperatures over an entire season or year.
For start emissions, by selecting more than one month and entering a different diurnal
temperature range or profile for each month, users can create multiple start emission tables that
could be used for an entire season or year.
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Users should consult Section 4.3.1 for additional guidance on developing rate lookup tables. It is
important to note that the selected month will have no impact on the emissions results (assuming
identical fuel and temperature inputs). For instance, a temperature of 40 degrees for a particular
hour will result in the same emission rate regardless of what month is chosen.
3.4 Geographic Bounds
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.2.4)
3.4.1 National Scale
When using the National scale, the Region section choices in the Geographic Bounds panel are
"Nation," "State," and "County." As this guidance is focused on using MOVES to create state or
local GHG and/or energy consumption estimates, users should choose either State or County
rather than Nation. Choosing State will give the user an alphabetical list of states plus the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands to select. Users can select one or
multiple states at the National scale. Choosing County will give the user the list of states, and
once a state is selected, a list of counties will appear. Users can select one or multiple counties at
the National scale. For additional guidance on selections to be made in this panel when using the
National scale, see Appendix B of this guidance.
3.4.2 County Scale
Once the County scale is selected, the Region section of the Geographic Bounds panel gives the
user the choice between County or Custom Domain. Either option can be used for estimating
on-road GHG emissions and the user should choose the one that is best suited for the data they
have. These options are discussed in Section 2.4 and each option is explained in greater detail
below.
The Geographic Bounds panel is described in Section 2.2.4 of the MOVES User Guide.
3.4.2.1 County Option
Within the County scale, you would choose the County option if:
• You are analyzing only one county, or
• Unique data are available (e.g., different vehicle age distribution, fuel formulation or
supply, or I/M program) for each county being modeled,30 or
• You are using the Inventory calculation type and want the output to be segregated by
county.31
If users choose County, they also specify which county they are modeling in the Geographic
Bounds panel. The County scale allows only one county and one calendar year to be analyzed at
30 With MOVES20 lOb, there is more flexibility to model multiple counties with varying data using a Custom
Domain as described in Section 3.4.2.2.
31 See note above.
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a time. As a result, users will need to do multiple runs of MOVES, using multiple RunSpec files,
to develop emission estimates for multiple counties. Users can refer to Appendix C of the
MOVES User Guide to learn about batch mode operation to automate the process of doing
multiple MOVES runs.
Use of the County option has two advantages. The county option allows the user to more easily
make use of some of the MOVES database default inputs for that county if appropriate, as
described in Section 4 of this document. The County option also provides individual output for
each county.
3.4.2.2 Custom Domain Option
A custom domain is a geographic area that may consist of multiple counties, parts of counties, or
combinations of counties and partial counties that can be described using a single set of inputs in
the County Data Manager. The custom domain area is described by a single RunSpec file.
Using the Custom Domain option can reduce the number of MOVES runs required, as long as
inputs are appropriate to the entire domain (or appropriately varied within the domain in
MOVES2010b as described in Section 4.13). The same vehicle age distribution, fuel
formulation and supply, and I/M program must apply throughout the custom domain whether
using MOVES2010a or 201 Ob. With MOVES2010b, some fields can be varied by zone within
the domain, as described in Section 4.13. However, when using MOVES2010a, all the inputs
apply throughout the custom domain.
While the Custom Domain option allows users to more easily model multiple counties where
input data are identical, MOVES treats the custom domain as a single county. However,
MOVES2010b offers more flexibility when using the Custom Domain option:
• In MOVES2010b, separate source type population and VMT can be applied to zones
within the custom domain, and MOVES2010b output will be disaggregated by zone.
Users who choose to define each county in a custom domain as a separate zone can then
get separate output for each county (zone) from MOVES2010b.
• When using the Inventory calculation with a Custom Domain in MOVES2010a, source
type population and VMT used to calculate the inventory is the total of the source type
population and VMT for the entire area. Because of this, MOVES2010a cannot
disaggregate inventory results to provide information about the original counties that the
custom domain represents.
As an alternative, when using the Emission Rates calculation option, MOVES produces a lookup
table of emission rates. These emission rates can then be post-processed outside of MOVES to
produce separate emissions estimates for each county by multiplying the emission rates by the
appropriate source type population and VMT for each county. This combination of Custom
Domain and Emission Rates can be an effective way to develop emissions estimates for a large
number of areas with similar characteristics, while preserving the ability to specify the emissions
within each area.
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By selecting Custom Domain, users will create a generic county for which no data are available
in the default database. Therefore, users must supply data for all the tabs in the County Data
Manager (see Section 4 of this document) and essentially re-create entries in the County and
County Year tables of the default database by providing information about the area on the
Geographic Bounds panel. Users can refer to these tables to find data for the counties that
comprise the custom domain being created. Users must provide the following information to
create new entries for the County and County Year tables for the custom domain:
• CountylD (e.g. a unique number to identify the domain),
• Description (e.g., the name of the custom domain),
• Geographic Phase-in Area (GPA) Fraction,
• Barometric Pressure (in inches of mercury), and
• Refueling Vapor and Spill Adjustment Factors.
The GPA is an area around the Rocky Mountains where the Federal Tier 2 sulfur control
program was implemented on a delayed schedule. Users should enter 1 if the custom domain
falls within the GPA and 0 if it is outside the GPA; in the unlikely event the custom domain is
split, users should enter the fraction of VMT that occurs inside the GPA. The refueling Vapor
and Spill Adjustment Factor terms are factors that describe the extent and effectiveness of a
Stage II refueling program in the area, but have no impact on GHG emissions. Users can refer to
the County Year table in the MOVES default database to see the default factors for the counties
in the Custom Domain, or Appendix I of the MOVES User Guide.
3.4.3 Domain Input Database
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.3.3)
In this section of the Geographic Bounds panel, which is present when the user has selected the
County scale, the user can open the CDM by clicking on the "Enter/Edit Data" button (the CDM
can also be accessed from the Pre-Processing Menu). The user should complete the rest of the
RunSpec panels before importing data in the CDM. Users can reference Section 4 of this
document for guidance on developing inputs and User Guide Section 2.3.3.4 for how to import
the data files.
Users may have to hit the Refresh button to make sure the database they create appears on the
drop down list.
When the National scale has been chosen, there is no Domain Input Database section in the
Geographic Bounds panel.
3.5 Vehicles/Equipment: On-Road Vehicle Equipment
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.2.5)
The Vehicles/Equipment menu item and panel is used to specify the vehicle types that are
included in the MOVES run. MOVES allows the user to select from among 13 "source use
types" (the terminology that MOVES uses to describe vehicle types), and four different fuel
types (gasoline, diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), and electricity). Some fuel/source type
combinations are not valid and therefore not included in the MOVES database (e.g., diesel
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motorcycles). For estimating on-road GHG emissions, users must select the appropriate fuel and
vehicle type combinations in the On Road Vehicle Equipment panel to reflect the full range of
vehicles that will operate in the county. In general, users should simply select all valid diesel,
gasoline, and CNG (this fuel type only available for transit buses in MOVES) vehicle and fuel
combinations, unless data are available showing that some vehicles or fuels are not used in the
area of analysis. For more information on the relationship between source types and HPMS
vehicle types, see Sections 4.4 and 4.6 of this document as well as Tables A-l in Appendix A of
this document.
The fuel and vehicle combinations selected on this panel interact with selections made
elsewhere:
• MOVES2010b: with selections made in the Fuel tab and Fuel Type and Technology tab
of the County Data Manager;
• MOVES2010a: with selections made in the Fuel tab of the County Data Manager and in
the Alternate Vehicle Fuel and Technology (AVFT) panel.
If no changes are made on the Fuel Type and Technology tab (or AVFT panel in
MOVES2010a), default gasoline, diesel, and CNG fractions (national defaults) will be used. If
the user has data detailing the fleet and activity of alternative fuel/vehicle combinations, then
those combinations should be selected in the Fuel Type and Technology tab (MOVES2010b) or
AVFT panel (MOVES2010a). For example, if you are restricting your analysis to only diesel
fueled buses, the MOVES default will still allocate some of the VMT to gasoline and CNG buses
and thus the results may underestimate emissions. The Fuel Type and Technology tab is a way
to correct the fraction of fleet by fuel type. See Section 4.10 for more information.
In the Fuel Supply table, accessed through the Fuel tab of the COM, the user must provide valid
fuel formulations that correspond to all vehicle-fuel combinations selected in the On-Road
Vehicle Equipment panel. See Section 4.11 of this document for more information about the
requirements for this tab.
Detailed information describing the local vehicle fleet and its activity can be entered in the CDM
using the Source Type Population, Age Distribution, Vehicle Type VMT, Average Speed
Distribution, and Road Type Distribution tabs. See Section 4 of this document for more
information on these input options and the use of default vs. local information.
The Vehicles/Equipment panel is described in more detail in Section 2.2.5 of the MOVES User
Guide.
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3.6 Road Type
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.2.6)
The Road Type Panel is used to define the types of roads that are included in the run. MOVES
defines five different road types as shown in Table 3-1.
MOVES Road type
roadtypeid
1
Off-Network
Table 3-1: MOVES Road Types
Description
Locations where the predominant activity is vehicle
starts, parking and idling (parking lots, truck stops,
rest areas, freight or bus terminals)
2
3
4
5
Rural Restricted Access Rural highways that can be accessed only by an on-
ramp
Rural Unrestricted
Access
All other rural roads (arterials, connectors, and local
streets)
Urban Restricted Access Urban highways that can be accessed only by an on-
ramp
Urban Unrestricted
Access
All other urban roads (arterials, connectors, and local
streets)
Users should select the road types present in the area being analyzed. The determination of rural
or urban road types should be based on the HPMS classification of the roads in the county being
analyzed. Generally, all road types should be selected.
Estimates of on-road GHG emissions should include the Off-Network road type in order to
account for GHG emissions from vehicle starts and extended idle activity. The Off-Network
road type is automatically selected when start or extended idle pollutant processes are chosen.
Off-Network activity in MOVES is primarily determined by the Source Type Population input,
which is described in Section 4.4 of this document.
MOVES uses Road Type to assign default drive cycles to activity on roadtypes 2, 3, 4, and 5.
For example, for unrestricted access road types, MOVES uses drive cycles that assume stop and
go driving, including multiple accelerations, decelerations, and short periods of idling. For
restricted access road types, MOVES uses drive cycles that include a higher fraction of cruise
activity with less time spent accelerating or idling, although some ramp activity is also included.
Selection of road types in the Road Type panel also determines the road types that will be
included in the MOVES run results. Different characteristics of local activity by road type are
entered in the CDM using the Average Speed Distribution and Road Type Distribution importers
as described in Sections 4.7 and 4.8 of this document.
The Road Type panel is described in Section 2.2.6 of the MOVES User Guide.
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3.7 Pollutants and Processes
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.2.7)
This panel allows users to select pollutants and/or types of energy consumption of interest. In
MOVES, pollutant refers to particular types of pollutants or precursors of the pollutant, such as
CO2 or N2O, and also includes energy consumption choices, while process refers to the
mechanism by which emissions are created, such as running exhaust or start exhaust.
Users would select all processes associated with a particular pollutant in order to account for all
emissions of that pollutant. This can be done by checking the box to the left of the pollutant,
which selects all of the relevant processes for that pollutant. It may be necessary to use the
bottom scroll bar to view all of the process choices.
For many pollutants, the emissions calculation is based on a prior calculation of another
pollutant. In such cases, users must select all of the base pollutants that determine a particular
dependent pollutant. For example, if "Atmospheric CO2" is chosen, then "Total Energy
Consumption" must also be chosen. MOVES will display warning messages in the box on the
Pollutants and Processes screen until all necessary base pollutants are selected.
Note that if the pollutant methane is chosen, the user will be prompted to select "Total Gaseous
Hydrocarbons." However, evaporative processes - "Evap Permeation," "Evap Fuel Vapor
Venting," and "Evap Fuel Leaks" - do not need to be selected when modeling methane because
methane is a result of combustion. Ensuring that evaporative processes are not selected will save
run time.
When using the Inventory calculation type, the total emissions for a particular pollutant are the
sum of the emissions for all pollutant processes that apply to the pollutant. When using the
Emission Rates calculation type, the total emissions for a particular pollutant are the sum of the
product of emission rates and the appropriate activity measure (VMT or vehicle population) for
each vehicle type for all pollutant processes that apply to that pollutant and vehicle type.
The Pollutants and Processes panel is discussed in Section 2.2.7 of the MOVES User Guide.
3.7.1 Pollutants
Users may want to select any of the following pollutants, depending on the purpose of their
analysis:
• Primary PMio - Elemental Carbon,
• Primary PM2.5 - Elemental Carbon,32
• Methane (CH4),
• Nitrous Oxide (N2O), and
• Atmospheric CO2.
32 If you are interested in modeling elemental carbon, you can choose either "Primary PMIO - Elemental Carbon" or
"Primary PM2.5 - Elemental Carbon." Since all elemental carbon is smaller than 2.5 microns, either choice will
provide the same result.
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Users can also select "CO2 Equivalent" from the Pollutants and Processes panel.
equivalents that MOVES uses are as shown in Table 3-2:
Table 3-2: CO2 Equivalence Factors in MOVES
33
The CO2
Pollutant
C02
Methane (CH4)
Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
COz Equivalent
1
21
310
If CC>2 equivalent is checked, MOVES will report the CO2 equivalent of the pollutants that the
user has selected. For example, if you want MOVES to calculate the CO2 equivalent of methane
only, select CO2 equivalent from the list as well methane. If you want the total CO2 equivalent
of all three GHGs, select CO2 equivalent as well as CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide. (Note
CO2 equivalent will include CO2 if CO2 has been selected in this panel. MOVES provides
reminders of which pollutants will not be included in the CO2 equivalent calculation if all three
have not been selected.) Elemental carbon is not included in the CO2 equivalent calculation even
if elemental carbon is selected on the panel.
3.7.2 Energy Consumption
This panel can also be used to select different types of energy consumption, which are listed with
the pollutants. Choices are:
• Total energy consumption, which estimates the total energy consumed from all fuel types
selected;
• Petroleum energy consumption, which does not include compressed natural gas or
ethanol; and
• Fossil Fuel energy consumption, which does not include ethanol.
3.7.3 Pollutants and Processes in Emission Rates Mode
Users should be aware that MOVES produces separate output tables with different activity
measures for different emission processes:
• Rate per Distance Table - emissions in mass per distance (e.g., grams/mile), activity
measure is total VMT by vehicle type
o Running exhaust
o Crankcase running exhaust
o Brake wear (select this process only if PM is being analyzed)
Based on EPA's Glossary of Climate Change Terms, the "Carbon Dioxide Equivalent" is a metric measure used
to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases based upon their global warming potential (GWP). Carbon
dioxide equivalents are commonly expressed as "million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MMTCO2Eq)."
The carbon dioxide equivalent for a gas is derived by multiplying the tons of the gas by the associated GWP.
MMTCO2Eq = (million metric tons of a gas) * (GWP of the gas)
See www.epa.gov/climatechange/glossary.html
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o Tire wear (select this process only if PM is being analyzed)
Note: The processes Evaporative permeation, Evaporative fuel vapor venting, Refueling
displacement vapor loss, and Refueling spillage loss are not necessary to select as they
produce no GHG emissions.
• Rate per Vehicle Table - emissions in mass per vehicle (e.g., grams/vehicle), activity
measure is total vehicle population by vehicle type
o Start exhaust
o Crankcase start exhaust
o Exhaust extended idle emissions (long-haul combination trucks only)
o Crankcase exhaust extended idle emissions (long-haul combination trucks
only)
Note: The processes Evaporative permeation and Evaporative fuel leaks are not
necessary to select as they produce no GHG emissions.
In order to calculate a total emissions inventory using the emissions rate mode, users need to
properly sum the products of emission rates and activity for each vehicle type, for each
applicable pollutant process in each of the applicable tables.
3.8 Manage Input Data Sets
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.2.8)
Most analyses will not use the Manage Input Data Sets panel.
This panel allows users to create alternate data tables that are used in place of data from the
MOVES default database. For GHG analyses in MOVES, the County Data Manager at the
County scale and the Data Importer at the National scale serve the same function. However, if
the user wishes to enter additional data about the area being analyzed that is not one of the input
requirements in the COM or Data Importer, then the data could either be included in the generic
importer or referenced in this panel. Users should consult with EPA before using the Manage
Input Data Sets panel to input other additional data.
The Manage Input Data Sets panel is described in Section 2.2.8 of the MOVES User Guide.
3.9 Strategies
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.2.9)
In MOVES2010b, the Strategies option in the Navigation panel provides access to two additional
panels - On-Road Retrofit and Rate of Progress. In MOVES2010a, the Strategies panel also
allowed the user to access the Alternative Vehicle Fuels and Technologies (AVFT) panel, but in
MOVES2010b, the functions of the AVFT panel are now found in the Fuel Type and
Technology tab in the County Data Manager.
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The Rate of Progress panel applies only to SIP analyses in certain ozone areas; as it is not
applicable to GHG inventories, it is not covered in this guidance.34
Applying different control strategy options using these panels is described in Section 2.2.9 of the
MOVES User Guide.
3.9.1 Alternative Vehicle Fuels and Technologies
This panel is found in MOVES2010a. In MOVES2010b, its functions have been moved to the
Fuel Type and Technology tab in the CDM (see Section 4.10 below). Instruction on the use of
the Alternative Vehicle Fuels and Technologies (AVFT) panel can be found in the
MOVES2010a User Guide. Guidance on appropriate inputs for the AVFT panel can be found in
Section 4.10 below. This guidance applies whether the user is entering this information in the
AVFT panel in MOVES2010a or in the CDM in MOVES2010b.
3.9.2 On-Road Retrofits
MOVES currently estimates emissions from on-road vehicles only, therefore only retrofits of on-
road vehicles are important in running MOVES. Pollutants for which EPA has verified specific
on-road retrofit technologies include particulate matter (PM), oxides of nitrogen (NOx),
hydrocarbons (HC), and carbon monoxide (CO). Therefore, this panel may be of interest only if
users are estimating either methane or elemental carbon (black carbon). This panel would not be
relevant for GHG analyses of CO2 or N2O at the time of this guidance's release. See EPA's
website at www.epa.gov/cleandiesel/verification/verif-list.htm for more information about
verified retrofit technologies and the pollutants for which they are verified.
Users can refer to Appendix D of the MOVES User Guide for an explanation of how to use this
panel. In the future, use of the On-Road Retrofit panel will be addressed separately in an update
to EPA's retrofit guidance, which will be posted at
www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/policy.htm.35 In addition, spreadsheet converters
found on EPA's MOVES website may make creating input files easier; visit our website at
www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/tools.htm.
3.10 Output
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.2.10)
The Output option in the Navigation panel provides access to two panels - General Output and
Output Emissions Detail. In general, users can generate output in whatever form works best for
their specific needs. The following subsections provide some considerations when specifying
34 For more information about the Rate of Progress panel, see "Technical Guidance on the Use of MOVES2010 for
Emission Inventory Preparation in State Implementation Plans and Transportation Conformity," EPA-420-B-10-
023, April 2010, available on the web at www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/420bl0023.pdf.
35 The current version of EPA's diesel retrofit guidance, issued June 2006 (EPA420-B-06-005), addresses the
criteria pollutant reductions that result from diesel retrofits. It is based on MOBILE, and does not address GHG
benefits of retrofits.
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output details and format. For additional guidance on selections to be made in this panel when
using the National scale, see Appendix B of this guidance.
The Output panels are described in detail in Section 2.2.10 of the MOVES User Guide.
3.10.1 Output Database
Users can create databases and name them according to personal naming conventions, but EPA
recommends that users indicate that a database is an output database (such as using "_out" at the
end of the output database name). Results from multiple RunSpecs can be stored in a single
output database, but generally these RunSpecs should be similar in units and aggregation
because, typically, the user wants to compare results (e.g., RunSpecs that are identical except
that a different fuel formulation was used) or sum them (e.g., RunSpecs for multiple counties that
are part of the same metropolitan area). EPA recommends that users create a new output
database for RunSpecs that are considerably different from RunSpecs whose output is already
stored in existing output databases. Users will also want to consider total database size when
deciding which RunSpecs to store in the same output database.
3.10.2 Unit Selection
Users are free to choose any of the mass unit selection options, but should generally choose a
unit whose magnitude is appropriate for the parameters of the RunSpec so that interpretation and
processing of the output is easier. For example, selecting tons in the output for a run aggregated
hourly may produce emissions of "0" in the summary reporter if emissions are less than one ton.
(Results can still be seen in MySQL.) For CO2 emissions at the county level, selecting tons may
be appropriate. If the National scale is used, and local VMT will be incorporated into the
analysis according to Appendix B, grams may be a better choice (because you will have MOVES
compute CO2 per mile traveled). For other GHG emissions such as elemental carbon or
methane, users may want to select grams.
3.10.3 Activity Output
MOVES allows the user to select multiple activity output options. These options are distance
traveled, population, starts, source hours, source hours idling, source hours operating, and source
hours parked. For Inventory calculations, activity output is not required, but can provide a check
on whether activity was properly entered in MOVES and whether the monthly and daily VMT
fractions are correctly allocating the annual VMT inputs down to the daily level. EPA
recommends selecting "Distance Traveled," "Population," and "Starts" in its MOVES training
course. For Emission Rate calculations, distance and population are reported automatically, but
the values in the output are intermediate steps in the rate calculation and do not represent the true
activity. Also see Appendix B for applicable selections when running MOVES at the National
scale and using the "EmissionRates" post-processing script.
Users can refer to Section 2.2.10.1.3 of the MOVES User Guide for instructions on selections
that must be made to ensure the Activity Output is produced.
3.10.4 Output Emission Detail
This panel allows the user to select the amount of detail that will be provided in the output.
Having MOVES provide more detail could be useful as these results can later be aggregated by
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the user so that the output can be analyzed in a variety of ways. However, too much detail can
lead to large output tables and longer query execution in MySQL, so users should not select the
most detail for all RunSpecs. It is up to users to determine exactly what output detail is needed
and care should be taken ahead of time to determine where analysis will be focused in post-
processing. Once the run is executed, detail that was not selected cannot be recovered without
re-running MOVES; however, MOVES execution times for runs involving only energy
consumptions and/or CO2 are fairly short, in the event that another run is needed to obtain more
detail in the output. For additional guidance on selections to be made in this panel when using
the National scale, see Appendix B of this guidance.
Output at the Hour level is recommended for Time unless the user is certain that emission results
are not needed by time of day. As described in Section 3.3, if the user only selected a single
Type of Day in the Time Spans panel because the user had a single Average Speed Distribution,
then selecting any time period longer than the Portion of the Week would not be appropriate.
For Location, the County scale allows only one county or custom domain to be modeled at a
time, so selection of "County" is automatic. For the National scale where more than one county
is selected, the user can have the output reported by "Nation," "State," or "County." If state is
selected, MOVES will show the output by state but only for the counties selected. For example,
if four counties in one state and five counties in another state were selected in the Geographic
Bounds panel and "State" is selected in the Output Emission Detail panel, the output for these
counties will be grouped by state. For the National scale, see Appendix B for recommendations
in this panel.
For the All/Vehicle Equipment Categories section, in most cases Model Year does not have to be
selected. Detailing output by Fuel Type may be helpful if the AVFT was used to input activity
by alternate fuel vehicles or if separate output for gasoline and diesel vehicles are needed.
For the On Road section, detail for Source Type and/or Road Type can provide useful
information and users will generally want to select at least one of these to be able to differentiate
light and heavy duty emissions or restricted and unrestricted roadway emissions.
Another output option is SCC, an abbreviation for Source Classification Code. EPA uses SCCs
to classify different types of anthropogenic emission activities. The existing SCCs for on-road
vehicles are combinations of vehicle type and road type based on the classifications used in
MOBILE6.2. When SCC output is selected, MOVES internally maps emissions by source type
and road type to the MOBILE6.2 equivalents and then prepares output by SCC.
3.10.4.1 Output Emission Detail in Emission Rate Calculations
When the Emission Rates option is chosen in MOVES, Road Type is automatically selected in
the Output Emissions Detail panel. Users should also select Source Type when using the
Emission Rates option. If Source Type is not selected, MOVES will calculate aggregate
emission rates for all source types based on the VMT and population by source type used as an
input in the RunSpec (i.e., values entered using the County Data Manager). Thus, the output
emission rates would be valid only for the mix of VMT and population by source type used to
aggregate them. When users select Source Type in Output Emissions Detail and produce a table
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of running emission rates by road type and source type, these emission rates can be correctly
applied to VMT and population estimates that may have different amounts of VMT by individual
source type. Likewise, if model year or fuel type is selected, the user will need VMT and
population by model year and fuel type in order to calculate an emissions inventory. Producing
more detailed rates tables can provide flexibility, by allowing these rates to be applied across
large geographic areas that have different age, fueltype or VMT distributions. However, smaller
geographic areas may not have activity data in this level of detail, and they may find that more
aggregated rates are easier to use in producing an inventory.
When Road Type and Source Type detail are selected, MOVES produces lookup tables of
emission rates by source type and road type. For running emissions, users then post-process
these lookup tables outside of MOVES to apply local VMT by source type, road type, and speed
bin to the gram per mile emission rates for each speed bin (based on local distributions of
average speed). For start emissions, users would post-process the Rate per vehicle lookup tables
outside of MOVES to apply local source type population information to the per vehicle emission
rates. Additional detail on the applicability of data entered in the CDM when using the Emission
Rates option is provided in the individual subsections of Section 4 of this document.
3.11 A dvanced Performance Features
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.2.11)
The Advanced Performance Features panel is used to invoke features which may be used to
improve the run time for long model runs by saving and reusing intermediate results. It is not
necessary for creating estimates of on-road GHG emissions. Use of these features requires
knowledge of the detailed software components of the MOVES program, the inputs they require,
and the outputs they produce. Users interested in these features should review Section 2.2.11 in
the MOVES User Guide and the MOVES Software Design and Reference Manual.36
36 The MOVES Software Design and Reference Manual can be downloaded from
www.epa. gov/oms/models/moves/.
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Section 4: Importing Local Data
After completion of the necessary panels to create the RunSpec, the user would then create the
appropriate input database tables that will include local data. When using the County scale, the
County Data Manager (CDM) is used. With the National scale, the Data Importer serves a
similar function. Users that have several local data inputs are encouraged to use the County
scale instead of the National scale. Refer to Section 2 for more information about the difference
between the scales and when each would be appropriate for a GHG analysis.
4.1 Introduction to the County Data Manager
The CDM is a user interface developed to simplify importing specific local data for a single
county or a user-defined custom domain without requiring direct interaction with the underlying
MySQL input database. The CDM includes multiple tabs, each one of which opens importers
that are used to enter specific local data. These tabs and importers include the following:
• Meteorology
• Source Type Population
• Age Distribution
• Vehicle Type VMT
• Average Speed Distribution
• Road Type Distribution
• Ramp Fraction
• Fuels
• I/M Programs
• Zone (in MOVES2010b, used with Custom Domain only)
• Generic Importer
• Fuel Type and Technology (in MOVES201 Ob only)
Each of the importers allows the user to create an import template file with required data field
names and some key fields populated. The user will then edit these templates to add specific
local data with a spreadsheet application or other tool, and import each data file into an input
database for the run. In some importers, there is also the option to export default data from the
MOVES default database in order to review it. Once the user determines that the default data are
applicable to the particular analysis, or determines that the default data need to be changed and
makes those changes, the user then imports that data into the input database. Details of the
mechanics of using the data importers are provided in the MOVES User Guide. Guidance for
the use of these importers for estimating on-road GHG emissions is given below, with the
corresponding MOVES User Guide section provided for reference.
Use of the CDM is necessary when the scale is set to County. In order to complete a RunSpec at
the County scale, the user must either import local data, or review and import default data for
each tab in the CDM except for Ramp Fraction.
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The CDM can be accessed either from the "Pre-Processing" pull-down menu at the top of the
MOVES User Interface, or by selecting "Enter/Edit Data" on the Geographic Bounds panel.
However, before a user can input any locality specific data, an input database must be created on
the Database tab on the Geographic Bounds panel. EPA recommends that this database name
end with "_in" to indicate it is a user input database. When the database is created, MOVES
keeps track of the selections made in the RunSpec at that moment. Users should be careful of
making changes to the RunSpec after the Domain Input Database has been created, because this
can create inconsistencies between the Domain Input Database and the rest of the RunSpec.
Users should review Section 2.3.3.4 of the MOVES User Guide for more information on the
RunSpec and the Domain Input Database.
The draft version of this guidance indicated that for Emissions Rates runs, some of the activity
inputs in the CDM are placeholders and/or are not used, since an emissions inventory is
calculated outside of the MOVES model. However, these inputs do in fact impact the calculated
emissions rates, and reasonable activity inputs are important even though activity data will be
applied outside of MOVES to calculate an inventory. Vehicle activity inputs are important
because they are used by MOVES to calculate the relative amounts of running activity, which in
turn affects the rates for start and extended idle. As a general rule, users should input accurate
activity for the scenario being modeled regardless of whether MOVES is being used in Inventory
or Emissions Rates mode.
4.2 Importing Local Data When Using the National Scale
As described in Section 2, the National scale could be sufficient for some types of GHG
analyses. At the National scale, local data other than VMT and vehicle population can be
imported to an input database for a MOVES run using the Data Importer, which has the same set
of importers as the County Data Manager, each on its own tab.
When using the National scale for a smaller geographic area than the entire nation, do not use the
Data Importer to import local VMT or vehicle population ("source type population") data.
MOVES will treat VMT and population data entered as applying to the nation as a whole and
apportion only some fraction of what is entered to the chosen geographic area, thus producing
erroneous results. When using the National scale, VMT information can be included using the
process described in Appendix B. In this process, the user will run MOVES to calculate an
inventory, have MOVES post-process the inventory to calculate emissions rates, and then
multiply those rates by the VMT in the area. Emissions resulting from vehicle starts will be
included in the estimated emissions rates rather than calculated based on vehicle population.
Therefore with this method, the user cannot include local information about vehicle population.
If the user has both VMT and vehicle population information, EPA encourages the use of the
County scale rather than the National scale so this information can be utilized by the model for a
more precise estimate of emissions.
The Data Importer can be accessed from the "Pre-Processing" pull-down menu at the top of the
MOVES User Interface. Users will be prompted to create an input database name on the
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Database tab. EPA recommends that this database name end with "_in" to indicate it is a user
input database.
The remainder of Section 4 describes the panels to create an input database file in terms of the
County Data Manager. Because of the similarities between the County Data Manager and the
Data Importer, this information applies to the Data Importer except where otherwise noted.
4.3 Meteorology Data
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.3.3.4.1)
Ambient temperature and relative humidity data are important inputs for estimating on-road
GHG emissions with MOVES. Ambient temperature and relative humidity are important for
estimating GHG emissions from motor vehicles as these affect air conditioner use. MOVES
requires a temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit) and relative humidity (in terms of a percentage, on
a scale from 0 to 100) for each hour selected in the Run Spec. For example, MOVES requires a
24-hour temperature and humidity profile to model a full day of emissions on an hourly basis.
EPA has created a tool (available at www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/tools.htm) that takes
minimum and maximum daily temperatures and creates an hourly temperature profile that could
be used as input to MOVES. EPA recommends that users input the average daily temperature
profile for each month if they are modeling all 12 months.
Temperature assumptions used for estimating on-road GHG emissions should be based on the
latest available information. Detailed local meteorological data are available from the National
Climatic Data Center at www.ncdc.noaa.gov. The MOVES database also includes default
average monthly temperature and humidity data for every county in the country that are based on
30 year averages from the National Climatic Data Center for the period from 1971 to 2000.
These national defaults can be used for a GHG inventory, or more recent data can be used.37
EPA recommends documenting the sources of temperature data and any methods used to adjust
them to fit the requirements of MOVES, as a means of keeping track of the inputs to the analysis
and to ensure that the same method can be replicated over time.
4.3.1 Meteorology Data in Emission Rate Calculations
Users can develop Emission Rates for either a single county or a Custom Domain. If the
Emission Rate calculation type is chosen in the RunSpec, users can enter a different temperature
and humidity for each hour of the day to create an emission rate table that varies by temperature.
Emission rates from a lookup table that varies by temperature can be post-processed outside of
MOVES to calculate emissions for any mix of temperatures that can occur during a day. This
creates the potential to create a lookup table of emission rates by temperature for the range of
temperatures that can occur over a longer period of time such as a month or year from a single
MOVES run.
37 In general, more recent temperature data is likely to be warmer, which may increase emissions because the model
estimates vehicle air conditioner use based on temperature.
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Appendix A of the MOVES User Guide provides more detail about how to produce emission
rate lookup tables by temperature. This approach is valid only for running emissions (e.g., the
emissions reported in the "rateperdistance" table of the MOVES output); non-running emissions
in the "ratepervehicle" table vary both by temperature and by hour of the day. See also the
TO
MOVES SIP and conformity technical guidance for further information.
The Meteorology Data Importer in MOVES is described in Section 2.3.3.4.1 of the MOVES
User Guide.
4.4 Source Type Population
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.3.3.4.2)
Use this importer with the CDM (County scale) only. Do not use this importer with the Data
Importer (National scale). MOVES will treat source type population data entered in the Data
Importer as applying to the nation as a whole and apportion only some fraction of what is
entered to the chosen geographic area, thus producing erroneous results. If users have
information about source type population, the County scale should be used.
Source type (vehicle type) population is used by MOVES to calculate start and extended idle
emissions. It is also used to calculated evaporative emissions, but as stated earlier, evaporative
emissions are not necessary when estimating GHG emissions. In MOBILE6.2, starts were
calculated as emission factors in grams per mile and therefore these emissions were related to
VMT. However, the relationship between VMT and vehicle starts is not always consistent.
Chained trips may involve multiple starts with relatively low VMT. In MOVES, start emissions
are a function of the population of vehicles in an area and therefore users need to develop local
data for vehicle population.
MOVES categorizes vehicles into 13 source types, which are subsets of six HPMS vehicle types
in MOVES, as shown in Table 4-1. EPA believes that states should be able to develop
population data for many of these source type categories from state motor vehicle registration
data (e.g., passenger cars, passenger trucks, light commercial trucks, motorcycles). States may
be able to obtain population data for other types of vehicles from their owners or operators:
population data for intercity buses may be available from bus companies, data for transit buses
may be available from local transit agencies, data for school buses may be available from school
districts, and data for refuse trucks may be available from refuse haulers or local governments.
Estimating population for other source types may be more difficult. If population is not available
for a particular source type, users could estimate population for that source type based on the
MOVES default split of that source type within the HPMS vehicle class. In the absence of any
other source of population data, users could base population estimates on the VMT estimates for
a particular source type and the ratio of MOVES default population to VMT by source type.
That ratio can be calculated by doing a very simple MOVES run at the national scale for the
county in question, and including VMT and population in the output (a running emissions
38 Section 1.7 explains where to find this guidance.
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process must be selected to generate VMT). Local VMT multiplied by the ratio of default
population to default VMT will give an estimate of local population based on local VMT.
Table 4-1: MOVES Source Types and HPMS Vehicle Types
Source Source Types HPMS HPMS Vehicle Type
Type ID Vehicle Type
ID
11
21
31
32
41
42
43
51
52
53
54
61
62
Motorcycle
Passenger Car
Passenger Truck
Light Commercial Truck
Intercity Bus
Transit Bus
School Bus
Refuse Truck
Single Unit Short-haul Truck
Single Unit Long-haul Truck
Motor Home
Combination Short-haul Truck
Combination Long-haul Truck
10
20
30
30
40
40
40
50
50
50
50
60
60
Motorcycles
Passenger Cars
Other 2 axle-4 tire vehicles
Other 2 axle-4 tire vehicles
Buses
Buses
Buses
Single Unit Trucks
Single Unit Trucks
Single Unit Trucks
Single Unit Trucks
Combination Trucks
Combination Trucks
Users who have already developed population data for MOBILE6.2 vehicle types can use Table
A-l in Appendix A to assign those populations to the MOVES source types.
The Source Type Population Importer in MOVES is described in Section 2.3.3.4.2 of the
MOVES User Guide.
4.4.1 Source Type Population in Emission Rate Calculations
Users can develop Emission Rates for either a single county or a custom domain. If the
Emission Rates option is used at the County scale, and Source Type is selected in the Output
Emission Detail panel, MOVES will produce emission rates for start emissions and extended idle
emissions by source type in terms of unit of mass (e.g., grams) per vehicle. Total start and/or
extended idle emissions would then be calculated outside of MOVES by multiplying the
emission rates by the vehicle populations for each source type. However, users will still need to
enter data using the Source Type Population Importer that represents the population of vehicles
in the total area where the lookup table results will be applied. This is necessary because
MOVES uses the relationship between source type population and VMT to determine the
relative amount of time vehicles spend parking vs. running. If the lookup table results will be
applied to a large number of counties, use the total source type population for all the counties
covered. The guidance in this section concerning the use of local vehicle population data applies
both for generating the total population as an input to the model and for generating more
geographically detailed population values to use in applying the emission rate results.
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4.5 Age Distribution
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.3.3.4.3)
The age distribution of vehicle fleets can vary significantly from area to area. Fleets with a
higher percentage of older vehicles will have higher emissions for two reasons. Older vehicles
have typically been driven more miles and have experienced more deterioration in emission
control systems. A higher percentage of older vehicles means that there are more vehicles in the
fleet that do not meet newer, more stringent emission standards or CAFE standards. Surveys of
registration data indicate considerable local variability in vehicle age distributions.
A typical vehicle fleet includes a mix of vehicles of different ages. MOVES covers a 31 year
range of vehicle ages, with vehicles 30 years and older grouped together. MOVES allows the
user to specify the fraction of vehicles in each of 30 vehicle ages for each of the 13 source types
in the model.
For estimating on-road GHG emissions, EPA recommends and encourages states to develop age
distributions that are applicable to the area being analyzed (e.g., for one or more individual
counties, a state as a whole, etc.). Only one age distribution can be entered for the area being
modeled, so if you have age distribution information that varies by county, you would have to do
a run for each county to utilize it. An age distribution may have already been developed for SIP
and conformity purposes and if so, it could also be used for estimating on-road GHG emissions.
EPA has created data converters that take registration distribution input files created for
MOBILE6.2 or NMIM and convert them to the appropriate age distribution input tables for
MOVES. These converters are available at www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/tools.htm. As
users develop new data in the future, EPA recommends recording those data according to
MOVES vehicle classifications and model year breakdown.
While the MOVES age distribution input asks for an age distribution by source type, EPA does
not expect that detailed local age distribution data will be readily available for all 13 of these
source types. If local age distribution information is not available for some source types, states
can use the same age distribution for all source types within an HPMS vehicle class. For
example, states could use the same age distribution for source types 31 and 32 if separate age
distributions for passenger trucks and light commercial trucks are not available.
Local age distributions can be estimated from local vehicle registration data. If users are unable
to acquire data to develop a local age distribution or have reason to believe that data about
locally registered vehicles is not necessarily representative of that entire portion of the fleet (as
may be the case with long-haul trucks), then MOVES national default age distributions can be
used.39 A set of these national default age distributions for all source types and all calendar years
is available on EPA's website at www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/tools.htm. (Age distributions
cannot be exported directly from the default database within MOVES.)
39 For example, if an entire fleet of trucks belonging to a national freight company are registered in the county being
modeled and these trucks operate across a larger region of the U.S., it may be more accurate to use the MOVES
national default age distributions for long-haul trucks rather than the county's long-haul truck registration data. The
county's data may be unduly influenced by the freight distributor's particular fleet.
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The default age distributions in MOVES are specific to each calendar year and include
assumptions about changes in age distributions over time. If local registration age distributions
are used, they normally should not change across calendar years. That is, regardless of what year
one is considering, the same percentage of the fleet can be assumed to be zero to one year old,
one to two years old, two to three years old, etc. The vehicle fleet turns over, as people replace
aging vehicles, but the age distribution generally remains the same. When creating an on-road
GHG inventory for a future year, EPA believes it is reasonable to assume, in the absence of other
information, that the vehicle fleet will have the same average age in the future as it does at the
time of the analysis. Therefore, users can use the current local age distribution for a future year.
In other words, for future GHG inventories, users can use the latest registration age distribution
information currently available.40
States should fully document the sources of data and methods used to develop local age
distributions, as a means of keeping track of the inputs to the analysis and to ensure that the same
method can be replicated over time.
It would be possible to model the effects of an accelerated vehicle retirement program on GHG
emissions or energy consumption, when such programs exist in a given area. One way would be
to modify the age distribution, by increasing the fraction of new vehicles and decreasing the
relative fractions of the model years targeted for retirement to reflect the anticipated effect of the
program on the vehicle fleet. The effect of an accelerated vehicle retirement program can also be
modeled by obtaining emissions rates output by model year, and calculating the effects of the
program outside of the MOVES model using information on how vehicle activity would change
by model year. Note that an accelerated vehicle retirement program would have to be quite large
to have a discernable effect on fleetwide GHG emissions in MOVES. While either of these
approaches could be used for a GHG analysis, it is not acceptable to assume that a future fleet
will be younger than the existing age distribution when modeling emissions for SIP and
conformity analyses, unless there is some enforceable mechanism to bring about this change.
The Age Distribution Importer in MOVES is described in Section 2.3.3.4.3 of the MOVES User
Guide.
4.6 Vehicle Type VMT
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.3.3.4.4)
Use this importer with the CDM (County scale) only. Do not use this importer with the Data
Importer (National scale). MOVES will treat vehicle type VMT data entered in the Data
Importer as applying to the nation as a whole and apportion only some fraction of what is
entered to the chosen geographic area, thus producing erroneous results. To include local VMT
information when using the National scale, see Appendix B.
As stated in Section 2.2, EPA believes VMT is one of the inputs that have the greatest impact on
the results of a state or local GHG or energy consumption analysis. MOVES estimates emissions
40
Note, though, that over the last few decades, the life span of vehicles has been increasing, and in some areas the
average age of the fleet has increased substantially.
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based on travel activity multiplied by emission factors. MOVES will multiply the VMT from
each vehicle source type, on each road type, by the corresponding emission factors to generate an
emissions inventory.41 Regardless of whether Inventory or Emission Rates is chosen as the
calculation type, MOVES will need VMT by hour for each vehicle source type and road type. If
you have this level of detail, it is included within this input. However, if all you have is the
annual VMT by HPMS vehicle class, you can enter it and rely on MOVES to allocate it by
month, type of day, and hour of the day.
Within this input, there are four components that the user can enter. First, MOVES needs annual
VMT by HPMS vehicle type for the year being modeled. Of the four components, this is the
one for which no default exists at the County scale. Second, MOVES needs the month fraction -
for each source type, what fraction of the annual VMT occurs in each month. Third, MOVES
needs the fraction of VMT that occurs on each type of day, i.e., weekday and weekend day, for
each month and road type. Fourth, MOVES needs the fraction of VMT in each hour of the day,
for each source type, road type, and type of day. Default fractions are available for month
fraction, type of day fraction, and hour fraction.
Given that there is no default VMT available at the County scale, the user needs a VMT estimate
for the area being modeled. Travel demand forecasting models are often the source of
information used by MPOs and state DOTs to estimate VMT. Transportation modelers for
MPOs and state DOTs traditionally adjust estimates of VMT generated by travel demand models
to the HPMS estimates of VMT and/or other locally developed actual vehicle counts. These
procedures ensure that travel demand models generate VMT estimates consistent with ground
counts for roadway functional classes within HPMS for use in SIP and conformity analyses. If
available, these VMT estimates could be used for estimating on-road GHG emissions as well.
Section 3, "Developing Locality-Specific Inputs from Travel Demand Models," of the EPA
document, "Volume IV: Chapter 2, Use of Locality- Specific Transportation Data for the
Development of Mobile Source Emission Inventories," (September 1996), discusses how to
reconcile traffic demand model results with HPMS VMT estimates. In areas without such a
model, VMT can be estimated using other appropriate methods. Other information or
procedures, such as locally developed count-based programs, may be acceptable.
MOVES requires annual VMT by HPMS vehicle class; however, users may have only daily
VMT. EPA has created a tool that allows users to input average annual daily VMT as well as
monthly and weekend day adjustment factors to create the annual VMT by HPMS class and
appropriate monthly and daily adjustments needed by MOVES.42 EPA has also created a set of
software tools that can import VMT tables by MOBILE6.2 vehicle types (either 8, 12, 16, or 28
MOBILE6.2 vehicle types) and facility types, as well as MOBILE6.2 hourly VMT fractions,
VMT mix, and ramp fractions and convert these to the equivalent MOVES tables of VMT by
HPMS class, VMT fractions by hour, and road type distribution.43
41 This is true even when the calculation type is Emission Rates.
42 This spreadsheet-based tool is called " AAD VMT Calculator HPMS" and can be found at
www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/tools.htm. Instructions for use of the VMT calculator can be found within the
spreadsheet.
43 EPA's Tools for MOVES website (www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/tools.htm') includes 8 different VMT
spreadsheet-based converters to address ways VMT could be broken down by MOBILE6.2 vehicle types and facility
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Mapping MOBILE6.2 vehicle types to their equivalent MOVES source types is a complex
process. The last column of Table A. 1 in the Appendix shows the mapping scheme the converter
tools use to convert VMT by MOBILE6.2 vehicle types to their equivalent MOVES source
types. To avoid data errors, EPA strongly encourages states to use the converter tools to create
the appropriate MOVES input tables from MOBILE6.2 data rather than manually apply the
values in this table.
The Vehicle Type VMT Importer in MOVES is described in Section 2.3.3.4.4 of the MOVES
User Guide.
4.6.1 Vehicle Type VMT in Emission Rate Calculations
If the Emission Rates option is used, and Source Type is selected in the Output Emission Detail
panel, MOVES will produce emission rates for running emissions by source type and road type
in terms of grams per mile. Total running emissions would then be calculated outside of
MOVES by multiplying the emission rates by the VMT for each source type and road type.
However, users will still need to enter data using the Vehicle Type VMT Importer that reflects
the VMT in the total area where the lookup table results will be applied. This is necessary
because MOVES uses the relationship between source type population and VMT to determine
the relative amount of time vehicles spend parked vs. running. If the lookup table results will be
applied to a large number of counties, use the total VMT for all the counties covered. The
guidance in this section concerning the use of local VMT data applies both for developing the
total VMT to input and for developing the geographically detailed VMT to use when applying
the emission rates.
4.7 Average Speed Distribution
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.3.3.4.5)
Vehicle power, speed, and acceleration have a significant effect on vehicle emissions, including
GHG emissions. MOVES models those emission effects by assigning activity to specific drive
cycles. While direct input of operating modes and drive schedules is possible using Project scale
inputs, the model also can use the distribution of vehicle hours traveled (VHT) by average speed
to determine an appropriate operating mode distribution. Thus, for estimating on-road GHG
emissions where activity is averaged over a wide variety of driving patterns, a local speed
distribution by road type and source type is a reasonable surrogate for more detailed local drive
cycles or operating mode distributions. In these cases, states could develop and use local
estimates of average speed. The Average Speed Distribution Importer in MOVES calls for a
speed distribution in VHT in 16 speed bins, by each road type, source type, and hour of the day
included in the analysis. EPA urges users to develop the most detailed local speed information
that is reasonable to obtain. However, EPA acknowledges that average speed distribution
information may not be available at the level of detail that MOVES allows. The following
paragraphs provide additional guidance regarding the development of average speed distribution
inputs.
types. The website describes the basic differences between the converters, and more detailed instructions on their
use can be found within the spreadsheets.
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Average speed, as defined for use in MOVES, is the distance traveled (in miles) divided by the
time (in hours). This is not the same as the instantaneous velocity of vehicles or the nominal
speed limit on the roadway link. The MOVES definition of speed includes all operation of
vehicles including intersections and other obstacles to travel which may result in stopping and
idling. As a result, average speeds, as used in MOVES, will tend to be less than nominal speed
limits for individual roadway links.
Selection of vehicle speeds is a complex process. The recommended approach for estimating
average speeds is to post-process the output from a travel demand network model. In most
transportation models, speed is estimated primarily to allocate travel across the roadway
network. Speed is used as a measure of impedance to travel rather than as a prediction of
accurate travel times. For this reason, speed results from most travel demand models must be
adjusted to properly estimate actual average speeds.
In cases where on-road emissions modeling has been done to meet SIP and conformity
requirements, areas may already have developed this information for MOBILE modeling. To
ease the transition from MOBILE6.2 to MOVES, EPA has provided data converters that convert
MOBILE6.2 speed distribution inputs to MOVES format (an additional data converter is
available to convert National Mobile Inventory Model-formatted speed distributions to MOVES
format). These converters also handle the conversion of a VMT based speed distribution to a
VHT based speed distribution. These data converters are available at
www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/tools.htm. These converters can assist users in applying
current vehicle speed information for MOVES inventories, if this reflects the latest available
information for a given area. Over time, EPA anticipates that users will generate updated speed
information through updated travel demand modeling, rather than continuing to use data
generated for the previous MOBILE6.2 model. These updated data could also be used for
estimating on-road GHG emissions.
Speed is entered in MOVES as a distribution rather than a single value. Table 4-2 shows the
speed bin structure that MOVES uses for speed distribution input. Section 4.7.3 of this
document explains how to create a speed distribution from a single average speed. However,
EPA encourages users to use underlying speed distribution data to represent vehicle speed as an
input to MOVES, rather than one average value. Use of a distribution will give a more accurate
estimate of emissions than use of a single average speed. This is particularly important for GHG
analysis, since GHG emission rates are highest at low speeds and very high speeds. A single
average speed will tend to be in the middle of the speed range where emission rates are lower,
leading the analysis to underestimate GHG emissions.
Table 4-2: MOVES Speed Bins
Speed Bin ID Average Bin Speed Speed Bin Range
1
2
3
4
2.5
5
10
15
speed < 2.5mph
2.5mph <= speed < 7.5mph
7.5mph <= speed < 12.5mph
12.5mph <= speed < 17.5mph
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5 20 17.5mph<= speed <22.5mph
6 25 22.5mph<=speed<27.5mph
7 30 27.5mph<=speed<32.5mph
8 35 32.5mph<=speed<37.5mph
9 40 37.5mph<=speed<42.5mph
10 45 42.5mph<=speed<47.5mph
11 50 47.5mph <= speed < 52.5mph
12 55 52.5mph <= speed < 57.5mph
13 60 57.5mph<=speed<62.5mph
14 65 62.5mph <= speed < 67.5mph
15 70 67.5mph<=speed<72.5mph
16 75 72.5mph<= speed
As is the case for other MOVES inputs, EPA does not expect that users will be able to develop
distinct local speed distributions for all 13 vehicle source types. If a local average speed
distribution is not available for some source types, states can use the same average speed
distribution for all source types within an HPMS vehicle class. For example, users could apply
the same average speed distribution for source types 31 and 32 if separate average speed
distributions for passenger trucks and light commercial trucks are not available. Users could also
apply the same speed distributions across multiple HPMS vehicle classes if more detailed
information is not available.
Average speed estimates for calendar years other than the calendar year on which the average
speed estimates are based should be logically related to the current year methodology and
estimates, with no arbitrary or unsupported assumptions of changes in average speeds. Future
average speed estimates should account for the effect of growth in overall fleet VMT on roadway
congestion and average speeds.
Data converters can assist users in applying current vehicle speed information for MOVES
inventories, if this reflects the latest available information for a given area. Converters handle
the conversion of a VMT-based speed distribution to a VHT-based speed distribution, for
example. These data converters are available at www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/tools.htm. In
addition, EPA has provided converters that convert MOBILE6.2 speed distribution inputs to
MOVES format. An additional data converter is available to convert NMIM-formatted speed
distributions to MOVES format. However, if speed distribution data for the previous
MOBILE6.2 model are available, users may want to check if this data has been updated. This
may be the case because over time, EPA expects speed distribution information for SIP or
regional conformity analyses to be updated with updated travel demand modeling, replacing data
generated for the previous MOBILE6.2 model.
The Average Speed Distribution Importer in MOVES is described in Section 2.3.3.4.5 of the
MOVES User Guide.
4.7.1 Additional Guidance for Speeds on Local Roadways
MOVES uses four different roadway types that are affected by the average speed distribution
input: rural restricted access, rural unrestricted access, urban restricted access, and urban
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unrestricted access. In MOBILE6.2, local roadways were a separate category with a fixed speed
of 12.9 mph. In MOVES, local roadways are included with arterials and collectors in the urban
and rural unrestricted access roads category. Therefore, EPA recommends that the average
speed distribution for local roadway activity be included as part of a weighted distribution of
average speed across all unrestricted roads: local roadways, arterials, and connectors. Users
who want to treat local roadways and arterials separately can develop separate average speed
distributions and estimate results using two separate MOVES runs, each with appropriate VMT,
one using the local roadway average speed distribution for unrestricted access roads and one
using the arterial average speed distribution for unrestricted access roads. However, using
properly weighted average speed distributions for the combination of all unrestricted access
roads should give the same result as using separate average speed distributions for arterials and
local roadways.
4.7.2 Average Speed Distributions in Emission Rates Calculations
Users can develop Emission Rates for either a single county or a custom domain. With a Custom
Domain, users would define one average speed distribution for the entire domain; it cannot vary
by zone. If the Emission Rates option is used, and Source Type is selected in the Output
Emission Detail panel, MOVES will produce a table of emission rates by source type and road
type for each speed bin. Total running emissions would then be calculated outside of MOVES
by multiplying the emission rates by the VMT for each source type in each speed bin. However,
the COM still requires a complete speed distribution to work, and the information provided in
this input is used by MOVES to calculate the relative amounts of running and non-running
activity, which in turn affects the rates for these processes. Users should supply an accurate
speed distribution to produce the necessary emission rates (and at the National scale, the user
could rely on the default speed distribution). The guidance in this section concerning the use of
local speed distribution data still applies whether local average speed distributions are applied
within MOVES using the Inventory option or outside of MOVES using the Emission Rate
option.
4.7.3 Creating a Distribution from a Single Average Speed
If only a single average speed is available for a particular road type and that average speed is not
identical to the average speed in a particular speed bin, users should apply the following formula
for creating the appropriate speed distribution among two adjacent speed bins.
The general formula is:
VHT Fraction A in Speed Bin with closest average speed lower than observed average speed +
VHT Fraction B in Speed Bin with closest average speed higher that observed average speed = 1
VHT Fraction A = 1 - [(observed average speed - average speed of lower speed bin) / (average
speed of higher speed bin - average speed of lower speed bin)]
VHT Fraction B = 1- [(average speed of higher speed bin - observed average speed) / (average
speed of higher speed bin - average speed of lower speed bin)]
Or more simply: VHT Fraction B = 1 - VHT fraction A
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For example, if the single average speed for a roadway is 28.7 miles per hour, the average speed
distribution will be split between the 25 mph and 30 mph bins with values of 0.26 and 0.74,
respectively. These values are found with the following equations:
VHT Fraction A in 25 mph Speed Bin + VHT Fraction B in 30 mph Speed Bin = 1
A = 1 - (28.7 mph Avg. Speed - 25 mph (Bin Speed)) / (30 mph Bin Speed - 25 mph Bin
Speed) = 0.26
B = 1 - (30 mph Bin Speed - 28.7 mph Avg. Speed) / (30 mph Bin Speed - 25 mph Bin Speed)
= 0.74,
Or more simply, B = 1 - A
4.7.4 Average Speed Distributions for Highways and Ramps
For rural and urban restricted access highways, users should enter the speed distribution of
vehicles traveling on the highway only, not including any activity that occurs on entrance and
exit ramps. The current version of MOVES automatically calculates a speed distribution for
ramp activity based on the speed distribution of vehicles traveling on the highway.44 Faster or
slower highway speeds result in faster or slower ramp speeds calculated by MOVES. MOVES
then calculates emissions for ramp activity based on this internally-calculated speed distribution
for the ramps, using the appropriate distribution of operating modes related to that speed
distribution, and the fraction of VHT that occurs on ramps. At this point, MOVES adds
emissions for ramp activity to emissions calculated for vehicles traveling on the highway itself to
get the total emissions for restricted access roads.
Section 4.9 describes the ramp fraction input and how it might be used to model ramps
separately from highways. As noted in that section, even when ramps are handled separately
from highways, the speed distribution entered in MOVES should be the speed distribution for the
associated highways, not a ramp-specific speed distribution.
4.8 Road Type Distribution
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.3.3.4.6)
The fraction of VMT by road type varies from area to area and can have a significant effect on
GHG emissions from on-road mobile sources. EPA expects states to develop and use their own
specific estimates of VMT by road type. The VMT fractions by road type used in inventory
modeling for estimating on-road GHG emissions should be consistent with the most recent
information used for transportation planning.
44 The algorithm that calculates the ramp speed distribution was incorporated in MOVES2010a.
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For each source type, the Road Type Distribution table stores the distribution of VMT by road
type (e.g., the fraction of passenger car VMT on each of the road types). EPA has created a
series of VMT converters (based on different options for describing the MOBILE6.2 vehicle
types), that also incorporate a road type distribution converter. These can be found at
www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/tools.htm.
As in the case for other MOVES inputs, EPA does not expect that users will be able to develop
local distributions of VMT by road type for all 13 vehicle source types. If local road type
distributions are available for some, but not all source types, the same road type distribution can
be used for all source types within an HPMS vehicle class. For example, users could apply the
same road type distribution for source types 31 and 32 if separate average speed distributions for
passenger trucks and light commercial trucks are not available. Users could also apply the same
road type distribution across multiple HPMS vehicle classes if more detailed information is not
available.
EPA recommends using the same approach for custom domain zones. Users will define one road
type distribution and allocate it via the Custom Zone Tab using reasonable local data.
The Road Type Distribution Importer in MOVES is described in Section 2.3.3.4.6 of the
MOVES User Guide.
4.8.1 Road Type Distributions in Emission Rate Calculations
If the Emission Rates option is used, MOVES will automatically produce a table of running
emission rates by road type. Running emissions would then be calculated outside of MOVES by
multiplying the emission rates by the VMT on each road type for each source type in each speed
bin. In that case, data entered using the Road Type Distribution Importer is still required, but it
is not used by MOVES to calculate the rate. However, road type distribution inputs are
important for Emission Rates runs involving non-running processes, because they are used by
MOVES to calculate the relative amounts of running and non-running activity, which in turn
affects the rates for the non-running processes. Road type distribution inputs for Rates runs that
include any non-running processes should reflect realistic activity for the area. The guidance in
this section concerning the use of local road type data still applies whether local road type
distributions are applied within MOVES using the Inventory option or outside of MOVES using
the Emission Rate option.
4.9 Ramp Fraction
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.3.3.4.7)
Use of the Ramp Fraction tab is optional. The default ramp fraction on both rural restricted
roads (road type 2) and urban restricted roads (road type 4) is 8% of VHT and this default value
of 8% will be automatically applied if the user does not import local data. Users who have good
local data indicating a different fraction for ramp activity should use it. For those defining a
custom domain, users will define one ramp fraction for the entire domain. This cannot vary by
zone.
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The Ramp Fraction tab imports a table that duplicates the roadtype table in the MOVES default
database. The user enters the fraction of VHT on ramps for either rural restricted (road type 2)
or urban restricted (road type 4) roads in the rampFraction field of this table.
When the Emission Rates option is selected, the emission factors produced for any one highway
speed apply both to highways and to ramps. In other words, the emission rate for a particular
highway speed should be multiplied by the total of highway and ramp VMT. These emission
factors are weighted based on the fractions of VHT on the highway and on ramps. The resulting
emission factors table will give rates for combined highway and ramp emissions based on the
highway speeds. For example, if the urban restricted highway (road type 4) average speed is 60
mph, the total highway and ramp VMT would be multiplied by the emission rate for urban
restricted highways at an average speed of 60 mph.
Some users may wish to model ramp emissions separately from highway emissions. This can be
accomplished with two separate runs. Emissions on the highways without including ramps
would be modeled by setting Ramp Fraction to 0 in the first run. Emissions on ramps would be
modeled by setting Ramp Fraction to 1 in a second run. For each run, the user would input only
the appropriate VMT in the Vehicle Type VMT tab (i.e., only highway VMT for the first run
where the Ramp Fraction is 0, and only ramp VMT for the second where the Ramp Fraction is
1).
However, the same average speed distribution, representing vehicle travel on the highway only,
should be used in both runs because MOVES calculates an appropriate speed distribution for
ramps based on the speed distribution on the highway (see Section 4.7.4 for more details). If in
the second run where Ramp Fraction is 1, users try to enter a ramp speed distribution with the
Average Speed Distribution Importer, MOVES will treat that speed distribution as if it were a
highway speed distribution and use it to calculate the corresponding ramp distribution. This
ramp distribution would be inappropriate because it would not reflect the user's ramp
information, and would thus produce erroneous results for the run.
If users model ramps separately with this approach and use the Emission Rates option, emission
rates for both the highway and ramp calculation should be based on the same speed, i.e., the
speed of vehicles on the highway. For example, if the highway speed is 60 mph, highway VMT
would be multiplied by the emission rate at 60 mph in the first run and ramp VMT would be
multiplied by the emission rate at 60 mph in the second run. Ramp speeds should not be used in
determining emission factors.
The Ramp Fraction Importer in MOVES is described in Section 2.3.3.4.7 of the MOVES User
Guide.
4.10 Fuel Type and Technology Tab
The Fuel Type and Technology tab (formerly the Alternative Vehicle Fuels & Technology
(AVFT) panel within the Strategies panel of MOVES2010a) allows users to modify the fraction
of vehicles using different fuels and technologies in each model year. In other words, the Fuel
Type and Technology tab allows users to define the split between diesel, gasoline, CNG, and
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electricity, for each vehicle type and model year.45 For example, if in a certain county, sales data
show that more diesel vehicles are sold than gasoline vehicles, this tab could be used to make the
adjustment. If local data is used for present years, that information will be assumed for future
years.
EPA recommends the same approach for county or custom domain zones. For custom domains,
users will define one Fuel Type and Technology for the entire domain. This factor cannot vary
by zone.
The Fuel Type and Technology tab takes the place of the "Diesel Fraction" and "NGV fraction"
commands in MOBILE6.2. However, the MOBILE6.2 inputs were in the form of sales
fractions, while the MOVES input is in the form of activity fractions. This means the most
appropriate input is the fraction of total VMT for each sourcetype and model year that is
travelled by vehicles of each fuel/technology type. If a user does not have information to
calculate fractions using VMT or energy, fraction of vehicle population may be used.
MOVES will assume the same driving behavior for a source type, regardless of fuel or
technology (e.g., the same average speed and road type distributions).46 Users can rely on the
default split between diesel, gasoline, CNG, and electricity, unless they have other information.
For transit buses, the default is that some activity will be gasoline, some diesel, and some CNG.
However, if users have detailed local information, they can modify the information within this
tab. For example, if the transit bus fleet in the area being modeled is entirely CNG, then the user
would assign 100% of the transit bus activity to CNG (i.e., a "1"), and assign a zero for gasoline
and diesel transit bus activity.
Note that if the user relies on the model's default allocation of vehicle activity, some portion of
the transit bus activity is always assumed to be CNG. This is true even if the combination of
"CNG Transit Bus" is not selected in the On Road Vehicle Equipment panel. That is, the if user
selects only gasoline and diesel vehicles in the On Road Vehicle Equipment panel, MOVES still
assumes some transit bus VMT is from CNG buses. If there are no transit buses fueled by CNG
in the modeling area, the user needs to allocate zero activity to CNG transit buses in the Fuel
Type and Technology tab to get correct results for transit buses. Otherwise, some VMT will be
allocated to CNG transit buses and the emissions associated with this VMT will not be included
in the output (as only gasoline and diesel vehicles were selected in the On Road Vehicle
Equipment panel). Likewise, MOVES assumes that some portion of the transit bus fleet is
fueled by gasoline; if there are no gasoline buses in the transit fleet in a given area, the gasoline
VMT fractions should also be set to zero. The same general principle applies to school buses,
which are a mix of gasoline and diesel in the default distribution.
45 In MOVES20 lOa, the only vehicles that can be fueled by CNG are transit buses; however, future versions may
include other fuels and vehicle technologies for other source types. Please check the user guide and other
appropriate documentation for the version of the model you are using to understand any changes from the previous
versions.
46 If the user has information detailing distinct driving behavior for the different vehicle-fuel combinations, then
individual RunSpecs must be conducted for each combination to capture how this will impact emissions. For
example, if diesel buses have a different activity from CNG buses, they cannot be estimated in the same run.
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Similarly, users should be aware that the fractions entered in the Fuel Type and Technology tab
directly affect the selections the user needs to make in the On Road Vehicle Equipment panel
(see Section 3.5) and the Fuel Supply information entered in the County Data Manager (see
Section 4.11.2). Any fuel or engine technology for which the AVFT fraction entered is greater
than 0 must be selected in the On Road Vehicle Equipment panel, otherwise the fraction of VMT
allocated to the portion of the vehicle fleet that operates with this fuel or engine technology, and
the associated VMT, will not be included in the run and the results will be incorrect. With
respect to the data input in the Fuel Supply tab of the CDM, a fuel formulation must be supplied
for all vehicle-fuel combinations selected in the On-Road Vehicle Equipment panel and Fuel
Type and Technology tab. Please refer to Section 4.11 of this document for more detail.
Users can also refer to Appendix F of the MOVES User Guide for an example application of the
AVFT to simulate the GHG effects of different future fuel economy standards.47
When estimating on-road GHG emissions, EPA assumes no future changes in vehicle activity
associated with alternate fuel or engine technologies unless those alternate fuels or technologies
are required by regulation or law. EPA recommends that users follow this same approach.
4.11 Fuel (Formulation and Supply)
(MOVES User Guide Sections 2.3.3.4.8 and 2.3.3.4.9)
MOVES has two tables - called fuel formulation and fuelsupply - that interact to define the fuels
used in the area being modeled. The fuelformulation table defines the attributes (such as RVP,
sulfur level, ethanol volume, etc.) of each fuel; the fuelsupply table identifies the fuel
formulations used in an area and each formulation's respective market share. In MOVES2010a
and MOVES2010b, the fuelformulation and fuelsupply tables are both accessed through a single
tab in the CDM called Fuels.
In general, the default database information for fuel supply and formulation can be used in a
GHG analysis. Users should review the default fuel formulation and fuel supply data and make
changes only where local volumetric fuel property information is available. However, for RVP
the user should change the value to reflect the regulatory requirements and differences between
ethanol- and non-ethanol blended gasolines. With the exception of ethanol content, fuel
properties are not likely to have a significant impact on GHG emissions.48 Users that want
information about the biofuels included in MOVES should consult the most recent version of the
MOVES User Guide on the web (see Section 1.7 of this document).
When running MOVES for a custom domain, the same fuel supply and fuel formulation
information must apply across the entire custom domain.
47 While this type of simulation is useful for GHG policy analysis, it cannot be applied in SIP or conformity analyses
for criteria pollutants because fuel economy also affects hydrocarbon and sulfur emissions from the MOVES model.
48 Ethanol does not have an impact on estimates of CO2 emissions in MOVES, but users may want to quantify
ethanol used when preparing a GHG inventory because ethanol is a renewable fuel.
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4.11.1 Fuel Formulation
Users who would like more information about fuel formulation portion of the fuel panel in
MOVES can refer to the MOVES SIP and conformity technical guidance.49 The SIP and
conformity guidance provides detail about each field in the fuelformulation table and highlights
the characteristics users should be able to provide and where default data can be used. In
addition, the Fuel Formulation Importer in MOVES is described in Section 2.3.3.4.8 of the
MOVES User Guide.
4.11.2 Fuel Supply
After the fuel formulations for the area being modeled have been reviewed and/or modified, the
fuel supply table can be populated. There are six fields in this table. The countylD field
identifies the area being modeled; this number is 4- or 5-digits and is the FIPSstatelD followed
by the FIPScountylD. 50 The fuelyearlD is equal to the yearlD for years up to 2012; for years
after 2012, the fuelyearlD should remain 2012. The monthgroupID is the same as the monthlD.
The fuelformulationID is explained above. The marketshare is described in detail below.
The marketshare is each fuel formulation's fraction of the volume consumed in the area. The
marketshare should sum to one within each fuel type, listed below in Table 4-3:
Table 4-3: MOVES Fuel Types
fueltypelD
1
2
3
9
Description
Gasoline
Diesel Fuel
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
Note, CNG fuel will not be in defaults; must
manually added to the fuel supply table
Electricity
be
In many cases, only gasoline and diesel fuel vehicles will be selected and therefore only these
two fuel types have to be imported. Within each fuel type, multiple fuel formulations can be
listed as long as the market share sums to one (e.g., three gasoline fuel formulations with market
shares of 0.5, 0.4, and 0.1, and two diesel fuel formulations with market shares of 0.6 and 0.4).
If more vehicle-fuel combinations are selected on the On Road Vehicle Equipment panel (and
some fraction of VMT assigned to them on the AWT panel), then each additional fuel type must
also be entered. However, it should be noted that only gasoline and diesel fuels exist in the
default fuelsupply table; so if other fuel types are selected and the defaults are exported from the
COM, no default alternative fuel formulations will be exported. Therefore, it is the user's
49 "Using MOVES to Prepare Emission Inventories in State Implementation Plans and Transportation Conformity:
Technical Guidance for MOVES2010, 2010a and 2010b," EPA-420-B-12-028, April 2012, available on EPA's
website at: www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/policv.htm#models.
50 FIPS refers to the Federal Information Processing Standard, featuring standard codes used in computer systems.
60
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responsibility to enter the fuelformulationID for the alternative fuel type in the fuelsupply table
before importing.
The GHG effects of changes in the fuel mix used by vehicles can also be modeled in MOVES.
While MOVES2010a does not distinguish the GHG impacts of different fuel blends (such as
E10, E15 and E85), AVFT can be used to change the fraction of future vehicles using gasoline,
diesel, CNG and electricity.51 These changes will be reflected in MOVES GHG results. Note
that while this type of "what-if' analysis is reasonable for GHG emissions analysis, it would not
be acceptable for SIP or transportation conformity analyses without an enforceable mechanism to
ensure that the anticipated change in fuel use actually occurred; please consult the relevant
guidance documents.
The Fuel Supply Importer in MOVES is described in Section 2.3.3.4.9 of the MOVES User
Guide.
4.12 Inspection and Maintenance Programs
(MOVES User Guide Section 2.3.3.4.10)
If a user is modeling methane emissions, and is modeling an area where an inspection and
maintenance (I/M) program applies, the user should include the same I/M program inputs used
for SIP and conformity analyses and should refer to Section 4.11 of the MOVES SIP and
conformity technical guidance for more information. However, if a user is modeling CO2, N2O,
and/or elemental carbon emissions only, or modeling an area where no I/M program applies, the
user can skip this panel altogether.
4.13 Zone (MOVES 201 Ob Custom Domain Only)
(Section 2.3.3.4.10 of the MOVES User Guide)
The Zone Importer can be used to define multiple zones within a larger custom domain region.
The Zone tab will appear only when a custom domain is selected in the geographic bounds panel.
Table 4-4 lists which inputs can vary by zone. The zone option may be advantageous when
modeling a region of multiple counties that share the same fuels, vehicle age distribution, and
I/M program. Rather than modeling each individual county in separate runs, users can divide
activity (e.g., VMT) between multiple zones and run MOVES only once. Emissions results will
be produced for each defined zone. Although fuels, age distribution, and I/M programs cannot
vary between zones, users can define specific temperature and humidity values for each zone
within the custom domain. This information should be imported through the Meteorology
Importer - discussed in Section 4.3.
51 In MOVES20 lOa, the only vehicles that can be fueled by CNG are transit buses; however, future versions may
include other fuels and vehicle technologies for other source types. For electric vehicles, MOVES assumes no
emissions directly from the vehicle and does not estimate emissions from electricity generation. Please check the
user guide and other appropriate documentation for the version of the model you are using to understand any
changes from previous versions.
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Table 4-4 MOVESZOlOb Custom Domain Inputs by Zone
MOVES input Can be varied by zone? How is the input changed?
Meteorology
Source Type
Population
Vehicle Type VMT
Age Distribution
Average Speed
Distribution
Road Type Distribution
Ramp Fraction
Fuels
I/M programs
Fuel Type and
Technology
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Temperatures and Humidity are defined for
each zone using the "Meteorology" input
Population (starts, evaporative, and extended
idle emissions) are allocated to each zone using
the "Zone" input
VMT (running emissions) are allocated to each
zone and road type using the "ZoneRoadType"
input
Not applicable
The Zone Importer includes three input tables: Zone, ZoneRoadType, and
S C CRoadTyp eDi stributi on.
The Zone input is used to allocate off-network activity between each zone. Users should specify
the distribution of starts (startAllocFactor), extended idle (idleAllocFactor), and parking
(SHPAllocFactor) for each defined zone. Since off-network emissions are proportional to
vehicle population in MOVES, the zone input is useful when modeling regions where starts may
not be directly tied to population. For example, some urban centers may have a relatively low
vehicle population as determined by vehicle registration data, but commuters may contribute to
high start and evaporative (parked) emissions during the day. (As noted earlier, no GHG
emissions result from evaporation.) Using this input can address such situations. If specific
start, extended idle, and parked fractions are not available, users can rely on the distribution of
vehicle population among each zone to determine the allocation factors.
The ZoneRoadType input is used to vary on-road activity (VMT) by road type and zone. The
source hours operating (SHOAllocFactor) must sum to one for each road type. The allocation
factors should be based on the distribution of VMT for each road type and zone. Users can use
the ZoneRoadType input to model situations where one zone may have much more highway
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VMT but lower arterial/local VMT than other zones by changing the SHO allocation factors. If
data are not available, these factors may be identical for each road type within each zone.
The SCCRoadTypeDistribution input describes the mapping of MOVES road type to SCC road
types. This is used when modeling a custom domain and selecting output by SCC; it does not
impact the emissions calculations within MOVES.
4.14 Generic
(Section 2.3.3.4 of the MOVES User Guide)
The Generic tab can be used to export, modify, and re-import any of the default MOVES tables
not covered by the County Data Manager. Users should note that there are complex interactions
between tables in MOVES, and there may be unintended consequences from changing any table.
Generally, other than the Stage II vehicle refueling controls - which are not needed in a GHG or
energy consumption analysis - most tables should never be changed; results would be
compromised if such tables are modified.52 EPA recommends that users consult with their EPA
regional office before modifying any of the default MOVES tables accessible through the
Generic tab.
See the MOVES SIP and conformity technical guidance and the MOVES User Guide (Section 1.6 indicates web
locations for these documents) for further information about Stage II vehicle refueling in MOVES.
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Appendix A
Table A-l: Users who have already developed population data for MOBILE6.2 vehicle types can
use the following table to assign those populations to the MOVES source types, using the
column labeled "Population Fraction."
The last column of the table, "VMT Fraction," shows the mapping scheme the converter tools
use to convert VMT by MOBILE6.2 vehicle types to their equivalent MOVES source types.
Table A-l Mapping from MOBILE6.2 Vehicle Types to MOVES Source Types
MOBILE6.2
Vehicle Type
ID
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Name
LDGV
LDGT1
LDGT2
LDGT3
LDGT4
HDGV2B
HDGV3
HDGV4
HDGV5
HDGV6
HDGV7
MOVES Source Type
ID
21
31
32
31
32
31
32
31
32
31
32
31
32
31
32
31
32
43
52
53
54
61
43
52
53
54
61
Name
Passenger Car
Passenger Truck
Light Commercial Truck
Passenger Truck
Light Commercial Truck
Passenger Truck
Light Commercial Truck
Passenger Truck
Light Commercial Truck
Passenger Truck
Light Commercial Truck
Passenger Truck
Light Commercial Truck
Passenger Truck
Light Commercial Truck
Passenger Truck
Light Commercial Truck
School Bus
Single Unit Short-haul Truck
Single Unit Long-haul Truck
Motor Home
Combination Short-haul
Truck
School Bus
Single Unit Short-haul Truck
Single Unit Long-haul Truck
Motor Home
Combination Short-haul
Truck
Population
Fraction
1.00
0.78
0.22
0.78
0.22
0.78
0.22
0.78
0.22
0.63
0.37
0.63
0.37
0.06
0.94
0.06
0.94
0.04
0.69
0.03
0.23
0.01
0.04
0.69
0.03
0.23
0.01
VMT
Fraction
1.00
0.78
0.22
0.78
0.22
0.78
0.22
0.78
0.22
0.63
0.37
0.63
0.37
0.05
0.95
0.05
0.95
0.03
0.80
0.06
0.09
0.02
0.03
0.80
0.06
0.09
0.02
64
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12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
HDGV8A
HDGV8B
LDDV
LDDT12
HDDV2B
HDDV3
HDDV4
HDDV5
HDDV6
HDDV7
HDDV8A
HDDV8B
52
53
61
52
53
61
21
31
32
31
32
31
32
31
32
31
32
51
52
53
54
61
62
51
52
53
54
61
62
51
52
53
61
62
51
52
53
Single Unit Short-haul Truck
Single Unit Long-haul Truck
Combination Short-haul
Truck
Single Unit Short-haul Truck
Single Unit Long-haul Truck
Combination Short-haul
Truck
Passenger Car
Passenger Truck
Light Commercial Truck
Passenger Truck
Light Commercial Truck
Passenger Truck
Light Commercial Truck
Passenger Truck
Light Commercial Truck
Passenger Truck
Light Commercial Truck
Refuse Truck
Single Unit Short-haul Truck
Single Unit Long-haul Truck
Motor Home
Combination Short-haul
Truck
Combination Long-haul
Truck
Refuse Truck
Single Unit Short-haul Truck
Single Unit Long-haul Truck
Motor Home
Combination Short-haul
Truck
Combination Long-haul
Truck
Refuse Truck
Single Unit Short-haul Truck
Single Unit Long-haul Truck
Combination Short-haul
Truck
Combination Long-haul
Truck
Refuse Truck
Single Unit Short-haul Truck
Single Unit Long-haul Truck
0.90
0.08
0.02
0.90
0.08
0.02
1.00
0.42
0.58
0.43
0.57
0.43
0.57
0.10
0.90
0.10
0.90
0.01
0.72
0.06
0.07
0.11
0.03
0.01
0.72
0.06
0.07
0.11
0.03
0.02
0.30
0.02
0.35
0.31
0.02
0.30
0.02
0.88
0.08
0.04
0.88
0.08
0.04
1.00
0.41
0.59
0.42
0.58
0.42
0.58
0.08
0.92
0.08
0.92
0.01
0.55
0.05
0.01
0.27
0.11
0.01
0.55
0.05
0.01
0.27
0.11
0.01
0.08
0.01
0.42
0.48
0.01
0.08
0.01
65
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24
25
26
27
28
MC
HDGB
HDDBT
HDDBS
LDDT34
61
62
11
43
41
42
43
31
32
Combination Short-haul
Truck
Combination Long-haul
Truck
Motorcycle
School Bus
Intercity Bus
Transit Bus
School Bus
Passenger Truck
Light Commercial Truck
0.35
0.31
1.00
1.00
0.62
0.38
1.00
0.42
0.58
0.42
0.48
1.00
1.00
0.73
0.27
1.00
0.41
0.59
66
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Appendix B: Including Local VMT Information Using the
National Scale
B. 1 Introduction
EPA strongly encourages users to use local VMT information in MOVES, even when using the
National scale. As explained in Section 4, at the National scale VMT information for one or
more counties or states cannot be included via the Data Importer. This is because MOVES will
treat VMT entered via the Data Importer as applying to the nation as a whole rather than the
geographic area chosen, and will apportion only some fraction of this VMT to the geographic
area chosen, producing erroneous results.
Instead, the directions given below can be used to include local VMT information when MOVES
is run using the National scale. In this process, the user has MOVES calculate an inventory for
the geographic area chosen. Once MOVES is executed, the user runs a "post-processing" script
to have MOVES calculate one or more emissions rates from this inventory. The user then
applies these emission rates to their local VMT information. EPA believes these additional steps
to include local VMT information will produce a more precise estimate of GHG emissions or
energy consumption than the National scale results that MOVES produces. See Section 2 for
additional discussion.
B.2 RunSpec Settings
Assuming the user has chosen the National scale, the user should make certain selections in the
"Scale," "Time Spans," "Geographic Bounds" and "Output" panels depending on the local VMT
information that the user has, as described below. These directions are not a comprehensive
guide to creating a RunSpec, which is covered in Section 3 of this document.
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B.2.1. Scale Panel
Select "Inventory" for calculation type, as shown below.
MOVES - ID 7714707270872644
File Edit Preprocessing Action Postprocessing lools Settings Help
-In x
Output Emissions Detail
Advanced Performance Features
Domain/Scale
fe the default national database with default state and local allocation factors.
Caution: Do not use this scale setting for SIP or conformity
/\ analyses. The allocation factors and other defaults applied at
/|\ the state or county level have not been verified against specific
«*• slate or county data and do not meet regulatory requirements for
SIPs and conformity determinations.
O County Select or define a single county that is the entire domain.
Note: Use this scale setting for SIP and regional conformity analysis.
Use of this scale setting requires user-supplied local data for most
activity and fleet inputs.
Project Use project domain inputs.
Note: Use this scale setting for project-level analysis for conformity.
NEPA. or airy other regulatory purpose. Use of this scale setting requires
user-supplied data at the link level for activity and fleet inputs that
describe a particular transportation project.
Calculation Type
^^^^^^^
Inventory
Mass and/or Energy within a region and time span.
Emission Rates Mass and/or Energy per unit of activity.
Caution: Changing these selections changes the contents of other
input panels. These changes may include losing previous data contents.
Create new RunSpec
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B.2.2. Time Spans Panel
After selecting the appropriate year, and choosing a time aggregation level (see Section 2.6 for a
discussion of time aggregation level), select "Months, Days, and Hours" according to the local
VMT information you have. For example, if you have annual VMT for the geographic area
being modeled, then select all months, all days, and all hours. These selections are shown below.
B MOVES - ID 7714707270872644
-IDIXI
File
Edit Pre Processing Action Post Processing loots Settings Help
Description
Scale
Geographic Bounds
' Vehicles/Equipment
1 Road Type
Pollutants And Processes
Manage Input Data Sets
Time Aggregation Level
Years
Year Month Day • Hour
Months
Select Year: [2010 \-*\
Years:
Add
2010
Remove
0 January E July
• February y_ August
0 March y September
y April 0 October
0 May >• November
y June y December
.*- •«
Select All
Days
y Weekend
• Weekdays
Select All
Clear All
Create new RunSpec
If you have local VMT data for an average day, the same selections should be made - you will
need to multiply the average daily VMT by 365 days for a annual VMT number.
If you have local VMT data for a specific day such as a "typical summer day," you could select
the appropriate months (e.g., June, July, and August); "Weekdays;" and all hours. The output
that MOVES produces will be relevant for just the time periods selected. In this example,
MOVES output will be for the weekday days in the months of June, July, and August (66 days)
and additional VMT information would still be needed to create an annual inventory. If you
have VMT information that varies by time period, such as by month, or type of day, or hour,
EPA strongly recommends running MOVES at the County scale, to take advantage of the detail
in the local data.
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B.2.3. Geographic Bounds Panel
If your local VMT data differs by county, then select County in this panel. Selecting County in
this panel will mean that the script will calculate an emissions rate for each county selected in the
run. If your VMT data differs by state, or applies to the entire state, select State in this panel. If
State is selected in this panel, the script will calculate an emissions rate for each state selected in
the run. Note that the input VMT data will need to be labeled with the appropriate state and
county codes, or error messages will be produced.
You will also need to select the counties or states to be modeled in this panel. The panel is shown
below with "State" selected; at this point the state or states to be modeled would be selected from
the menu and added to the RunSpec. If "County" were selected instead, you could choose one or
more counties from one or more states.
MOVES - ID 7714707270872644
File Edit Preprocessing Action Postprocessing Tools Settings Help
- n x
Pollutants And Processes
I
Manage Input Data Sets
- * Strategies
B ' Output
J General Output
r Output Emissions Detail
Performance Fea
States:
Selections:
ALABAMA
ALASKA
ARIZONA
ARKANSAS
CALIFORNIA
COLORADO
O Custom Domain CONNECTICUT
DELAWARE
ITRICT OF COLUMBIA
DEL*
IDIST
Select All
Add
Geographic Bounds Requirements
Please select a state.
Caution: For SIP or regional conformity analyses, you must go back to the
/ ' i Scale window and select "County'' before specifying a county in this window.
Caution: You have selected National scale with detail at the State or County level.
/jV MOVES will use the default national database with default state and local allocation
/'\ factors. These factors have not been verified against actual state or couivty level
data and do not meet regulatory requirements for SIPs and conformity determinations.
eate new RunSpec
70
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B.2.4 Output Panel
This panel includes two other panels, the General Output panel and the Output Emissions Detail
panel.
General Output panel: Under "Activity," "Distance Traveled" must be selected for the post-
processing script to run. You will also need to select the appropriate units (for most analyses,
grams, joules, and miles are appropriate) and create an output database in this panel. Mass units
of grams may be a good choice because with the post-processing script, mass units will be
divided by VMT to produce an emissions rate.
The screen below shows these selections, with an output database called "state_natlscale_out."
(You may want to include the name of the state or county in the output database name. EPA
recommends naming output databases with "_out" at the end to identify it as an output database
as noted in Section 3.10.1).
MOVES - ID 7714707270872644
File Edit Preprocessing Action Postprocessing lools Settings Help
Description
Scale
Time Spans
Geographic Bounds
3 , Vehicles/Equipment
On Road Vehicle Equipment
Road Type
•
Pollutants And Processes
Manage Input Data Sets
13 / Strategies
B ' Output
Output Emissions Detail
Advanced Performance Features
Create new RunSpec
Output Database
Server:
Database: |state_nallscale_out | •* \ \ Refresh
Units
Data is already in this database. Create Database...
Activity
Mass Units: f\Grams 'VI
Energy Unrtl: Joules
Distance Un
D Source Hours
Q Source Hours Idling
Source Hours Operating
Source Hours Parked
Population
D Starts
71
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Output Emissions Detail panel: Depending on what type of detail is present in your local
VMT data, you will need to make selections in the in the Output Emissions Detail panel as
follows.
If local VMT data is for the entire year, then under the "Time" pull-down menu, select "Year."
If your VMT data varies by day or by hour, as noted above, EPA recommends running MOVES
at the County scale to take advantage of the detail in the local data instead of the National scale
approach.
If local VMT data varies by state, then under the "Location" pull-down menu, select "STATE."
If local VMT data varies by county, then under the "Location" pull-down menu, select
"COUNTY."
Furthermore, if local VMT data varies by road type, then select "Road Type," if it varies by
vehicle type, then select "Source Use Type." Your local VMT data may not contain this level of
detail, in which case you should leave them blank. The screen below highlights the fields that
would vary depending on the local VMT information you have, and in this case, the local VMT
data to be applied is for the entire year, for the entire state.
MOVES - ID 7714707270872644
File Edit PreProcessing Action Postprocessing lools Settings Help
Always
Time C Year
x Location(nSTATE | Vf
: Pollutant
for All Vehicle Equipment Categories
Model Year
Fuel Type
L j Emission Process
G Estimate Uncertainty
Number of iterations:
D Keep pseiido.randomly sampled input
D Keep output from each iteration
eate new RunSpec
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B.3 Execute the Run and Post-Process Results
When the RunSpec has been completed, go to the "Action" pull-down menu at the top of the
screen and select "Execute." This will run MOVES and results will be included in the output
database you specified.
Once the MOVES run has been successfully executed, go to the "Post Processing" pull-down
menu at the top of the screen, and select "Run MySQL Script on MOVES Output Database."
-Inlxl
File Edit Preprocessing Actifl«r Post Processing tools Settimjs
Run MySQL Script on Output Database
i mli n i- Summary Report
Time Spans
Geographic Bounds
Vehicles Equipment
Road Type
Pollutants And Processes
Manage Input Data Sets
Strategies
Output
Advanced Performance
Run MySQL Script on MOVES Oirtput Database
From the list of scripts available in the pull-down menu, select the script called,
"EmissionRates.sql."
Select Script
Select output processing script
EmissionRates.sql
OK
Cancel
After getting a message that the script has been successfully executed, open the MySQL Query
Browser. In the output database created for the MOVES run, there will be a new data table
73
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produced by the script called "movesrates." This table provides emission rates per unit of
distance for the GHG emissions selected in the Pollutants and Processes panel of the RunSpec.
The user can find emission rates in this data table according to what was selected in the
RunSpec, and multiply these rates by the appropriate VMT. These rates will include emissions
for all processes selected in the Pollutants and Processes panel in the RunSpec, expressed in units
of mass per distance, regardless of whether some of these processes (e.g., starts and extended
idle) are a function of distance.
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