MOVES3 Technical Guidance:
Using MOVES to Prepare Emission
Inventories for State Implementation Plans
and Transportation Conformity
&EPA
United States
Environmental PrulutUon
Agency
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MOVES3 Technical Guidance:
Using MOVES to Prepare Emission
Inventories for State Implementation Plans
and Transportation Conformity
Office of Transportation and Air Quality
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
|^A United States
Environmental Prolucliun
I M I Ag en cy
EPA-420-B-20-052
November 2020
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Table of Contents
Section 1. Introduction 4
1.1 Background 4
1.2 Purpose of This Guidance 4
1.3 How does MOVES3 compare with MOVES2014b? 6
1.4 Using existing MOVES2014 input databases in MOVES3 7
1.5 What other MOVES guidance and documentation are available? 7
1.6 Does This Guidance Create New Requirements? 8
1.7 Who do I contact for additional information? 8
Section 2. Planning an Emissions Analysis for Onroad Vehicles 9
2.1 For what purposes are onroad emission inventories created? 9
2.2 What data are required to run MOVES? 10
2.3 What options do users have for calculating an inventory within or outside of MOVES? 10
2.4 What are the options for creating inventories for SIPs and transportation conformity? ..11
Section 3. Creating an Onroad Run Specification File 13
3.1 How is a Run Specification (RunSpec) created? 13
3.1.1 Description 13
3.2 Scale and Calculation Type 14
3.2.1 Model 14
3.2.2 Domain/Scale 14
3.2.3 Calculation Type 15
3.3 Time Spans 16
3.3.1 Calendar Year of Evaluation 16
3.3.2 Month of Evaluati on 16
3.3.3 Type of Day of Evaluation 16
3.3.4 Hour of Evaluati on 17
3.3.5 Time Span Panel Selections: Emission Rates Mode 17
3.4 Geographic Bounds 18
3.5 Onroad Vehicles 18
3.6 Road Type 19
3.7 Pollutants and Processes 20
3.7.1 Pollutants and Processes in Emission Rates Mode 21
3.8 General Output 22
3.8.1 Output Database 22
3.8.2 Units 22
3.8.3 Activity 22
3.9 Output Emission Detail 23
3.9.1 Output Emission Detail When Using Emission Rates Mode 24
3.10 Create Input Database 24
3.11 Advanced Features 25
Section 4. Adding Local Onroad Data via the County Data Manager 26
4.1 How do users enter information with the County Data Manager? 26
4.2 Meteorology 27
4.2.1 Meteorology: Guidance for Inventory Mode 27
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4.2.2 Meteorology: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode 28
4.3 Source Type Population 29
4.3.1 Source Type Population: Guidance for Inventory Mode 30
4.3.2 Source Type Population: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode 31
4.4 Age Distribution 31
4.5 Vehicle Type Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) 32
4.5.1 Vehicle Type VMT: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode 34
4.6 Average Speed Distribution 34
4.6.1 Average Speed Distribution: Guidance for Inventory Mode 34
4.6.1.1 Additional Guidance for Inventories Used in Attainment Modeling 36
4.6.1.2 Additional Guidance for Speeds on Local Roadways 36
4.6.1.3 Average Speed Distributions for Highways and Ramps 37
4.6.2 Average Speed Distribution: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode 37
4.7 Road Type Distribution 37
4.7.1 Road Type Distribution: Guidance for Inventory Mode 37
4.7.2 Road Type Distribution: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode 37
4.8 Fuels (Fuel Supply, Fuel Formulation, Fuel Usage Fraction, and AVFT) 38
4.8.1 Fuel Formulation and Fuel Supply Guidance 39
4.8.1.1 Fuel Formulation Data Fields 39
4.8.1.2 Fuel Supply Data Fields 41
4.8.2 Fuel Usage Fraction Guidance 42
4.8.3 AVFT Guidance 43
4.9 Inspection and Maintenance Programs 44
4.9.1 Pollutant Process ID 44
4.9.2 Source Type ID and Fuel Type ID 44
4.9.3 Inspection Frequency 45
4.9.4 Test Standards and I/M Program ID 45
4.9.5 Beginning and Ending Model Years 47
4.9.6 Compliance Factor 47
4.9.6.1 Compliance Rate 48
4.9.6.2 Waiver Rate 48
4.9.6.3 Failure Rate 48
4.9.6.4 Regulatory Class Coverage Adjustment 49
4.9.6.5 Example Compliance Factor Calculation 49
4.10 Starts 50
4.11 Hotelling 52
4.12 Idle Data 55
4.12.1 Off-network Idle: Guidance for Inventory Mode 55
4.12.2 Off-network Idle: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode 56
4.13 Retrofit Data 57
4.14 Stage II Refueling Programs 57
4.15 Generic 58
Section 5. Developing Nonroad Inventories with MOVES 59
5.1 Developing a Nonroad RunSpec 59
5.1.1 Scale 59
5.1.2 Time Spans 59
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5.1.3 Geographic Bounds 60
5.1.4 Vehicles/Equipment: Nonroad Vehicle Equipment 60
5.1.5 Road Type 61
5.1.6 Pollutants and Processes 61
5.1.7 Output 61
5.1.7.1 General Output 61
5.1.7.2 Output Emissions Detail 61
5.2 Use of the Nonroad Data Importer 61
5.2.1 Meteorology 62
5.2.2 Fuels (Fuel Supply and Fuel Formulation) 62
5.2.3 Generic Tab 63
5.3 Using Emission Factor Scripts to Apply Local Population and Activity Data 64
Appendix A MOVES Source Types by Regulatory Class 67
Appendix B Nonroad Equipment Types 70
Appendix C Nonroad Post-Processing Scripts 73
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Section 1. Introduction
1.1 Background
MOVES (MOtor Vehicle Emissions Simulator) is a state-of-the-science model designed by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to estimate air pollution emissions from mobile
sources in the United States. MOVES can be used to estimate exhaust and evaporative emissions
as well as brake and tire wear emissions from all types of onroad vehicles. MOVES can also be
used to estimate emissions from many kinds of nonroad equipment.1 The onroad and nonroad
modeling capabilities exist as separate modules in MOVES.
MOVES3 is a major revision to the previous versions of MOVES2014. EPA has changed the
naming system for MOVES with this revision. As shown in Table 1-1, under this new naming
system, future minor revisions would be designated by increments of the number after a decimal
point (e.g., MOVES3.1).2 EPA may also use an additional decimal point to designate minor
patches (e.g., MOVES3.0.1). This guidance will apply to all versions of MOVES3 until it is
replaced with a new major revision. Hereafter, the term "MOVES" is used to apply to all
versions of MOVES3. To distinguish between the onroad and nonroad components in MOVES,
this guidance refers to them as "MOVES-Onroad" and "MOVES-Nonroad," respectively.
Table 1-1. New MOVES Naming Convention
Type of Release
Naming Convention
Examples
Major release
"MOVES" followed by a new number in
sequence
M0VES3, M0VES4
Minor revision
Addition of a decimal followed by a new
number in sequence
M0VES3.1,
MOVES3.2
Minor patch, e.g., new
user features
Addition of a second decimal followed by a
new number in sequence
MOVES3.0.1,
MOVES3.0.2
1.2 Purpose of This Guidance
This document provides guidance on the use of MOVES for inventory development in state
implementation plans (SIPs) and for regional emissions analysis for transportation conformity
determinations ("regional conformity analyses") in states other than California.3 4 This
document includes guidance on developing nonroad inventories using MOVES and guidance on
fuels inputs for onroad vehicles.5
1 See Appendix B for the list of nonroad equipment that can be modeled with MOVES. Note that MOVES cannot
be used to model emissions from locomotive, commercial marine, or aviation engines.
2 Under the previous naming convention, minor revisions were denoted by letters (e.g., MOVES2014a).
3 In California, a different onroad emissions model, EMFAC, is used for regulatory purposes instead of MOVES.
MOVES can also model emissions in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
4 Project level analyses for transportation conformity are covered in other guidance documents; see Section 1.5 for
more information.
5 This guidance, along with the other EPA guidance referenced in this document, is listed in the EPA guidance portal
at https://www.epa.gov/guidance/guidance-documents-managed-office-air-and-radiation.
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A "regional emissions analysis" for transportation conformity purposes involves estimating
onroad motor vehicle emissions at the regional level. However, this term could be confused with
the process of creating an inventory for a SIP. To avoid that confusion, an analysis done for
transportation conformity is referred to as a "regional conformity analysis" in this document.
This document presumes that users already have a basic understanding of how to run MOVES.6
It also presumes a basic understanding of SIP and conformity regulatory requirements and
policy.7
MOVES can estimate onroad motor vehicle emissions through various domain/scale options:
Default Inputs, County Scale, and Project Scale.8 The County Scale is required for estimating
onroad emissions for SIPs and regional conformity analyses. The onroad portion of this
guidance covers the use of the County Scale only.9 Sections 2, 3, and 4 of this guidance focus on
determining what the appropriate inputs are and how MOVES should be run to develop emission
estimates for onroad vehicles for SIPs and regional conformity analyses. MOVES-Nonroad only
operates at the Default Inputs option. Section 5 includes discussion of how to develop county-
level nonroad emissions estimates using MOVES-Nonroad at Default Scale.
MOVES-Onroad includes a default database of meteorology, vehicle fleet, vehicle activity, fuel,
and emission control program data for the entire United States. The data included in this
database come from a variety of sources and may not be the most current or best available
information for any specific county. This guidance describes when the use of that default
database is appropriate for SIPs and regional conformity analyses.
This document covers the input options in MOVES that are most relevant for SIPs and regional
conformity analyses. Use of MOVES to analyze certain specific control programs, such as diesel
retrofit and replacement programs, are addressed separately in updates to guidance documents
for those programs.10 MOVES users should always check with their EPA Regional Office if
there is any question about the applicability of guidance to any specific situation. Refer to
Section 1.7 for a link to the EPA Regional contacts.
This document has five major sections:
Section 1 is a general introduction to this guidance.
Section 2 helps with planning an onroad emissions analysis with MOVES.
6 For information about how to run MOVES, please see the resources available on EPA's MOVES training web site:
https://www.epa.gov/moves/moves-training-sessions.
7 For more information, see EPA's web site at: https://www.epa.gov/state-and-local-transportation.
8 In previous versions of MOVES, "Default Scale" was called "National Scale." We have changed the name of this
scale to better describe the attributes of this scale (as it can be used to model states and counties in addition to the
entire country by using built-in default data).
9 See Section 1.5 for a list of guidance documents that address use of MOVES at the Project Scale.
10 MOVES users should check https://www.epa.gov/state-and-local-transportation/policv-and-technical-guidance-
state-and-local-transportation#quantifving for updates to EPA guidance documents for estimating reductions from
various control programs.
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Section 3 focuses on the individual parameters used to create a MOVES Run
Specification (RunSpec) file for an onroad emissions analysis. In general, these
parameters define the type of MOVES run, the time period, location, vehicle types, road
types, and pollutants, and how detailed MOVES output will be.
Section 4 describes the input options in the County Data Manager (CDM) used for
onroad emissions analyses. The CDM is where users enter locally specific data such as
meteorology, fleet and activity data, fuel specifications, and Inspection and Maintenance
(I/M) program information if applicable.
Section 5 focuses on using MOVES for nonroad emissions analysis, including the
parameters to create a nonroad RunSpec in MOVES, use of the Nonroad Data Importer to
incorporate local meteorological and fuel data, and use of emission factor post-processing
scripts to apply local nonroad population and activity information to MOVES nonroad
output.
MOVES users are urged to check the MOVES website regularly and subscribe to EPA's mobile
source emissions model Listserv to receive announcements related to MOVES and MOVES
guidance (https://www.epa.gov/moves/forms/epa-mobilenews-listserv).
1.3 How does MO VES3 compare with MO VES2014b?
M0VES3 is a major revision to the MOVES series of models and is considered to be the latest
emissions model for SIP and conformity purposes. Under the new naming convention, this
model is M0VES3, as it is the third major MOVES releasethe first two were MOVES2010
and MOVES2014. M0VES3 includes many changes, including new vehicle standards, new
emissions and activity data, and new features. As a result of these changes, estimates of
emissions from M0VES3 may be different from MOVES2014b.
The structure of M0VES3 is fundamentally the same as MOVES2014, although there are new
format options for some inputs, and the model run time may differ depending on the type of run
and user inputs and computer configuration.
Changes in M0VES3 that are addressed in this guidance include:
Removal of Time Aggregation options from the Time Spans Panel
Removal of Custom Domain option from Geographic Bounds Panel in County Scale
Automatic selection of all fuel types in the Onroad Vehicles Panel
Removal of ramps options from the Road Types Panel
New input options for start activity
New input option for entering local hotelling activity data for long-haul combination
trucks
New input option for off-network idling
There are numerous additional changes in the MOVES 3 Graphical User Interface (GUI) that
affect ease of use that are addressed in M0VES3 training materials at:
https://www.epa.gov/moves/moves-training-sessions.
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1.4 Using existing MO VES2014 input databases in MO VES3
Input databases created with previous versions of the model are not directly compatible with
M0VES3, and EPA does not recommend the use of input databases created for versions of
MOVES2014 with M0VES3 or subsequent versions. M0VES3 includes significant updates to
default fleet, activity, fuels, and I/M program data and this default information should be used
instead of the default information from versions of MOVES2014. Any local data originally
derived for use with versions of MOVES2014 would likely need to be updated as well. EPA
recommends creating new input databases using new information with MOVES 3 rather than
attempting to convert and update existing input databases for versions of MOVES2014.
However, for existing input databases that still contain the latest available information, MOVES3
includes scripts in the "Tools" menu that will convert input databases created with any version of
MOVES2014 (including MOVES2014a and MOVES2014b) to the proper format for MOVES3.
These conversion tools have instructions and additional help files in the GUI regarding how to
use them.
1.5 What other MO VES guidance and documentation are a vailable ?
In addition to this guidance document, EPA has developed policy guidance to assist in
implementing MOVES:
Policy Guidance on the Use of MOVES3 for State Implementation Plan Development,
Transportation Conformity, General Conformity, and Other Purposes, EPA-420-B-20-
044, November 2020, addresses general policy issues for MOVES such as timing of the
use of MOVES in SIPs and regional conformity analyses. This guidance is available at
https://www.epa.gOv/moves/latest-version-motor-vehicle-emission-simulator-moves#sip.
There are several existing MOVES2014 guidance documents that are still generally applicable to
using M0VES3 as well:
Transportation Conformity Guidance for Quantitative Hot-spot Analyses in PM2.5 and
PM10 Nonattainment and Maintenance Areas, provides guidance on using MOVES at the
Project Scale for quantitative PM10 and PM2.5 hot-spot analysis for transportation
projects. The latest version of this guidance is available at https://www.epa.gov/state-
and-local-transportation/proiect-level-conformitv-and-hot-spot-analyses#pmguidance.
UsingMOVES2014 in Project-Level Carbon Monoxide Analyses, provides guidance on
using MOVES at the Project Scale for CO emissions from transportation projects. The
latest version of this guidance is available at https://www.epa.gov/state-and-local-
transportation/proiect-level-conformitv-and-hot-spot-analyses#coguidance.
Using MOVES for Estimating State and Local Inventories of Onroad Greenhouse Gas
Emissions and Energy Consumption, describes how to use MOVES to estimate
greenhouse gas emissions and/or energy consumption from onroad vehicles in a state or
metropolitan area. The latest version of this guidance document is available at
https://www.epa.gov/state-and-local-transportation/estimating-road-greenhouse-gas-
emissions.
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EPA will be updating these guidance documents following the release of MOVES3. Where
users are modeling with MOVES2014, please continue to refer to the MOVES2014-based
guidance.
EPA's MOVES website, https://www.epa.gov/moves. contains all of EPA's guidance and
documentation about the MOVES model, including training materials, instructions for
downloading MOVES, notices of upcoming MOVES training, and how to subscribe to EPA's
MOVES email announcements. The latest training materials are available at:
https://www.epa.gov/moves/moves-training-sessions. This page includes a ZIP file that contains
presentations as well as example files so that the training can be self-guided.
Information on the use of MOVES in SIPs and regional conformity analyses (including this
guidance as well as the Policy guidance mentioned above) may also be found at
https://www.epa.gov/state-and-local-transportation/policy-and-technical-guidance-state-and-
local-transportation#emission.
1.6 Does This Guidance Create New Requirements?
No. The discussion in this document is intended solely as guidance. The statutory provisions
and EPA regulations described in this document contain legally binding requirements. This
document is not a regulation itself, nor does it change or substitute for those provisions and
regulations. Thus, it does not impose legally binding requirements on EPA, the DOT, states, or
the regulated community. EPA retains the discretion to adopt approaches on a case-by-case
basis that may differ from this guidance, but still comply with the statute and regulations. Any
decisions regarding a particular SIP or conformity determination will be made based on the
statute and regulations. This guidance may be revised periodically without an opportunity for
public comment.
1.7 Who do I contact for additional information ?
General questions about this guidance should be sent to mobile@EPA.gov. Questions about the
application of this guidance to specific SIPs or regional conformity analyses should be addressed
to the EPA Regional Office SIP or transportation conformity contact. Regional contacts for
transportation conformity can be found at https://www.epa.gov/state-and-local-
transportation/epa-regional-contacts-regarding-state-and-local-transportation.
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Section 2. Planning an Emissions Analysis for Onroad Vehicles
MOVES is a flexible model using an array of input and output options, allowing more than one
way to use MOVES to develop emissions estimates. This section covers approaches to
developing onroad inventories for SIP and regional conformity analysis purposes using MOVES.
These approaches affect the number of runs that will be needed and the degree to which
additional data calculations or post-processing of the MOVES output will be necessary after the
runs. The interagency consultation process should be used to determine which options will best
meet the needs of the area or region. This section addresses how to make that determination
when planning MOVES runs. This section covers the following topics:
The types of inventories that users may need to create;
The types of data that will be needed to run MOVES;
Options for calculating an inventory within or outside of MOVES;
Options for modeling more than one county; and
A summary of planning approaches for a SIP inventory or regional conformity analysis.
2.1 For what purposes are onroad emission inventories created?
State and local air quality and transportation agencies estimate onroad vehicle emissions for a
variety of different regulatory purposes. As described in more detail in the Emissions Inventory
Guidance for Implementation of Ozone and Particulate Matter NAA QS and Regional Haze
Regulations (EPA-454-B-17-002),11 planning inventories for nonattainment areas are required
for reasonable further progress, attainment, and maintenance SIPs. The attainment projected
inventory for the nonattainment area may serve as the basis for the SIP motor vehicle emissions
budgets, which are used in regional conformity analyses. Emission estimates are also created
specifically for air quality modeling for attainment demonstrations, as described in the Modeling
Guidance for Demonstrating Air Quality Goals for Ozone, PM2.5 and Regional Haze (EPA 454-
R-18-009).12 Onroad emissions are calculated as part of the regional conformity analysis for
metropolitan transportation plan and transportation improvement program (TIP) conformity
determinations as well as the regional emissions analysis associated with projects in isolated
rural nonattainment and maintenance areas. Users may create emission inventories for more
general planning purposes, such as comparison of different emission scenarios prior to
development of a SIP. EPA recommends using as much local information as possible when
preparing inventories for SIPs and regional conformity analyses. However, EPA recognizes that
state and local agencies sometimes use different methods and different levels of detail in creating
inventories depending on the intended purpose.
In order to provide the necessary inputs for air quality modeling, emission inventories created for
attainment demonstrations may need to be based on meteorology and activity for a specific
nonattainment episode or for a large number of specific days covering all or part of a season or
year to be modeled in the attainment demonstration. For the development of the SIP's motor
vehicle emissions budgets and regional conformity analyses, an emission inventory based on
11 Available at: https://www.epa.gov/air-emissions-inventories/air-emissions-inventorv-guidance-implementation-
ozone-and-particulate.
12 Available at: https://www.epa.gov/scram/state-implementation-plan-sip-attainment-demonstration-
guidance#8ozone.
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typical seasonal day (e.g., ozone season day for ozone precursors or average-season-day for the
24-hour PM2.5 standard) or annual inventory (e.g., annual or 24-hour PM2.5 standard) would be
sufficient. Users should consult with their EPA Regional Office if questions arise.
2.2 What data are required to run MO VES?
MOVES needs certain information regarding the time and place being modeled in order to
calculate emissions, including information about vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by vehicle type,
the number of each type of vehicle in the fleet (that is, the population of vehicles), vehicle age
distributions, fuel information, meteorological data, etc. Section 4 of this guidance describes the
information that is needed to run MOVES and how users can enter it.
For most inputs, users need to provide local data, but there are some inputs where relying on
MOVES defaults is acceptable or recommended. As with any model, the quality of the inputs
affects the quality of the model's results. Including specific information about a particular
county or set of counties helps to ensure that the emissions estimates from MOVES will be as
accurate as possible. For some of the inputs, the data in the MOVES database will not be the
most current or best available for a specific county. However, there are some instances where
the use of default data is recommended, and 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 acceptable or recommended to use default data.
2.3 What options do users ha ve for calculating an inventory within or outside
of MOVES?
For a County Scale analysis, MOVES offers two options for calculation type:
In Inventory mode, users input local activity data (e.g., VMT and vehicle population
data) into MOVES and the model calculates the inventory. Output is total emissions in
units of mass.
In Emission Rates mode, MOVES produces emission rates and users calculate the
inventory by multiplying these rates by the appropriate local activity data (e.g., VMT and
vehicle population). Note that VMT and vehicle population data are still needed as inputs
for an Emission Rates MOVES run). The Emission Rates mode produces a look-up table
of emission rates. Output examples include emissions per unit of distance for running
emissions, per profile for evaporative processes, or per vehicle for starts and hotelling
emissions. Users should take care to ensure that the proper measure of activity is used
for each emission process.
Users may select either the Inventory or Emission Rates mode to develop emissions estimates for
SIPs and regional conformity analyses.13 Differences in inputs for Inventory versus Emission
Rate calculations are noted in the guidance text. Using the Inventory mode may be preferable
when the user wants to minimize necessary post-processing steps, thus avoiding inadvertent
errors during post-processing. The Emission Rates mode may be preferable when the user wants
13 Section 3.2.3 includes a discussion of the equivalency of the Inventory and Emission Rates modes in calculating
emissions.
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to apply emission rates to multiple geographic locations. If the Emission Rates mode is selected,
users will need to prepare emissions inventories outside of the MOVES model.
In general, EPA recommends that the same mode be used in any analysis that compares two or
more cases (e.g., the base year and attainment year in a SIP analysis or the SIP motor vehicle
emissions budget and the regional conformity analysis). The interagency consultation process
should be used to agree upon a common approach for emission estimates that are made for SIP
or conformity purposes. If different modes are used for the SIP budget and the regional
conformity analysis for practical reasons, the interagency consultation process should be used to
determine how to address (and minimize) any differences in results. The methods used to
develop inventories should be fully documented in the SIP submission and conformity
determination documentation.
2.4 What are the options for creating inventories for SIPs and transportation
conformity?
There is more than one approach for creating an onroad emission inventory for an area made up
of more than one county, such as a metropolitan area. For example:
Each county could be modeled individually, using either the Inventory or Emission Rates
mode, depending on the user's preference. A partial county can also be modeled with
MOVES at the County Scale, using either Inventory or Emission Rates. In this case, the
inputs would reflect the partial county rather than the entire county.
A second option would be to model one county as a representative county with the
Emission Rates mode to generate emission rates at various temperatures. These emission
rates could then be applied to a larger area, as long as the age distribution, fuel used, and
the I/M program in the larger area is 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 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 2-1. Summary of Modeling Approaches Using the County Scale
Geographic
Area
Approach
Advantages
Considerations
One county
(or partial
county)
Use Inventory
Shorter run time and smaller
output files
Use Emission Rates
Rates can be applied to detailed
activity data from travel demand
models if desired
Can be used as inputs for
emissions processing for air
quality modeling
Longer run time, larger output files
Running, start, evaporative, and hotelling rates
must be post-processed to create an inventory
Multi-county
area
Use Inventory and County to
model each county
separately
Produces results for each county
without needing to post-process
Able to model counties with
different vehicle characterization
(age distribution, fuel type, I/M)
and/or different temperatures
An individual run is needed for each county,
so this strategy is more feasible if the number
of counties is small
Post-processing may still be needed to adjust
results for the boundaries of the analysis (e.g.,
a nonattainment or maintenance area)
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
Rates can be applied on a link
basis if desired
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 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 Section
4.8 (fuels) and Section 4.9 (I/M programs) for
more information.
Running, start, evaporative, hotelling, and off-
network idle rates must be post-processed to
create an inventory
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Section 3. Creating an Onroad Run Specification File
3.1 How is a Run Specification (RunSpec) created?
Users establish 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. 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
GUI.
The Navigation Panel in the MOVES GUI is used to access a series of other panels and tabs that
specify the RunSpec file. The following subsections describe each set of input options needed to
create the RunSpec, as defined in the Navigation Panel. When estimating emissions for a SIP or
regional conformity analysis, the user would progress through the Navigation Panel and make
the appropriate selections or data as follows:
Description
Scale and Calculation Type (Inventory or Emission Rates)
Time Spans
Geographic Bounds
Onroad Vehicles
Road Type
Pollutants and Processes
General Output
Output Emissions Detail
Create Input Database
Advanced Features
Each panel is described below. Note that selections made in some panels affect available options
in other panels. The panels should be filled out in the order they appear in the Navigation Panel.
Note that users should clearly document data sources and methodologies for each input used as
part of a SIP or regional conformity analysis.
Tip: The RunSpec should not be changed after the input
database has been created
3.1.1 Description
The Description Panel allows the user to enter a description of the RunSpec.14 Entering a
complete description of the RunSpec will help users keep track of their MOVES runs. The
description may also be helpful in documenting the run for external reviewers of a SIP or
conformity analysis.
14 Restrictions on number and type of characters allowed in previous versions of MOVES have been removed in
MOVES3.
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3.2 Scale and Calculation Type
Selecting Scale on the Navigation Panel in MOVES brings up the Model, Domain/Scale, and
Calculation Type Panel. MOVES allows users to choose either onroad or nonroad emissions.
MOVES provides users with the ability to conduct analyses at three scales: Default, County, and
Project. MOVES also provides two options for calculation type: Inventory or Emission Rates.
Users are free to use either the Inventory or Emission Rates mode depending on their preference.
This guidance will provide additional detail where necessary to emphasize differences between
these two options.
3.2.1 Model
MOVES3 includes the capability of estimating emissions of nonroad equipment and engines.
Within MOVES, the onroad and nonroad capabilities exist as separate modules, and users must
select one or the other. Use of MOVES for nonroad emission inventories is covered in Section 5
of this document.
3.2.2 Domain/Scale
Each option in MOVES has its own intended purpose and the amount of data that the user must
supply varies depending on the selection:
Default Inputs (known as National Scale in previous versions of MOVES) can be used to
estimate emissions for the entire country, for a group of states, for individual states, for a
group of counties, or for individual counties. With this option, MOVES uses a default
national database that allocates emissions to the state and county level based on a mix of
national data, allocation factors, and some pre-loaded local data. EPA cannot certify that
the default data in the national database is the most current or best available information
for any specific county. Because of this, users should not use the Default Inputs
option when developing emission estimates for SIPs or regional conformity analyses.
County Scale requires the user to enter data to characterize local meteorology, fleet, and
activity information through the County Data Manager (CDM). The CDM facilitates the
input of local data and also allows the user to review county data included in the MOVES
default database. The County Scale is the only scale appropriate for developing
emission estimates for SIPs or regional conformity analyses. Detailed guidance on
specific inputs for the CDM, including the use of default inputs, is given in Section 4 of
this guidance.
Project Scale allows the user to perform micro-scale analyses of emissions on individual
roadway links or locations where emissions from vehicles starts or extended idling
activity occur. The Project Scale is not intended for use in SIPs or regional conformity
analyses. Guidance on the use of the Project Scale in MOVES for quantitative hot-spot
analysis in CO, PM2.5 and PM10 nonattainment and maintenance areas is described in
separate guidance documents (available at https://www.epa.gov/state-and-local-
transportation/proiect-level-conformitv-and-hot-spot-analyses).
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3.2.3 Calculation Type
The Scale Panel also requires that the user select a calculation type of either Inventory or
Emission Rates. If Inventory is selected, MOVES provides emission estimates as mass, using
VMT and vehicle population entered by the user. If Emission Rates is selected, MOVES
provides emission rates as mass per unit of activity. The Emission Rates mode produces tables
of emission rates that must be post-processed to produce an inventory. The selection of
calculation type is required early in the RunSpec construction process because this choice affects
the available options in later panels.
Users may choose either the Inventory or Emission Rates mode depending on their preference.
As discussed in Section 2 of this document, each mode has advantages and considerations, and
users will need to decide which approach is more appropriate for the type of analysis they are
conducting. Both modes use the same underlying emission data and will produce the same
results if the user calculates an inventory using Emission Rates in the same way that MOVES
does this internally with Inventory mode. Table 2-1 above provides a summary of modeling
approaches.
As noted in Section 2.3, the Emission Rates mode is more complex than the Inventory mode.
Successful application of this mode requires careful planning and a clear understanding of the
rates calculations in MOVES. Large differences in results between the Inventory and Emission
Rates modes usually indicate a mistake in post-processing of the emission rates using the
Emission Rates mode. The most common mistakes when using the Emission Rates mode are:
not including all pollutant processes, and
multiplying emission rates by the wrong activity.
To correctly compile an emission inventory using rates, running rates must be multiplied by
VMT, while emission rates from processes that occur when the vehicle is parked (such as start,
evaporative, and extended idling rates) must be multiplied by the total population of vehicles in
the area. Off-network idling rates must be multiplied by the number of hours of off-network
idling activity. Note that there are alternative rates for some of the processes that occur when the
vehicle is parked:
Start emission inventories can be calculated either by multiplying the rate per vehicle by
the total population of vehicles in the area, or by multiplying the rate per start by the total
number of starts;
Hotelling emissions can be calculated by multiplying the rate per vehicle by the total
population of long-haul combination trucks in the area or by multiplying the rate per hour
by the hours of hotelling activity.15
Even when done correctly, minor differences in post-processing methods can create small
differences in results. EPA recommends that the same mode be used in any analysis that
compares two or more cases (e.g., the base year and attainment year in a SIP analysis or the SIP
motor vehicle emissions budget and the regional conformity analysis). The interagency
15 More information about creating complete inventories using the Emission Rates calculation type can be found in
the presentations used in EPA's MOVES Hands-On Training Course, available for download at:
https://www.epa.gOv/moves/moves-training-sessions#training.
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consultation process should be used to agree upon a common approach. If different modes are
used for the SIP budget and the regional conformity analysis for practical reasons, the
interagency consultation process should be used to determine how to address (and minimize) any
differences in results. The methods used to develop inventories should be fully documented in
the SIP submission and conformity determinations.
EPA has developed tools to automate the use of the Emission Rates mode to create inputs for
EPA's Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emissions (SMOKE) model for SIP development
purposes. These tools simplify the process of post-processing MOVES output for air quality
modeling in SIPs and are described on EPA's Support Center for Regulatory Atmospheric
Modeling (SCRAM) website (https://www.epa.gov/scram).
3.3 Time Spans
The Time Spans Panel includes four sectionsone each to select specific Years, Months, Days,
and Hours. Guidance for each of these inputs is described separately in this section.
3.3.1 Calendar Year of Evaluation
MOVES can model calendar years 1990 and 1999 through 2060. Note that the County Scale in
MOVES allows only a single calendar year in a RunSpec. Users who want to model multiple
calendar years will need to create multiple RunSpecs, with local data specific to each calendar
year, and run MOVES multiple times.
3.3.2 Month of Evaluation
MOVES allows users to calculate emissions for any month of the year. A single RunSpec may
produce emissions for multiple months. Users should choose the appropriate months for the
pollutant being analyzed, e.g., months representing the ozone season for NOx and HC, the PM2.5
season or episode for the 24-hour PM2.5 standard, or the winter CO season. To develop an
annual inventory, all months should be selected.
In cases where the user intends to model multiple months within a single year, the user should be
aware of how MOVES treats the input data. Fuel Supply, Hotelling, Off-Network Idle,
Meteorology, Starts, and VMT inputs can vary by month in a single RunSpec, because month is
identified in the data tables used for these inputs. However, other inputs in the CDM (described
in Section 4 of this document) cannot be varied by month. 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.
3.3.3 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 and Hour VMT Fraction, Hotelling, Off-Network Idle, and Starts are the only
inputs in the CDM that differentiate between weekdays and weekend days. When modeling
emissions for a single day (e.g., a ozone season day for an ozone SIP or average-season-day for a
24-hour PM2.5 SIP), the user should select Weekday in the Time Span Panel and use weekday
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data. Additionally, weekday data should be used for any inventory that represents an ozone
season day, whether in summer or winter.
When modeling emissions for a longer time period (e.g., for a multi-day period or an annual
inventory), weekend day should be checked in the Time Span Panel and weekend day data
should be included. MOVES differentiates between weekdays and weekend days for speed
distributions, daily VMT fractions, hourly VMT fractions, hotelling activity, off-network idle
activity, and starts activity. However, if these inputs are available for only one type of day, users
should use the same information for both day-types. Doing so will make using MOVES' built-in
post aggregation tools easier. These tools are covered in Section 3.9 of this document, which
covers the Output Emission Detail Panel.
'y one day-type is selected and Month or Year is
selected in this pi will provide an incomplete result.
The emissions for 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 AADVMT Converter for M0VES3 (described in Section 4.5 of this
document). If only one type of day is selected, the calculator will appropriately adjust the day
fraction to account for VMT for a single weekday or weekend day.
The Hour VMT Fraction can also differ by type of day and users can supply this information if
available; however, if information is only available 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.
3.3.4 Hour of Evaluation
To properly estimate emissions for a day, month, or year, the user must select all 24 hours. Also,
selection of all 24 hours is required by MOVES to evaluate non-running evaporative
hydrocarbon emissions because they depend on the daily temperature variance.16
3.3.5 Time Span Panel Selections: Emission Rates Mode
When the Emission Rates mode is selected, users may choose to approach the selection of
options in the Time Spans Panel differently than when running MOVES in 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.
16 Note, previous versions of MOVES included an option on this panel to pre-aggregate inputs over day, month, or
year time spans. It has been moved to the Advanced Features Panel. This feature reduces model precision and
cannot be used for regulatory purposes.
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For start, hotelling, and evaporative emissions, by selecting more than one month and entering a
different diurnal temperature range or profile for each month, users can create multiple start and
evaporative emission tables that could be used for an entire season or year. Users should consult
Section 4.2.2 for additional guidance on developing rate lookup tables.17
3.4 Geographic Bounds
In County scale, the Geographic Bounds Panel is used to specify the county to be modeled.
Selecting a county determines what default MOVES database inputs are available for the run.
Section 4 describes the use of default information vs. local information for SIP and regional
conformity analyses.
Only one county can be modeled per run in County Scale.18 See Table 2-1 above for a summary
of modeling approaches for modeling multiple counties.
3.5 Onroad Vehicles
MOVES describes vehicles by a combination of vehicle type (e.g. passenger car, passenger
truck, light commercial truck, etc.) and the fuel that the vehicle can use (gasoline, diesel, etc.).
The Onroad Vehicles 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 vehicles). MOVES3 automatically selects all the appropriate fuel types
for each source type selected from among five different fuel types.19 For more information about
source types, see Sections 4.3 and 4.5 of this document.
For SIP and regional conformity analyses, users should select all vehicle types to properly
estimate an emissions inventory. Deleting any source type/fuel type combination from the list
will result in the deletion of all entries for that source type, which will lead to erroneous
calculation of the total emissions inventory for a county. Any changes in source types and fuel
type combinations to reflect local conditions should be handled in the Fuel Tab in the CDM as
described in Section 4.8 of this document.
re to include all vehicle types for a complete onroad
emissions inventory. Selecting a vehicle type will select all fuel
types for that vehicle.
If no changes are made on the Fuel Tab, default gasoline, E-85, diesel, and CNG fractions will
be used. If the user has data indicating that no E-85 fuel is available in the county, this would be
specified in the Fuel Usage Fraction input of the Fuel Tab. If the user has other data detailing the
fleet and activity of alternative fuel/vehicle combinations, then fractions for each combination
should be entered using the AVFT input in the Fuel Tab. In the Fuel Supply input of the Fuel
17 See EPA's MOVES Hands-On Training Course (specifically, the module about emission rates) for additional
information, available for download at: https://www.epa.gOv/moves/moves-training-sessions#training.
18 Previous versions of MOVES included an option to model a "Custom Domain," which allowed users to model an
area larger than a single county, provided that many of the county-level inputs were identical between different
zones in the analysis area. This option is no longer available in M0VES3.
19 Some source/fuel type combinations are not included in the MOVES database (e.g., diesel motorcycles).
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Tab, the user must provide valid fuel formulations that correspond to all vehicle-fuel
combinations selected in the Onroad Vehicles Panel.
" ' 1 ' ii iH locally, users should use ' " I
U ¦ "Moil inpi . ?/ Tab to indicate that. '
will then calculate emissions for E-85 vehicles using gasoline
fuel.
Tip: e local transit bus or re fuse truck fleet uses only one
type of fuel (CNG, diesel, or gasoline), users should use the
> to change the fractions of the bus
or refu " :k fleet appropriately (e.g., set a fraction " w
that fuel and 0.0 for the other fuel ctions are not set for
each fuel type, by default ' will allocate some of the VMT
to vehicles that use the other fuels, resulting in inaccurate
emission estimates.
Detailed information describing the local vehicle fleet and its activity can be entered in the
CDM. See Section 4 of this document for more information.
3.6 Road Type
The Road Type Panel is used to define the types of roads that are included in the run. MOVES
defines five different Road Types:
Off-Network (road type 1) - all locations where the predominant activity is vehicle starts,
parking and idling (parking lots, truck stops, rest areas, freight or bus terminals)
Rural Restricted Access (2) - rural highways that can only be accessed by an on-ramp
Rural Unrestricted Access (3) - all other rural roads (arterials, connectors, and local
streets)
Urban Restricted Access (4) - urban highways that can only be accessed by an on-ramp
Urban Unrestricted Access (5) - all other urban roads (arterials, connectors, and local
streets)
All SIP and regional conformity analyses must include all road types. Limiting road types will
lead to an incomplete emissions estimate.
MOVES uses Road Type to assign default drive cycles to activity on road types 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
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restricted access road types, MOVES uses drive cycles that include a higher fraction of cruise
activity with less time spent accelerating or idling, although ramp activity is also included.20
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 4.6 and 4.7 below.
3.7 Pollutants and Processes
In MOVES, "pollutant" refers to particular types of pollutants or precursors of the pollutant, such
as CO or NOx, while "process" refers to the mechanism by which emissions are created, such as
running exhaust or start exhaust. Processes in MOVES are mutually exclusive types of
emissions and users must select all processes associated with a particular pollutant in order to
account for all emissions of that pollutant. For example, there are 12 separate pollutant
processes in MOVES for hydrocarbon emissions. In most cases, all 12 of these processes must
be selected to properly account for all hydrocarbon emissions from motor vehicles.21
In Inventory mode, the total emissions for a particular pollutant are the sum of the emissions for
all pollutant processes that apply to the pollutant. In Emission Rates mode, 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.
For many pollutants, the emissions calculation in MOVES is based on prior calculation of
another pollutant. In such cases, users must select all of the base pollutants that determine a
particular dependent pollutant. For example, when selecting Primary Exhaust PM2.5, users must
also select Elemental Carbon and Composite Non-ECPM (non-elemental carbon particulate
matter). MOVES will display error messages in the box on the Pollutants and Processes Panel
until all necessary base pollutants are selected. Clicking the button "Select Prerequisites"
automatically selects all necessary pollutants and will clear the error messages.
For particulate matter (PM2.5 or PM10), users should select Primary Exhaust PM - Total, Primary
PM - Brakewear Particulate, and Primary PM - Tirewear Particulate to include all particulate
emissions from onroad vehicles.
20 In previous versions of MOVES, there was an option to separate emissions on restricted access roads between
those occuring on ramps and occuring on the roadway without ramps. This option is no longer available in
MOVES3. For a discussion on the drive cycles in MOVES, as well as information on how MOVES models ramp
activity at County Scale, see Section 9 of the technical report Population and Activity of Onroad Vehicles in
MOVES3 (EPA-420-R-20-023), available at https://www.epa.gov/moves/moves-onroad-technical-reports.
21 States must account for all emission processes in the SIP. However, two of the 12 hydrocarbon emission
categories, refueling displacement vapor loss and refueling spillage loss, are sometimes included in the SIP as an
area source and left out of the onroad mobile source inventory and motor vehicle emissions budget. In that case, the
two refueling emission processes which are not included in the motor vehicle emission budget would not be
included in a regional conformity analysis. The interagency consultation process should be used to confirm that
there is consistency in the approach used to account for refueling emissions in the SIP and regional
conformity analysis.
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Tip: It may be necessary to use the bottom scroll bar to vie w all
of the process choices.
3.7.1 Pollutants and Processes in Emission Rates Mode
Users should be aware that for Emission Rates runs, MOVES produces separate output tables
with rates that the user multiplies by different activity types for different emission processes. In
order to properly calculate a total emissions inventory using the Emission Rates mode, users
need to properly sum the products of emission rates and activity for each vehicle type and for
each applicable pollutant process in each of the applicable tables. Following are the tables
produced by an Emission Rates run and the processes included in each table. The rates labeled
"alternative" below represent alternative forms (units) of some of the emissions reported in the
Rate per Vehicle table, not additional emissions. Users should not apply both sets of rates to the
same emissions processes, in order to avoid double-counting.
Rate per Distance Tableprovides emissions in mass per distance (e.g., grams/mile);
user multiplies these rates by total VMT by vehicle type:
o Running exhaust
o Crankcase running exhaust
o Brake wear (PM only)
o Tire wear (PM only)
o Evaporative permeation (HC only)
o Evaporative fuel vapor venting (HC only)
o Refueling displacement vapor loss (HC only)
o Refueling spillage loss (HC only)
Rate per Vehicle Tableprovides emissions in mass per vehicle (e.g.,
grams/vehicle); user multiplies these rates by total vehicle population by vehicle type:
o Start exhaust
o Crankcase start exhaust
o Evaporative permeation (HC only)
o Evaporative fuel leaks (HC only)
o Refueling displacement vapor loss (HC only)22
o Refueling spillage loss (HC only)
o Exhaust extended idle emissions (long-haul combination trucks only)
o Crankcase exhaust extended idle emissions (long-haul combination trucks
only)
o Auxiliary power exhaust (long-haul combination trucks only)
Rate per Profile Table (HC only)provides emissions in mass per vehicle (e.g.,
grams/vehicle); user multiplies this rate by total vehicle population by vehicle type:
o Evaporative fuel vapor venting (HC only)
22 Refueling displacement vapor loss and refueling spillage loss in MOVES are calculated based on fuel
consumption associated with both running and start activity. As a result, these emissions appear in both the Rate per
Distance table and the Rate per Vehicle table. Total refueling emissions are the sum of emissions calculated from
both tables.
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Rate per Start (alternative to using Rate per Vehicle Table for start emissions)
provides emissions in mass per start (e.g., grams/vehicle-start); user multiplies these
rates by the number of individual vehicle starts:
o Start exhaust
o Crankcase start exhaust
Rate per Hour (alternative to using Rate per Vehicle table for extended idle and
auxiliary power emissions)provides emissions from hotelling activity in mass per
hour (e.g., grams/hour); user multiplies these rates by the number of hours of
hotelling activity:
o Extended idle exhaust (long-haul combination trucks only)
o Extended idle crankcase exhaust (long-haul combination trucks only)
o Auxiliary Power Exhaust (long-haul combination trucks only)
3.8 General Output
The General Output Panel includes three sections: Output Database, Units, and Activity.
3.8.1 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).23 Results from multiple RunSpecs can be stored in a single
output database, but generally there should be a reason to do so. For example, the same output
database could be used for RunSpecs where the user intends 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 nonattainment area). EPA recommends that users
create a new output database for new or unrelated analyses.24 Users will also want to consider
total database size when deciding which RunSpecs to store in the same output database.
3.8.2 Units
Users are free to choose any of the mass unit selection options, but should 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 zero if emissions are considerably less than one ton. For most scenarios,
such as modeling criteria pollutants and their precursors, or mobile source air toxics, grams
should be selected to avoid these rounding losses.
3.8.3 Activity
MOVES allows the user to select multiple activity output options. These options are:
o Distance Traveled,
o Source Hours,
o Hotelling Hours,
23 Database names can include only letters, numbers, and underscores. No spaces or other characters are allowed.
24 While users can store MOVES3 output in output databases created with MOVES2014a and MOVES2014b, an
output database created with MOVES2014 will not be compatible with MOVES3.
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o Source Hours Operating,
o Source Hours Parked,
o Population, and
o Starts.
For Inventory calculations, activity output is not required, but can be useful to verify whether
activity was properly entered in MOVES. Therefore, it is good practice to select "Distance
Traveled" and "Population," so that the user can compare these outputs with the VMT and
population that the user included in the input database. Users providing vehicle start information
through the Starts Tab of the CDM should also select the Starts option. Likewise, users
providing hotelling information using the Hotelling Importer of the CDM should also select the
Hotelling Hours option. For Emission Rates calculations, distance and population are reported
automatically.
3.9 Output Emission Detail
This panel allows the user to select the amount of detail that will be provided in the output.
Selecting more detail can be useful as the user can later aggregate these results so that the output
can be analyzed in a variety of ways. However, too much detail can lead to very large output
tables and longer database query execution times. Thus, users should consider what output detail
is needed and care should be taken ahead of time to determine how the results will be post-
processed.
Time: Output at the Hour level is recommended for the time aggregation selection unless
the user is certain that emission results are not needed by time of day. As described in
Section 3.3, if the user selected only a single type of day in the Time Spans Panel, then
selecting any time period longer than the Portion of the Week would not be appropriate.
Geographic: The County Scale only allows one county to be modeled at a time, so
County should be selected.
For All/Vehicle Equipment Categories:
Model Year: In most cases, the user does not have to select Model Year, unless the user
has activity information by model year. Note that selecting Model Year will increase the
rows of output 31 times.
Fuel Type: 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, diesel, and other fuel
types is needed.
Emission Process: Users can select Emission Process to obtain output for each emissions
process; otherwise MOVES will aggregate the results.
SCC: SCC is an abbreviation for Source Classification Code, a system that EPA uses to
classify different types of anthropogenic emission activities. The existing SCCs for
onroad vehicles are combinations of vehicle type and road type based on MOVES source
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type and road type IDs. For most uses, EPA recommends selecting Source Use Type
and/or Road Type in the Onroad box rather than using the SCC output option.
Onroad: Detail for Source Use Type and/or Road Type can provide useful information and users
may want to select at least one of these to be able to differentiate light- and heavy-duty emissions
or restricted and unrestricted roadway emissions. Regulatory Class is a system EPA uses to
classify vehicles for emission standards purposes and is therefore not needed for SIP or regional
conformity analyses.
3.9.1 Output Emission Detail When Using Emission Rates Mode
With Emission Rates, Road Type is automatically selected in the Output Emission Detail Panel.
Users should also select Source Type when using the Emission Rates mode. 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 CDM). Thus, the output emission rates would only be valid for the specific mix of VMT and
population by source type input. When users select Source Type in the Output Emissions Detail
Panel and MOVES produces a table of emission rates by road type and source type, these
emission rates can be correctly applied to VMT and population estimates that have different
amounts of activity by individual source type.
Likewise, it is recommended to leave model year and fuel type unchecked, unless the user has
VMT and population by model year or fuel type that could be applied to these more specific
rates. Producing more detailed rates tables can provide flexibility, by allowing these rates to be
applied across large geographic areas that have different age, fuel type 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 speed).
For start, hotelling, and evaporative emissions, users would post-process the corresponding
lookup tables outside of MOVES to apply local source type population information to the gram
per vehicle emission rates (or alternative gram per start table for starts or gram per hour table for
hotelling.) Additional detail on the applicability of data entered in the CDM when using the
Emission Rates mode is provided in the individual parts of Section 4 of this document.
3.10 Create Input Database
This option becomes available after all the other Navigation Panel items have been completed
and have green checks. The user can open the CDM by clicking on the "Enter/Edit Data" button.
It is not necessary to create the database before opening the CDM. Once a database has been
completely populated (see Section 4) and the CDM has been closed, users should ensure that the
correct database is selected on the Create Input Database Panel. If it is not auto-populated, users
may have to hit the Refresh button to make sure the database they created appears in the drop-
down list.
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Tip: Do not change ihe RunSpec after creating' an input
database. Doing' so can rest nconsistencies between the
RunSpec ami the input database which will cause the run to fail
3.11 Advanced Features
The Advanced Features Panel is used to invoke features that are used for model diagnostics and
other special purposes. In general, the features on this panel are not appropriate for SIP and
transportation conformity use, except for states that have adopted California Low Emission
Vehicle (LEV) criteria pollutant standards and states in the Ozone Transport Commission (OTC)
that received early implementation of National Low Emitting Vehicle (NLEV) standards. In
these cases, the "Input Data Sets" feature on this panel should be used in conjunction with the
LEV/NLEV tools accessed through the Tools drop-down menu in the MOVES GUI.
Specifically:
OTC states that did not adopt California LEV standards but were subject to the early
implementation of NLEV should use the "Build NLEV Input Database" tool.
OTC states that adopted California LEV standards prior to the 2001 model year should
use the "Build LEV Input Database" tool.
OTC states that were subject to the early implementation of NLEV and adopted
California LEV standards beginning with model year 2001-or-later should use both the
use the "Build NLEV Input Database" and the "Build LEV Input Database" tools.
All other states that adopted California LEV standards in any year should use the "Build
LEV Input Database" tool.
Detailed instructions on how to use both tools are available in the MOVES GUI: after opening
the tool via the Tools drop-down menu, click the "Open Instructions" button.
After creating the input database (s) with the appropriate tool, users should include these
databases in the RunSpec through the "Input Data Sets" section of the Advanced Features Panel.
Select the appropriate input database in the database drop-down menu (users may need to click
the Refresh button if the database does not appear in the list), and then click the Add button.
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Section 4. Adding Local Onroad Data via the County Data
Manager
4.1 How do users enter information with the County Data Manager?
The County Data Manager (CDM) is a user interface developed to simplify importing specific
local data for a single county into an input database without requiring direct interaction with the
underlying database. Use of the CDM is necessary with County Scale runs for SIPs and regional
conformity analyses, since MOVES will use the information in the user's input database instead
of the MOVES default database. This section guides users on each element, noting differences
between Inventory and Emission Rates modes, where applicable.
Before a user can input any locality specific data, a database must be created on the Database
Tab. EPA recommends that this database name end with "_in" to indicate it is a user input
database.25 When the database is created, MOVES records the selections in the RunSpec at that
moment and uses this information to populate and evaluate database entries. Users should avoid
making changes to the RunSpec after the input database has been created, because this can create
inconsistencies between the input database and the rest of the RunSpec. Users can review the
appropriate sections of the MOVES training for more information on creating a RunSpec and an
input database.
The CDM includes multiple tabs, each of which opens importers that are used to enter specific
local data into the user's input database. These tabs and importers include the following:
Meteorology Data
Source Type Population
Age Distribution
Vehicle Type VMT
Average Speed Distribution
Road Type Distribution
Fuel
I/M Programs
Starts
Idle
Retrofit Data
Hotelling
Generic
Each of the importers allows the user to create an import template file with required data field
names and with some key fields populated. The user then edits this template to add specific local
data with a spreadsheet application or other tool and imports the data files into the user-created
input database. In some importers, there is also the option to export default data from the
MOVES database in order to review it. Once the user determines that the default data are
accurate and applicable to the particular analysis or determines that the default data need to be
25 Note that only letters, numbers, and underscores can be used for database names.
26
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changed and makes those changes, the user then imports that data into the user-created input
database. Details of the mechanics of using the data importers are provided in the MOVES
training. Guidance for the use of these importers for SIPs and regional conformity analyses is
given below.
In Emission Rates runs, vehicle activity inputs affect the calculated emission 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 and resting activity, which in
turn affects the rates for start, evaporative, and extended idle emissions processes. As a general
rule, users should input accurate activity estimates for the scenario being modeled regardless of
whether MOVES is being used in Inventory or Emission Rates mode.
Although there is currently no importer in the CDM to enter local specifications for a Stage II
program, this section of the document also includes guidance in Section 4.14 on entering local
information of Stage II refueling programs in MOVES.
4.2 Meteorology
Local temperature and humidity data are required inputs for SIP and regional conformity
analyses with MOVES. Ambient air temperature is a key factor in estimating emission rates for
onroad vehicles due to its substantial effects on most pollutant processes. Relative humidity is
also important for estimating NOx emissions from motor vehicles. MOVES requires a
temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit) and relative humidity (0 to 100 percent) input for each hour
selected in the RunSpec. Therefore, MOVES requires a 24-hour temperature and humidity
profile to model a full day of emissions on an hourly basis.
Temperature assumptions used for regional conformity analyses must be consistent with those
used to establish the motor vehicle emissions budget in the SIP as required in the transportation
conformity rule, 40 CFR §93.122(a) (6). The MOVES database also includes default average
monthly temperature and humidity data for every county in the country. These default
temperature and humidity data are based on average temperatures for each county from the
National Climatic Data Center for the period from 2001 to 2011. EPA does not recommend
using these default values for SIPs or regional conformity analyses. Sources of temperature data
and any methods used to adjust them to fit the requirements of MOVES should be documented in
any official SIP submission or conformity determination documentation. Detailed local
meteorological data are available from the National Centers for Environmental Information at
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov.
4.2.1 Meteorology: Guidance for Inventory Mode
When modeling a county using the Inventory mode, a 24-hour temperature and humidity profile
should be defined for each month selected in the RunSpec. The choice of specific temperature
and humidity data will depend on the type of analysis being performed:
For air quality modeling of a specific exceedance episode (e.g., for SIP attainment
modeling), hourly meteorological data for the episode or for a longer period would be
necessary.
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For more generic modeling of average summer or winter day ozone, PM2.5' or CO
conditions for SIP or regional conformity purposes, users should input average daily
temperature profiles during the months when exceedances typically occur (in
coordination with the EPA Regional Office):
o For ozone season analysis, users need to enter the local average temperature
profile for the period chosen to represent the area's ozone season (typically June,
July and August; or July, August, and September),
o For PM2.5 season or episodic analysis, users need to enter the local average
temperature profile for the chosen months,
o For CO season analysis, users need to enter the local average temperature profile
for January, or for the three-month period that best represents the CO season
(typically December, January, and February).
For an annual analysis, users need to enter the local average temperature profile for all
months.
Local average temperature profiles can be based on average minimum and maximum
temperatures.
4.2.2 Meteorology: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode
If the Emission Rates calculation type is chosen, users can enter a range of 24 different
temperatures and humidities for each hour of the day, to create an emission rate table that varies
by temperature/humidity combination for running emission processes. Emission rates for all
running processes that vary by temperatures and humidities can be post-processed outside of
MOVES to calculate emissions for any mix of temperatures and humidities that can occur during
a day. This creates the potential to create a lookup table of emission rates by
temperature/humidity for the range that can occur over a longer period of time such as a month
or year from a single MOVES run. In one run, users may specify as many as 288 temperatures,
i.e., 24 temperatures for 12 months. When using this approach for running emissions
(RatePerDistance), the hour and month being modeled are merely placeholders for particular
temperatures. In other words, a temperature of 40 degrees for Hour 18 in January, for example,
will result in the same emission rate as a temperature of 40 degrees for Hour 6 in July (assuming
identical fuels).
Using Emission Rates mode may be done for certain SIP purposes in conjunction with modeled
meteorology data, for example from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model.26
More information on using such an approach for modeling for attainment demonstrations is
available in the SIP Air Quality Modeling Guidance referenced in Section 2.1. In addition, users
may post-process WRF data for use in calculating emission rates and then apply those emission
rates to calculate modeling inputs using the Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emissions
(SMOKE)-MOVES system. This tool is not required to be used. More information on SMOKE-
MOVES can be found in the latest SMOKE documentation, available on the SMOKE website.27
26 Skamarock, W. C., J. B. Klemp, J. Dudhia, D. 0. Gill, D. M. Barker, M. Duda, X.-Y. Huang, W. Wang, and J.G.
Powers, (2008), A Description of the Advanced Research WRF Version 3, NCAR Technical Note. Available at:
https://dx.doi.org/10.5065/D68S4MVH.
27 Available at: https://www.cmascenter.org/smoke.
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However, for emissions from any non-running processes that occur on the "off-network" road
type, including evaporative, start, and hotelling emissions, it is still necessary to define a
temperature profile for each hour of the day. Non-running off-network emissions depend on
both temperature and hour of day, and for evaporative vapor venting emissions, the temperature
in the previous hour. It is possible to model both running emissions and non-running off-
network emissions in one run by defining temperature intervals for several months (e.g., 1 degree
through 96 degrees in one-degree intervals using four monthly temperature profiles). The
remaining eight months can be used to define diurnal temperature profiles for eight
representative days. The resulting lookup table can be post-processed into an inventory for both
running emissions and non-running off-network emissions. Note that "off-network idle" is
considered a running process and is therefore included in the running emission rates.
4.3 Source Type Population
Source type (vehicle type) population is used by MOVES to calculate start and evaporative
emissions.28 Start and evaporative emissions depend more on how many vehicles are parked
and started than on how many miles they are driven. In MOVES, start and resting evaporative
emissions are related to the population of vehicles in an area. Because vehicle population
directly determines start and evaporative emissions, users must develop local data for this input.
MOVES categorizes vehicles into thirteen source types, which are subsets of five Highway
Performance Monitoring System (HPMS)29 vehicle types in MOVES, as shown in Table 4-1.
28 Alternatively, MOVES can calculate start emissions based on user-supplied start activity information (see Section
4.10)
29 There are actually six HPMS vehicle classes, but MOVES uses five. MOVES uses HPMSVTypelD 25 to
represent short wheelbase light-duty and long wheelbase light-duty vehicle classes for VMT input.
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Table 4-1. MOVES Source Types and HPMS Vehicle Types30
Source
Type ID
HPMS
Source Types
Vehicle Type
ID
HPMS Vehicle Type
11
Motorcycle
10
Motorcycles
21
Passenger Car
Light Duty Vehicles -
31
Passenger Truck
25
Short and Long
32
Light Commercial Truck
Wheelbase
41
Other Buses31
42
Transit Bus
40
Buses
43
School Bus
51
Refuse Truck
52
Single Unit Short-haul Truck
50
Single Unit Trucks
53
Single Unit Long-haul Truck
54
Motor Home
61
Combination Short-haul Truck
60
Combination Trucks
62
Combination Long-haul Truck
4.3.1 Source Type Population: Guidance for Inventory Mode
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., motorcycles, passenger cars, passenger
trucks, light commercial trucks) and from local transit agencies, school districts, bus companies,
and refuse haulers (intercity, transit, and school buses, and refuse trucks). 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 simple MOVES run at the Default Scale for the county in question and including
VMT and population in the output (a running emissions 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.
30 HPMS Vehicle Type IDs are only used in MOVES for VMT input. All other applicable inputs, including vehicle
population, are by MOVES Source Type and MOVES continues to calculate emissions separately for all Source
Types. See Section 4.5 for addition details. This table is only presented here to show the mapping of Source Types
to HPMS IDs.
31 Other buses include all buses either not owned by a public transit organization for the primary purpose of
transporting passengers on fixed routes and schedules (i.e., "transit buses"), or not school buses carrying more than
10 passengers and used to transport K-12 students between their home and school (i.e., "school buses").
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Tip: ,4 useful quality check on population and VMT inputs is to
d »/ source type by source type population to estimate
VMT per vehicle, and then determine whether these estimates
are reasonable.
4.3.2 Source Type Population: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode
If the Emission Rates mode is used, and Source Type is selected in the Output Emission Detail
Panel, MOVES will produce emission rates for start, hotelling and non-running evaporative
emissions by source type in terms of grams per vehicle. Total start, hotelling and non-running
evaporative 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
reasonable data using the Source Type Population Importer that represent the population of
vehicles in the total area where the look-up 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 look-up 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. To
generate the non-running portion of the inventory from rates, multiply the rates from the
RatePerVehicle and RatePerProfile tables by vehicle population. Alternatively, for start
emission processes, use the RatePerStart output, which requires multiplying by the number of
vehicle starts and/or for hotelling processes, use the RatePerHour output, which requires
multiplying by the number of hotelling hours).
4.4 Age Distribution
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:
1. Older vehicles have typically been driven more miles and have experienced more
deterioration in emission control systems.
2. A higher percentage of older vehicles also means that there are more vehicles in the fleet
that do not meet newer, more stringent emissions standards.
Surveys of registration data indicate considerable local variability in vehicle age distributions,
which is not reflected in the default age distributions in MOVES. MOVES uses the same
national default age distribution for each vehicle type in each year for every county.
Therefore, for SIP and conformity purposes, EPA recommends and encourages states to develop
local age distributions. EPA recommends compiling data according to MOVES vehicle
classifications and model year. This guidance applies whether using the Inventory or Emission
Rates mode. Local age distributions can be estimated from local vehicle registration data.
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
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user to specify the fraction of vehicles in each of 30 vehicle ages for each of the 13 source types
in the model.
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 (see Table
4-1 above for a comparison of MOVES source types to HPMS vehicle classes). 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.
For single unit long-haul and combination long-haul trucks, it is generally more appropriate to
use MOVES national default age distributions. A set of these national default age distributions
for all source types and all calendar years is available on EPA's website at
https://www.epa.gOv/moves/tools-develop-or-convert-moves-inputs#fleet. The default age
distributions in MOVES are specific for each calendar year and, in future years, include
projections of changes in age distributions over time.
If local registration age distributions are used, users have two choices:
1. Apply the current age distribution to all future calendar years, i.e., assume that in the
future, the age distribution is the same as the latest registration age distribution
information currently available; or
2. Use the Age Distribution Projection Tool to account for the effects of historic national
economic impacts on the fleet. EPA created this tool in recognition that past recessions
have a fleet impact that continues into the future, because people defer replacing older
vehicles.
EPA has created the Age Distribution Projection Tool for M0VES3 (found at
https://www.epa.gOv/moves/tools-develop-or-convert-moves-inputs#fleet) that can be used to
update a local age distribution for a future year using the same methods that EPA uses for
projecting default national age distributions. In effect, this tool recognizes that the age
distribution present during a recession, when people delayed replacing older cars, does not
persist as-is into the future, but instead dissipates over time.
Regardless of approach, states must fully document the sources of data and methods used to
develop local age distributions used in modeling for SIP and regional conformity purposes.
States that want to use a method other than the EPA tool described here to project future age
distributions should consult with EPA early in inventory development.
4.5 Vehicle Type Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)
EPA expects users to develop local VMT estimates for SIPs and regional conformity analyses,
regardless of whether using the Inventory or Emission Rates mode. Travel demand models are
often the source of information used by metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and state
departments of transportation (DOTs) to estimate VMT, though reasonable professional practice
may also be used in many areas. Transportation modelers for MPOs and state DOTs
traditionally adjust estimates of VMT generated through the travel demand modeling process to
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the HPMS estimates of VMT and/or other locally developed actual vehicle counts. These
procedures generate consistent VMT estimates from travel demand models for roadway
functional classes within HPMS for use in SIP analysis. 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 (https://www.epa.gov/air-emissions-inventories/volume-4-mobile-sources), discusses
how to reconcile traffic demand model results with HPMS VMT estimates. For regional
conformity analysis, the transportation conformity regulations allow the interagency consultation
process to determine if other information or procedures, such as locally developed count-based
programs, may be acceptable (40 CFR 93.122(b)(3)).
M0VES3 allows the option of entering either annual VMT or daily VMT. EPA recommends
that users with average annual daily VMT take advantage of the daily VMT input option. As
another option, EPA has created a spreadsheet-based tool, the AADVMT Converter for M0VES3,
that allows users to input average annual daily VMT as well as monthly and weekend day
adjustment factors. This tool then uses this information to create the annual VMT by HPMS
class and appropriate monthly and daily adjustments needed when selecting the annual VMT
option in MOVES3.32 This tool may be useful for those who want to take advantage of
capabilities in MOVES to allocate annual VMT across different time periods.
MOVES includes the option to enter VMT by either HPMS vehicle classes or by the MOVES
source types shown in Table 4-1 above. If VMT is input by HPMS class, MOVES will allocate
VMT to source type using default assumptions. For users who can develop VMT data by the
MOVES source types, entering VMT by source type will bypass the default allocation of VMT
from HPMS class to source type that MOVES does internally. Either option is acceptable for
SIP and conformity purposes, but differences between the default allocation of VMT from
HPMS classes to source types in MOVES and the user supplied source type VMT could result in
differences in results between the two options.
When inputing VMT by HPMS class, note that MOVES uses modified HPMS vehicle classes.
In the HPMS methodology used by the Federal Highway Administration to estimate VMT,33
there are two categories of light-duty vehicles: short wheelbase and long wheelbase. Because the
short wheelbase/long wheelbase distinction does not correspond well to MOVES source types,
MOVES uses a single class to include all VMT for light-duty cars and trucks, HPMS Vehicle
Type 25. Therefore, VMT for the short and long wheelbase categories should be summed and
entered as class 25. Note that although these HPMS categories are combined for VMT entry
purposes in MOVES, all other fleet and activity inputs (e.g., vehicle population, age distribution,
and average speed distribution) are handled by source type in MOVES, and so all emission
calculations and results are based on the emission and activity characteristics of each source
type.
EPA recommends that the same VMT input approach be used in any analysis that compares two
or more cases (e.g., the base year and attainment year in a SIP analysis or the SIP motor vehicle
32 The AADVMT Converter for M0VES3 can be found at https://www.epa.gov/moves/tools-develop-or-convert-
moves-inputsffleet. Instructions for use of the converter can be found within the spreadsheet.
33 For more information, see https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policvinformation/statistics.cfm.
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emissions budget and the regional conformity analysis). For example, if annual VMT is entered
for the first case, use annual VMT (rather than daily) for the comparison case. Likewise, if VMT
is entered by MOVES Source Types in one case, then VMT should be entered by MOVES
source types (rather than HPMS class) in the comparison case. The interagency consultation
process should be used to agree upon a common approach. If different approaches are used for
the SIP budget and the regional conformity analysis for practical reasons, the interagency
consultation process should be used to determine how to address (and minimize) any differences
in results. The methods used to develop inventories should be fully documented in the SIP
submission and conformity determinations.
4.5.1 Vehicle Type VMT: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode
If the Emission Rates mode is used, and Source Use 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.
4.6 A verage Speed Distribution
Vehicle power, speed, and acceleration have a significant effect on vehicle emissions. At the
County Scale, MOVES models these emission effects by using distribution of vehicles hour
traveled (VHT) by average speed. MOVES in turn uses the speed distribution to select specific
drive cycles, and MOVES uses these drive cycles to calculate operating mode distributions. The
operating mode distributions in turn determine the calculated emission rates. 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 mode or outside of MOVES
using the Emission Rates mode.
4.6.1 Average Speed Distribution: Guidance for Inventory Mode
For SIP development and regional conformity analyses, where activity is averaged over a wide
variety of driving patterns, a local speed distribution by road type and source type is necessary.
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 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.
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
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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. One recommended approach for estimating
average speeds is to post-process the output from a travel demand 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 should be adjusted to properly
estimate actual average speeds.
An alternative approach to develop a local average speed distribution is to process on-vehicle
Global Positioning System (GPS) data. There are several commercial vendors that can provide
raw or processed vehicle speed data from cell phone and other on-vehicle GPS collection
devices. This information can be used to calculate a MOVES average speed distribution, and
EPA used this as the main approach in developing MOVES default average speed distributions.
Users who want to process their own GPS data into an average speed distribution should ensure
that the data are representative of the modeling domain, and accurately capture variation in
vehicle average speeds across the day, and year, and that the methodology is fully documented.
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. 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.
Table 4-2. MOVES Speed Bins
Speed Bin ID
Average Bin Speed
Speed Bin Range
1
2.5
speed < 2.5mph
2
5
2.5mph <= speed < 7.5mph
3
10
7.5mph <= speed < 12.5mph
4
15
12.5mph <= speed < 17.5mph
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
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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 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, states could use 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. States could also use 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 must 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.
4.6.1.1 Additional Guidance for Inventories Used in Attainment Modeling
Results from photochemical models are sensitive to differences in the estimated inventory by
time of day. For SIP-related onroad vehicle emission inventories for photochemical models,
EPA encourages states to develop and use their own specific estimates of VHT by average speed
by hour of the day. However, hourly estimates are not required. In the absence of local hourly
speed data, users could develop peak and off-peak speed distributions, if available, or develop a
daily average speed distribution. However, generating a daily average speed distribution for a
highway network with a considerable number of highly congested links at certain times of day is
not recommended. Because the relationship between speed and emissions is not linear, and
emissions tend to be highest in congested conditions, using a daily average speed distribution in
an area with significant congestion at certain times of day can result in significant
underestimation of emissions. In this case, using peak and off-peak speed distributions is
recommended at a minimum. The VHT fractions by average speed used in inventory modeling
for SIPs and regional conformity analyses should be consistent with the most recent information
used for transportation planning.
4.6.1.2 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 unrestricted access.
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 volume-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
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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.
4.6.1.3 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, including any activity that occurs on entrance and exit ramps.
4.6.2 Average Speed Distribution: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode
If the Emission Rates mode 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 on each road type for each source type in each speed bin.
However, vehicle speed 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 the
non-running processes. Speed inputs for Emission Rates runs that include only running
emissions can be treated as placeholders (for example, the MOVES default speed distribution
could be used), but speed inputs for Emission Rates runs that include any non-running processes
must reflect realistic activity for the area.
4.7 Road Type Distribution
The fraction of VMT by road type varies from area to area and can have a significant effect on
overall emissions from onroad mobile sources. EPA expects states to develop and use their own
specific estimates of VMT by road type. For each source type, the Road Type Distribution table
of the input database stores the distribution of VMT by road type (e.g., the fraction of passenger
car VMT on each of the road types).
4.7.1 Road Type Distribution: Guidance for Inventory Mode
The VMT fractions by road type used in inventory modeling for SIPs and regional conformity
analyses should be consistent with the most recent information used for transportation planning.
As is the case for other MOVES inputs, EPA does not expect that users will be able to develop
local road type distributions for all 13 vehicle source types. If local road type distribution
information is not available for some source types, states can use the same road type distribution
for all source types within an HPMS vehicle class. For example, states could use 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. States could also use the same road type
distribution across multiple HPMS vehicle classes if more detailed information is not available.
4.7.2 Road Type Distribution: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode
If the Emission Rates mode is used, MOVES will automatically produce a table of running
emission rates by road type. Total on-network running emissions would then be calculated
outside of MOVES by multiplying the emission rates by the VMT on road types 2-5 for each
source type in each speed bin (see Section 4.12.2 for calculating off-network running emissions
in Emission Rates mode). In this case, it is still necessary to enter data in the Road Type
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Distribution Importer. While these distributions do not directly affect the calculated on-network
emission rates, the 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 must 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 mode or outside of MOVES using the Emission Rates mode.
4.8 Fuels (Fuel Supply, Fuel Formulation, Fuel Usage Fraction, and A VFT)
MOVES has four tablesFuelSupply, FuelFormulation, FuelUsageFraction, and AVFT (fuel
type and vehicle technology)that interact to define the fuels used in the area being modeled.
The MOVES defaults for all four tables are accessible using the Export Default Data button in
the Fuel Tab of the CDM.
The FuelSupply table identifies the fuel formulations used in a region (the RegionCounty
table defines which specific counties are included in these regions) and each
formulation's respective market share;
The FuelFormulation table defines the properties (such as RVP, sulfur level, ethanol
volume, etc.) of each fuel;
The FuelUsageFraction table defines the frequency at which E-85 capable (flex fuel)
vehicles use E-85 vs. conventional gasoline; and
The AVFT table is used to specify the fraction (other than the default included in the
SampleVehiclePopulation table) of fuel types capable of being used (such as flex fuel
vehicles) by model year and source type.
MOVES calculates fuel adjustments based on the attributes defined in the FuelFormulation table.
MOVES then uses the marketShare field from the FuelSupply table to appropriately weight the
fuel adjustment factors. Finally, the emission rates are applied to the appropriate activity defined
through the fuelUsage and AVFT tables.
For all fuel tables, users should begin by exporting and reviewing the MOVES default fuel tables
for the county being analyzed. In general, users should rely on the default county-level
information in MOVES. The default fuel tables in MOVES3 have been revised and updated
significantly compared to previous versions of MOVES. As a result, converted default fuel
tables from any previous version of MOVES should not be used in MOVES3 for SIPs or
conformity analyses.34
The following subsections specify situations where changes to the MOVES default fuel data are
appropriate. This guidance will apply for Emission Rates and Inventory runs.
MOVES has default gasoline and diesel fuel formulation and supply information for every
county-year-month combination that can be selected. These default tables are based on
34 This applies to MOVES2010 and MOVES2014 fuel tables that have been modified to reflect differences in local
fuels as well. Instead, users should export the default MOVES3 fuel tables, make any changes needed to reflect
local fuel differences consistent with the guidance in this document, and then re-import those modified MOVES3
fuel tables back into their input database.
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volumetric fuel data for thousands of batches of fuel in each of the fuel regions. For MOVES3,
EPA developed new fuel properties by region based on averages of survey data as well as data
provided to EPA at the refinery gate as part of EPA fuel compliance programs. These new data
provide consistent and maintainable fuel defaults that account for fuel production and
distribution networks, natural borders, and regional/state/local variations in fuel policy.
The default fuel properties in MOVES3 are described in the MOVES technical report Fuel
Supply Defaults: Regional Fuels and the Fuel Wizard in MOVES3 available at:
https://www.epa.gov/moves/moves-onroad-technical-reports.
4.8.1 Fuel Formulation and Fuel Supply Guidance
In M0VES3, the default values in the FuelFormulation and FuelSupply tables are current as of
the date of release of the model but do not reflect later changes made to local fuel requirements.
Users should first review the default fuel formulation and fuel supply, and then make changes
only where precise local volumetric fuel property information is available or where local fuel
requirements have changed. Where local requirements have not changed, EPA strongly
recommends using the default fuel properties for a region unless a full local fuel property study
exists. Because fuel properties can be quite variable, EPA does not consider single or yearly
station samples adequate for substitution.
One exception to this guidance is in the case of Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) where a user should
change the value to reflect any specific local regulatory requirements and differences between
ethanol- and non-ethanol blended gasoline not reflected in the default database. Any changes to
RVP (or to any other gasoline formulation parameters) should be made using the "Fuels Wizard"
tool in the Fuel Tab of the CDM. This tool can be used to adjust unknown gasoline properties
based on known properties. For instance, changing a fuel's RVP will affect other fuel properties
due to changes in refinery configuration in order to create that new fuel. The Fuels Wizard
calculates the appropriate values consistent with EPA's refinery modeling. The Fuels Wizard
should be used whenever changing any default fuel property for gasoline and gasoline-ethanol
blends in the FuelFormulation table.35 This approach could also be used for determining the
impacts of relaxing low RVP requirements. Comparisons of emissions should be done for both
onroad and nonroad inventories.
Users who want to determine the benefits of a current reformulated gasoline (RFG) requirement
can do so by comparing the emissions inventory with RFG to the emissions inventory for their
county calculated using the fuel supply and fuel formulations from an adjacent non-RFG county
in the same state. This comparison should be done for both onroad and nonroad inventories.
4.8.1.1 Fuel Formulation Data Fields
The key fields in the fuel formulation that a user might modify based on the guidance above are
described below.
Fuel Formulation ID identifies the fuel and is entered in the FuelSupply table to define the fuel(s)
used in the fuel region being modeled. Users can either modify characteristics for an existing
fuelFormulationID or create a new fuelFormulationlD. It is recommended that if a new
35 The Fuels Wizard is not used for E-85, Diesel, or CNG fuels.
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fuelFormulationID is created, it be an unused number within the range for each fuel type (for
gasoline and ethanol-gasoline blends, 1000-20000; for onroad diesel, 25000-26000, for E-85
27000-28000). New fuel formulations should not be created for compressed natural gas (CNG)
or electricity as there is only one form of these fuels.
Fuel Subtype ID provides an additional level of detail about the type of fuel the formulation is
describing. The FuelSubType table in the default database contains the list of values for fuel
subtypes that can be entered for this field. It is important that the fuel subtype represent the fuel
formulation being described, but in some cases, there may be more than one fuel subtype that
describes the fuel formulation. Almost all reformulated gasoline is blended with 10% ethanol
and therefore has a fuelSubTypelD of 12 for Gasohol (E10) (generally speaking, any gasoline
blended with ethanol should have one of the gasohol or ethanol fuel subtypes). Note,
fuelSubTypeID=l 1 is not used in MOVES3 because RFG is no longer blended with an
oxygenate other than ethanol, such as MTBE, ETBE, or TAME.
RVP stands for Reid Vapor Pressure and is measured in pounds per square inch (psi). This is a
commonly used property to define the volatility of gasoline and users may be able to provide
local information for this field where data has been collected; however, regulatory RVP levels
should be used for future years as over-compliance on the part of fuel suppliers is not an
enforceable measure.
Areas covered by the federal volatility control program should see 40 CFR 1090.215(a)
for applicable RVP values and areas with SIP fuel programs should rely on the state
regulations describing the fuel program when modeling future years.36
Prior to 2021, there was no specific RVP requirement in RFG areas. Historically, this
resulted in summertime RVP levels between 7.0 and 7.4 psi, depending on other
properties of the particular gasoline batch. Starting in 2021, RFG has a summertime RVP
cap of 7.4 psi. For more information, see 40 CFR 1090.215(a)(3).
When regulatory RVP values are used in future years, users should be sure to properly
account for the 1 psi ethanol blend waiver allowed under 40 CFR 1090.215(b). In areas
where this waiver applies, gasoline blended with 10-15% ethanol typically has RVP set 1
psi above the applicable standard, while all other blend levels (including non-ethanol
fuel) have RVP set at the applicable standard. See 40 CFR 1090.215(a) for the applicable
standards.
For diesel fuel, CNG, and electricity, a value of zero should be entered for RVP.
'hanol blends below " cl a, 1 > not receive
the 1 psi ethanol waiver and should not be adjusted
Sulfur level is measured in parts per million (ppm) in terms of weight. Recent rulemakings (see
Tier 2 and Tier 3 gasoline sulfur and Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) rules, 65 FR 6698, 79 FR
23414, and 66 FR 5002, respectively) have resulted in a changing landscape for sulfur levels in
36 For more information on EPA's Streamlining and Consolidating of Existing Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Programs,
see https://www.epa.gov/diesel-fuel-standards/final-rulemaking-streamlining-and-consolidating-existing-gasoline-
and-diesel.
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both gasoline and diesel fuels. Therefore, users can rely on default information if local data are
not available, but additional detail will be given for both types of fuel below.37
Gasoline (and gasohol) sulfur level: The Tier 2 gasoline sulfur rule established a national
average of 30 ppm sulfur (S) with a per-gallon cap of 80 ppm, which was implemented in
2006 (except for the Geographic Phase-In Area, see 65 FR 6755, February 10, 2000).
The Tier 3 rule further reduced the national average standard to 10 ppm with a phase-in
from 2017 to 2020 (the per-gallon cap was left at 80 ppm). Users should not adjust the
sulfur value unless local sulfur data are available. MOVES can calculate benefits of
gasoline sulfur reduction down to 5 ppm, so values below 5 ppm should not be used.
Diesel sulfur level: Between 2006 and 2010, the Ultra-Low Sulfur rule requires at least
80% of the highway diesel fuel sold meet the 15 ppm S standard; the remaining 20%
must meet the Low Sulfur Diesel standard of 500 ppm S. The MOVES default diesel
fuel for onroad vehicles has a sulfur level of 15 ppm for 2006 and later. If users have
volumetric data for diesel fuel sulfur levels in the area being modeled, this information
can be entered in the sulfurLevel and marketShare fields of the FuelFormulation and
FuelSupply tables, respectively.
ETOH Volume is the percent by volume of ethanol the gasoline/ethanol mixture. The second
Renewable Fuel Standard rule (RFS2, 75 FR 14670, March 26, 2010) greatly increased the
amount of ethanol blended into gasoline. For years 2014 and later, only two ethanol blend
levels, E-10 and E-85, are included in the MOVES default fuel supply with nonzero market
shares. Formulations for two additional levels, E-0 and E-15, are present for each fuel region but
with market share set to zero. These blend levels are sold throughout the country in small
volumes, but there is insufficient data to designate blend levels. Since E-0 and E-15 are included
in the default fuel supply with zero market share, users should apportion market share to these
fuels if local data indicate that they are sold in the area, rather than using the Fuels Wizard or
other means. Gasoline with other ethanol volumes below E-15 can be modeled by selecting an
existing fuel with the nearest ethanol volume and using the Fuels Wizard to set the ethanol
volume to the desired level. MOVES should not be used to model gasoline fuels with ethanol
concentrations above 15%, other than E85. For Diesel Fuel, CNG and Electricity, a value of
zero should be entered for ethanol.
4.8.1.2 Fuel Supply Data Fields
After the fuel formulations have been reviewed and/or modified, the FuelSupply table can be
populated. There are six fields in this table. The regionID field identifies the area being
modeled.38 The monthGroupID is the same as the monthID; monthGroupID was built in to
allow for the possibility of seasonal fuels, but that option is not currently functional. The
fuelFormulationID is explained above.
37 Note that since MOVES does not estimate upstream emissions, the fuel sulfur content for electricity should be
entered as 0.
38 For more information on fuel regions in MOVES, see the Fuel Supply Defaults: Regional Fuels and the Fuel
Wizard in MOVES3 available at: https://www.epa.gov/moves/moves-onroad-technical-reports.
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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 in Table 4-3.
Table 4-3. Onroad Fuel Types in MOVES
fuelTypelD
Description
1
Gasoline
2
Diesel Fuel
3
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
5
E-85
9
Electricity
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).
4.8.2 Fuel Usage Fraction Guidance
E-85 capable vehicles, also known as flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) exist throughout the country and
are capable of using either conventional gasoline or E-85 fuel (a blend of 85% ethanol and 15%
gasoline). The FuelUsageFraction table allows the user to change the frequency at which E-85
capable vehicles use E-85 fuel vs. conventional fuel, when appropriate. In this table, the column
sourceBinFuelTypelD refers to the engine capability:
sourceBinFuelTypelD = 1 means gasoline
sourceBinFuelTypelD = 2 means diesel
sourceBinFuelTypelD = 3 means CNG
sourceBinFuelTypelD = 5 means FFV
sourceBinFuelTypelD = 9 means electricity.
The column fuelSupplyFuelTypelD in the FuelUsageFraction table refers to the fuel being
burned by the engine. For vehicles with gasoline, diesel, CNG, or electric engines (i.e.,
sourceBinFuelTypelDs 1, 2, 3, or 9), the fuelSupplyFuelTypelD is the same as the
sourceBinFuelTypelD. However, FFV vehicles can be assigned a fuelSupplyFuelTypelD of
either 1 (gasoline) or 5 (E-85). The usageFraction column of this table defines the distribution of
how much E-85 compared to gasoline being burned by FFVs.
MOVES contains default estimates of E-85 fuel usage for each county in the U.S. In most cases,
users should rely on the default information. If local data are available that indicate different E-
85 usage, the fraction of gasoline (fuelSupplyFuelTypelD = 1) and E-85 (fuelSupplyFuelTypelD
= 5) can be specified for sourceBinFuelTypelD = 5. Usage fractions for sourceBinFuelTypelDs
1,2, and 3 (gasoline, diesel, and CNG) should not be changed.
Please note that this table defines the fraction of E-85 use among E-85 capable vehicles, not the
fraction of use among all vehicles or the fraction of E-85 capable vehicles in the fleet. A fuel
usage fraction table entry of 1.0 for fuelSupplyFuelTypelD = 5 would mean that all E-85 capable
vehicles (FFVs) are using E-85 100% of the time. A fraction of 0.0 for fuelSupplyFuelTypelD =
5 would mean that all FFVs are using conventional gasoline 100% of the time, e.g., if there is no
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E-85 available in the local fuel supply. For example, if it is known that no E-85 is used in the
county, the user would change the usageFraction to 1 for sourceBinFuelTypelD = 5 (FFV) and
fuelSupplyFuelTypelD = 1 (gasoline), and change the usageFraction to 0 for
sourceBinFuelTypelD = 5 (FFV) and fuelSupplyFuelTypelD = 5 (E-85).
4.8.3 AVFT Guidance
The AVFT (fuel type and vehicle technology) table allows users to modify the fraction of
vehicles capable of using different fuels and technologies in each model year. Specifically, the
AVFT table allows users to define the split between diesel, gasoline, E-85, CNG, and electricity,
for each vehicle type and model year.39 For example, if in a certain county, registration data
show that more diesel vehicles are in operation than indicated by the default AVFT table for a
particular source type, this table could be used to make the adjustment. This table should only be
modified if local data are available. If local data are used for present years, that information can
be assumed for future years.
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).40 In making projections,
users should assume no future changes in activity associated with alternate fuel or engine
technologies unless those alternate fuels or technologies are required by regulation or law. In
many cases, the default VMT split between diesel, gasoline, CNG, and E-85 should be used.
For some source types, the use of local information may be more important because of a higher
likelihood that national defaults are not consistent with the local fleet. For example, the national
default AVFT table in MOVES assumes that most heavy-duty truck fleets include a mix of
gasoline, diesel, and CNG vehicles. However, some fleets of buses or refuse trucks in a county
may consist of only a single fuel type or may have a distribution of fuel types much different
from the national average. Users should check registration records or with large fleet owners for
local differences with the national defaults.
Fractions of fully electric vehicles in the fleet are highly variable by county. As a result, the
national default allocation of passenger cars, passenger trucks, and light commercial trucks
includes no electric vehicles.41 Users can enter actual local fractions of electric vehicles by
model year. For regulatory analyses, users should not assume a higher fraction of electric
vehicles for future model years than existed for the last model year for which data are available
in the absence of a regulatory requirement for higher sales of electric vehicles. Note that
MOVES includes hybrid gasoline/electric vehicle emissions in the gasoline vehicle category to
be consistent with EPA's regulations for these vehicles.
39 Not all source type/fuel type combinations are available in MOVES. Users should check the list of available
combinations in the Onroad Vehicles Panel before editing the AVFT table. MOVES3 adds CNG as an option for all
heavy-duty source types except long-haul combination trucks.
40 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.
41 In MOVES3, passenger cars, passenger trucks, and light commercial trucks are the only source types with an
electric vehicle option.
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4.9 Inspection and Maintenance Programs
Inspection and maintenance (I/M) programs continue to be important local control programs in
many nonattainment and maintenance areas. MOVES includes the capability of modeling the
essential design elements of an I/M program.
EPA recommends that users attempting to characterize the emissions impact of an I/M program
use the same approach, as described below, for Inventory and Emission Rates runs. The
emission rates calculated in MOVES will be based on the I/M program specified by the user.
EPA recommends that users modeling an existing I/M program in MOVES begin by examining
the default I/M program description included in MOVES for the particular county in question.
The default I/M data can be reviewed by selecting the Export Default Data button in the I/M Tab
of the CDM. Users should review the details of the default I/M program and make any necessary
changes to match the actual local program. In particular, users should note that any grace
periods or exemptions ages in an I/M program need to be included in the beginning and ending
model years based on the calendar year of evaluation as discussed in Section 4.9.5 of this
document. The default I/M files do not incorporate grace periods or exemption ages.
The default I/M data (e.g., the geographic coverage of a current program and the model years
addressed) have been updated in MOVES3. As a result, a converted I/M data table based on
defaults in any previous version of MOVES should not be used with MOVES3.
The I/M program description includes the statelD, countylD, and yearlD as well as
pollutantProcessID, sourceTypelD, fuelTypelD, IMprogramID, inspection frequency,
testStandardsID, beginning and ending model years, and a compliance factor. It also includes a
column labeled "uselMyn" which allows the user to turn off ("N") or on ("Y") the portion of the
I/M program described in that row of the table.
4.9.1 Pollutant Process ID
MOVES estimates emission reductions from I/M programs for hydrocarbons, NOx, and CO. For
exhaust emissions, I/M programs can affect both running and start emissions. For evaporative
emissions, I/M programs affect hydrocarbon emissions from fuel vapor venting and fuel leaks.
4.9.2 Source Type ID and Fuel Type ID
These entries are used to describe the source (vehicle) types and fuel types included in the I/M
program. Users should check to make sure that the vehicle and fuel types match the I/M
program parameters for the vehicles included in the local program. MOVES currently calculates
I/M program benefits only for gasoline vehicles.
I/M programs have historically applied to vehicles by regulatory weight class; however, MOVES
applies I/M benefits by source type. This can lead to discrepancies between the number of
vehicles covered in the actual I/M program and the number of vehicles that MOVES assumes is
covered. For example, an I/M program that targets trucks with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR) less than 8501 lbs (i.e., EPA weight classes LDT1, LDT2, LDT3, and LDT4) would
include parts of two MOVES source types: passenger trucks (sourceTypelD 31) and light
commercial trucks (sourceTypelD 32). However, these source types also include vehicles with
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GVWR greater than 8501 lbs. When an I/M program is applied to source types 31 and 32 in
MOVES, the benefits of the I/M program are applied to all of the vehicles in these source types.
Users need to adjust the compliance factor to account for the fraction of vehicles within a source
type that are actually covered by the I/M program. This process is described in Section 4.9.6 of
this document.
4.9.3 Inspection Frequency
MOVES allows users to enter either annual or biennial test frequency. While MOVES also
includes an option for continuous I/M, there are currently no emission benefits assigned to this
option in MOVES and it should not be selected.
4.9.4 Test Standards and I/M Program ID
MOVES allows users to choose between 12 exhaust emissions tests and 7 evaporative emissions
tests, as listed in Table 4-4.
Table 4-4. MOVES I/M Emission Test Types
Test
Standards ID
Test Standards
Description
Description
11
Unloaded Idle Test
Test performed while vehicle idles in Park or Neutral
12
Two-mode, 2500
Test performed while vehicle idles and at 2500 rpm
RPM/Idle Test
13
Loaded / Idle Test
Test performed while vehicle operates on a chassis
dynamometer at constant load
21
ASM 2525 Phase-in
Outpoints
Test performed on a dynamometer, under load, through
a defined steady state driving cycle at 25 mph and 25%
load, at phase-in cutpoints.
22
ASM 5015 Phase-in
Outpoints
Test performed on a dynamometer, under load, through
two defined steady state driving cycles at 25 mph and
25% load, and 15 mph and 50% load, at phase-in
cutpoints.
23
ASM 2525/5015
Phase-in Outpoints
Test performed on a dynamometer, under load, through
two defined steady state driving cycles at 25 mph and
25% load, and 15 mph and 50% load, at phase-in
cutpoints.
24
ASM 2525 Final
Outpoints
Test performed on a dynamometer, under load, through
a defined steady state driving cycle at 25 mph and 25%
load, at final cutpoints.
25
ASM 5015 Final
Outpoints
Test performed on a dynamometer, under load, through
a defined steady state driving cycle at 15 mph and 50%
load, at final cutpoints.
26
ASM 2525/5015
Final Outpoints
Test performed on an inertia-weighted dynamometer
through two defined steady state driving cycles at 25
mph and 25% load, and 15 mph and 50% load, at final
cutpoints.
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31
IM240 Phase-in
Outpoints
Test performed on a dynamometer, under load, through
a pre-defined transient driving cycle of up to 240
seconds at phase-in cutpoints.
33
IM240 Final
Outpoints
Test performed on a dynamometer, under load, through
a pre-defined transient driving cycle of up to 240
seconds.
41
Evaporative Gas
Cap Check
A test conducted by pressurizing the gas cap for the
purpose of identifying leaks in the gas cap.
42
Evaporative System
Pressure Check
A test conducted by pressuring the evaporative system
by way of the fuel tank's fillneck and sometimes
referred to as the fillneck pressure (FP) test.
43
Evaporative System
OBD Check
Test of the evaporative emission related systems and
components performed by visual check of the MIL and
scan of the OBD computer system for readiness, MIL
status, and stored trouble codes, on 1996 and newer,
OBD-equipped vehicles.
44
Evaporative Gas
Cap and Pressure
Check
A pair of tests to identify leaks in the gas cap (GC) and
the rest of the vehicle's evaporative system. The latter
test is conducted by pressuring the evaporative system
by way of the fuel tank's fillneck and is referred to as
the fillneck pressure (FP) test.
45
Evaporative Gas
Cap and OBD Check
The evaporative OBD test performed in conjunction
with a separate check of the gas cap (GC) for the
purpose of identifying leaks in the gas cap not
otherwise identified by the evaporative OBD check.
This combination of tests can only be conducted on
1996 and newer, OBD-equipped vehicles.
46
Evaporative Pressure
and OBD Check
The evaporative OBD test performed in conjunction
with a separate fillneck pressure test.
47
Evaporative Gas
Cap, Pressure and
OBD Check
The evaporative OBD test performed in conjunction
with a separate fillneck pressure test and gas cap test.
51
Exhaust OBD Check
Test of exhaust-related systems and components
performed by visual check of Malfunction Indicator
Light (MIL) and scan of on-board (OBD) computer for
system readiness, MIL status and stored trouble codes,
on 1996 and newer OBD-equipped vehicles only
In MOVES, I/M programs that have both exhaust and evaporative inspection components,
including OBD programs, are modeled as two separate, simultaneous programs identified using
different I/M program ID numbers in the IMprogramID column. Users should include both the
exhaust and evaporative components to ensure proper credit for the program. Likewise, an I/M
program that applies different tests to different vehicles (e.g., an IM240 program that applies to
older model years and an OBD program that applies to newer model years) is also modeled as
two separate, simultaneous programs identified using different I/M program ID numbers in the
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IMprogramID column and using the beginning and ending model year columns to differentiate
what model years are covered by each program.
4.9.5 Beginning and Ending Model Years
MOVES uses these two columns to specify the beginning and ending model years affected by a
particular part of the I/M program. For I/M programs without a grace period for new vehicles or
an exemption period for older vehicles, this is simply the first and last model year affected by the
program.
For I/M programs with a grace period for new vehicles or an exemption period for older
vehicles, this entry should reflect the actual model years covered by the program in the calendar
year of evaluation. As a result, the beginning and ending model years for an I/M program may
vary depending on the calendar year of analysis. For example, a typical OBD I/M program
might apply to all model years beginning with 1996. However, if that program also includes a
grace period during which newer vehicles are exempt from the program, the ending model year
of the program should reflect the most recent model year included in the program based on the
calendar year of analysis. For example, if in calendar year 2020, the most recent model year
being tested in a program with a three-year grace period is the 2017 model year, a MOVES run
for calendar year 2020 would have an ending model year of 2017. An analysis of the same
program for calendar year 2023 would have an ending model year of 2020.
Similar adjustments to the beginning model year should be made to account for exemptions of
older model years. In that case, the beginning model year of the program should reflect the
earliest model year still being tested. For example, if in 2020, the oldest model year still being
tested in a program with exemptions for older vehicles is the 2000 model year, a MOVES run for
calendar year 2020 would have a beginning model year of 2000. An analysis of the same
program for calendar year 2023 would have a beginning model year of 2003.
Tip: Note that because of this treatment of beginning and end
years, a unique set of I/M inputs would be needed for each
calendar year modeled for I/M programs with grace periods or
exemption periods.
4.9.6 Compliance Factor
MOVES uses the compliance factor input to account for I/M program compliance rates, waiver
rates, failure rates, and adjustments needed to account for the fraction of vehicles within a source
type that are covered by the I/M program (these last adjustments will be referred to here as the
"regulatory class coverage adjustment"). The compliance factor is entered as a decimal number
from 0 to 100 and represents the percentage of vehicles within a source type that actually receive
the benefits of the program. The compliance factor entered in MOVES is calculated as:
CF = CR x (1 - WR x FR) x RCCA
Where CF = Compliance factor
CR = Compliance rate
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WR = Waiver rate
FR = Failure rate
RCCA = Regulatory class coverage adjustment
The following subsections describe each component used to calculate the compliance factor.
4.9.6.1 Compliance Rate
The compliance rate is the percentage of vehicles in the fleet covered by the I/M program that
completes the I/M program and receives either a certificate of compliance (i.e., vehicles that pass
inspection) or a waiver (i.e., vehicles that do not pass a retest but still receive a certificate). This
is calculated by adding the number of vehicles that receive a certificate of compliance with the
number of vehicles that receive a waiver, and dividing the sum by the number of total vehicles
that are subject to I/M testing:
Compliant Vehicles + Waived Vehicles
Compliance Rate = , . , x 100
Subject Vehicles
Historical compliance should be determined by sticker surveys, license plate surveys, or a
comparison of the number of final tests to the number of vehicles subject to the I/M requirement.
Note, "Subject Vehicles" includes all vehicles registered in the county that meet the I/M
program's model year and weight class requirements. Additionally, note that the compliance
rate is a percentage between 0 and 100.
4.9.6.2 Waiver Rate
The waiver rate is the fraction of vehicles that fail an initial I/M test and do not pass a retest, but
still receive a certificate. This is calculated as the number of vehicles that do not pass a retest but
receive a certificate divided by the number of vehicles that fail an initial I/M test:
Waived Vehicles
Waiver Rate =
Initially Failing Vehicles
Actual historical waiver rates should be used as the basis for estimating future waiver rates.
Note that the waiver rate is a fraction between 0 and 1.
4.9.6.3 Failure Rate
The failure rate is the fraction of all tested vehicles that fail an initial I/M test (regardless of the
vehicle's final outcome). This is calculated as the number of vehicles that fail an initial I/M test
divided by the number of unique vehicles that were tested:
Initially Failing Vehicles
Failure Rate = TJ . , . ,~ r~
Unique Vehicles Tested
Actual historical failure rates should be used as the basis for estimating future failure rates.
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Note that "Unique vehicles tested" is not the same as the total number of I/M tests because it
does not include vehicle retests. Additionally, note that the failure rate is a fraction between 0
and 1.
4.9.6.4 Regulatory Class Coverage Adjustment
I/M programs entered in MOVES are applied to source types. However, as discussed in Section
4.9.2, this association of I/M programs and source type may be inconsistent with state I/M
program regulations that define I/M programs by the vehicle weight classes. MOVES source
types are composed of several vehicle weight classes and, therefore, applying I/M benefits to the
entire MOVES source type may be inappropriate. Table A-l in Appendix A can be used to
develop adjustments to the compliance factor to account for this discrepancy. The adjustments
are population fractions of vehicles by the various regulatory weight classes within a source type.
After reviewing the table, users should sum the adjustments for weight classes within a source
type that are covered by an I/M program. This sum provides users with a multiplicative factor
that can be applied when calculating the compliance factor, as described above. An example of
this process is provided in the next section. Note that the adjustment factor is a fraction between
0 and 1.
Users who believe a local set of regulatory class coverage adjustments are more appropriate than
the Table A-l defaults should provide documentation in the SIP or regional conformity analysis
of the local data and methods used to derive those adjustments.
4.9.6.5 Example Compliance Factor Calculation
Using the example from Section 4.9.2, an I/M program that targets trucks less than 8501 lbs
GVWR (i.e., EPA weight classes LDT1, LDT2, LDT3, and LDT4) would include some vehicles
from two MOVES source types: passenger trucks (sourceTypelD 31) and light commercial
trucks (32). Users should first determine the compliance rate, waiver rate and failure rate for the
trucks covered by that program. For this example, we will assume that the compliance rate is
95%, the waiver rate is 0.25, and the failure rate is 0.20.
The user would then determine the regulatory class coverage adjustment by summing the
percentages of those regulatory classes less than 8501 lbs GVRW separately for source types 31
and 32 using the information in Table A-l in Appendix A. For source type 31, the regulatory
class coverage adjustment is 0.9612. For source type 32, the regulatory class coverage
adjustment is 0.7526.
Using these results, the compliance factor for source type 31 is:
CF = CR x (1 - WR x FR) x RCCA
86.7483% = 95% x (1 - 0.25 x 0.20) x 0.9612
The compliance factor for source type 32 is:
CF = CR x (1 - WR x FR) x RCCA
67.92215% = 95% x (1 - 0.25 x 0.20) x 0.7526
These values would be entered as compliance factors of 86.7483 for source type 31 and
67.92215 for source type 32.
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4.10 Starts
The Starts Tab is used to import local information on vehicle start activity. This input is optional
and should only be used if local data are available. There are several sources for vehicle start
information. In the past, this has typically been derived from origin/destination surveys used for
travel demand modeling, but could also be derived using telematics data.42 If no starts
information is available, this importer should not be used and MOVES will calculate start
activity based on user-supplied vehicle populations (via the SourceTypeYear input) and default
assumptions of vehicle activity.
The following information about starts applies primarily to MOVES running in Inventory mode.
However, the StartsOpModeDistribution input table discussed below can be used in either
Inventory mode or Emission Rates mode.
The Starts Tab contains importers for multiple tables, which interact to calculate vehicle start
activity in MOVES. Users have the option of directly importing detailed data into the Starts
table, which contains start information by source type, hour, day, month, and vehicle age.
However, local data may not be available to populate every dimension of the Starts table.
Therefore, users also have the option to provide some local information via shaping tables and to
rely on default assumptions for dimensions not covered by the local data.
The importers available under the Starts Tab include:
StartsPerDayPerVehicle,
StartsPerDay,
StartsHourFraction,
StartsMonthAdjust,
StartsAge Adjustment,
StartsOpModeDistribution, and
Starts.
Any of the Starts, StartsPerDayPerVehicle, and StartsPerDay tables can be used to provide the
number of vehicle starts, depending on data availability and format. StartsHourFraction,
StartsMonthAdjust, and StartsAge Adjustment are shaping tables that can be used individually or
with any of the other tables (except for in combination with the Starts table) to adjust or allocate
the number of vehicle starts. StartsOpModeDistribution is a separate input, which is described
below.
In the case where a user supplies one or more of StartsPerDayPerVehicle, StartsPerDay, or any
of the shaping tables, MOVES will use that information to calculate the Starts table and will rely
on default information for the inputs not provided. For instance, if the user provides only total
starts per day through the StartsPerDay table, those values will be allocated to hour and adjusted
by month and vehicle age based on MOVES default allocations and adjustments.
42 For an example of how telematics data were used to derive MOVES starts inputs, see the final report for CRC A-
106: https://crcao.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/CRC-A106-Final-Report Dec2017.pdf.
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Users should confirm in the output that MOVES used the correct number of starts. By selecting
"Starts" Activity in the General Output Panel of the RunSpec, the number of starts used in the
MOVES run will be reported in the MOVESactivityoutput table of the output database. This
table can be used to confirm that the correct number of starts and/or correct allocations were used
in MOVES.
Starts
The Starts table, which appears last in the list of start importers, can be used to completely
replace the MOVES-calculated Starts table. Information on starts must be provided by monthID,
hourDaylD, sourceTypelD, and vehicle agelD. To use this input, vehicle starts information must
be available for all fields. This importer should not be used in conjunction with
StartsPerDayPerVehicle, StartsPerDay, StartsHourFraction, StartsMonthAdjust, or
StartsAgeAdjustment. Note that a complete table must be provided, including all combinations
of monthID, hourDaylD, and sourceTypelD selected in the RunSpec. If the user has some but
not all of the information required for this table, use one or more of the tables described below
instead of the Starts table, as appropriate.
StartsPerDayPer V ehicle
The StartsPerDayPerVehicle table can be used when the average number of starts per vehicle by
source type is known for a typical weekday and weekend day (daylDs 5 and 2, respectively).
When using this table, MOVES will calculate total starts by combining this information with the
user-supplied source type population data (this input is described in Section 4.3).
StartsPerDayPerVehicle can be used independently or in combination with other start tables
(except "Starts" or StartsPerDay).
StartsPerDay
The StartsPerDay table can be used when the total number of vehicle starts by source type is
known for a typical weekday or weekend day (daylDs 5 and 2, respectively). When using this
table, MOVES will use the total vehicle starts provided and will not use source type population
information to calculate number of starts. This input can be used independently or in
combination with other start tables (except "Starts" or StartsPerDayPerVehicle).
StartsHourFraction
The StartsHourFraction table can be used when local start information is available by hour of
day. Fractions can be provided by the user to allocate starts to the appropriate hour. Fractions
should be provided for both day types, weekday and weekend day, and they should sum to one
for each day type. This input can be used independently or in combination with other start tables
(except "Starts").
StartsMonth Adj ust
The StartsMonthAdjust table can be used to vary the vehicle starts between different months. An
adjustment factor of 1.0 for each month will model the unlikely situation where annual starts are
evenly divided between months. Usually, start activity increases in the summer and decreases in
the winter. Local starts information can be used to adjust starts up or down depending on the
month (or season) by changing the adjustment factors for each month. These adjustment factors
are applied directly to the calculated starts per day. For example, a value of 1.12 for
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sourceTypelD 21 and monthID 8 will increase the calculated passenger car starts in August by
12%. This input can be used independently or in combination with other start tables (except
"Starts").
Starts Age Adj ustment
The StartsAge Adj ustment table can be used when local start information is available by vehicle
age. This table makes relative adjustments to starts per vehicle by age. It is important to note
that the absolute values in this table are not used; only the relative differences between ages
affect the distribution of calculated vehicle starts.
To illustrate this input with an overly simplified example using passenger cars: if in the
StartsAge Adj ustment table, agelDs 0-9 are assigned a value of 1, agelDs 10-19 are assigned a
value of 0.8, and agelDs 20-30 are assigned a value of 0.5, then a new car will be modeled with
1.25 times the starts per vehicle as a 10-year-old car and twice the starts per vehicle as a 20-year
old car (as 1.25 is the ratio between 1 and 0.8, and 2 is the ratio between 1 and 0.5, respectively).
A 10-year-old car will be modeled with 1.6 times the starts per vehicle of a 20-year old car (as
1.6 is the ratio between 0.8 and 0.5). Furthermore, because the absolute values in this table are
not used, the same results would be obtained if adjustment values of 10, 8, and 5 were used
instead, as they have the same proportional differences.
The StartsAge Adj ustment input conserves the total number of starts. That is, providing this
input will not change the number of vehicle starts (either provided directly in StartsPerDay,
calculated from StartsPerDayPerVehicle, or when relying on MOVES defaults). Instead, it only
affects the allocation of starts per vehicle by vehicle age. The StartsAge Adj ustment table is used
by MOVES in conjunction with the SourceTypeAgeDistribution table (this input is described in
Section 4.4) to determine total vehicle starts by age.
The StartsAge Adj ustment input can be used independently or in combination with other start
tables (except "Starts").
StartsOpModeDistribution
The StartOpModeDistribution table can be used to provide local soak-time distributions by
source type, day type, hour, and vehicle age. A soak-time is the period between "key-off" and
"key-on." Longer periods of soak typically result in higher start emission rates. If local data are
available, the MOVES default soak-time assumptions can be overwritten by changing the
opmodedistribution fractions in this table. This input can be used independently or in
combination with any of the other start tables (including "Starts"). Note that this table only
affects start emissions; evaporative emissions will not be affected by changing this table.
4.11 Hotelling
The Hotelling Tab is used to import information on long-haul combination truck hotelling
activity. This input is optional and should only be used if local data are available. If no hotelling
information is available, this importer should not be used, and MOVES will calculate hotelling
activity based on long-haul combination truck VMT on restricted access roads.
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otelling processes apply only to long-haul
combinath cks, sc 1 , ¦ ?.
The following information about hotelling applies primarily to MOVES running in Inventory
mode. However, the HotellingActivityDistribution input table discussed below can be used in
either Inventory mode or Emission Rates mode.
Hotelling is defined in MOVES as any period of time one hour or longer that drivers of long-
haul combination trucks spend resting in their vehicles during mandated down times while
making long distance deliveries. During the mandatory down time, drivers can stay in motels or
other accommodations, but most of these trucks have sleeping spaces built into the cab of the
truck and drivers stay with their vehicles. Hotelling activity is included in MOVES in order to
account for use of the truck engine (referred to as "extended idling") to power air conditioning,
heat, and other accessories and account for the use of auxiliary power units (APU), which are
small onboard power generators. Extended idling while hotelling results in emissions that are
different from incidental idling while operating on roads (which is included in the underlying
drive cycles used to calculate running emissions in MOVES) and from off-network idling
addressed in Section 4.12. Emissions from hotelling are reported as three processes:
Extended Idle Exhaust, for truck engine emissions,
Crankcase Idle Exhaust, also for truck engine emissions, and
Auxiliary Power Exhaust, for APU emissions.
The Hotelling Tab contains five importers. Depending on the information available, one or more
of these importers can be used to supply local hotelling information. These importers are:
HotellingHoursPerDay,
HotellingHourFraction,
HotellingAgeFraction,
HotellingMonthAdjust, and
HotellingActivityDistribution.
Typically, local data will not be available to populate all of these tables. In a case where a user
supplies information for only some of these importers, MOVES will use that information and
will rely on default information for the inputs not provided. For instance, if the only local
information available is the number of hotelling hours per day, this information can be provided
through the HotellingHoursPerDay table. MOVES will distribute the total hotelling hours per
day by hour of the day, month, vehicle age, and type of hotelling activity based on default
allocations and adjustments. If local data are used to populate any of these tables, users should
fully document how those data were collected.
HotellingHoursPerDay
The HotellingHoursPerDay table can be used when the total hours of hotelling per day are
known. Total hotelling hours should be provided for a typical weekday and weekend day
(daylDs 5 and 2, respectively). Total hotelling hours should include total time spent in all of the
four operating modes defined in the HotellingActivityDistribution table. This input can be used
independently, or in combination with other hotelling input tables. Users can confirm the
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number of hotelling hours used by MOVES by selecting "Hotelling Hours" Activity in the
General Output Panel of the RunSpec. The hotelling hours used in the MOVES run will be
reported in the MOVESactivityoutput table of the output database.
HotellingHourFraction
The HotellingHourFraction table can be used when local hotelling information is available by
hour of the day. Fractions can be provided by the user to allocate hotelling activity to the
appropriate hour. Fractions should be provided for both day types, weekday and weekend day,
and they should sum to one for each day type. This input can be used independently or in
combination with other hotelling input options.
HotellingAgeFraction
The HotellingAgeFraction table can be used when local hotelling information is available by age,
e.g., to account for newer trucks having more hotelling activity. The fractions in the table
allocate hotelling activity by vehicle age, and therefore they should sum to 1.0. This input can be
used independently or in combination with other hotelling input options.
HotellingMonthAdjust
The HotellingMonthAdjust table can be used to vary hotelling activity between different months.
An adjustment factor of 1.0 for each month will model a situation where annual hotelling hours
are evenly divided between months. Local hotelling information can be used to adjust hotelling
hours up or down depending on the month (or season) by changing the adjustment factors for
each month. These adjustment factors are applied directly to the hotelling hours per day. For
example, a value of 1.1 for monthID 1 will increase the hotelling hours per day in January by
10%. This input can be used independently or in combination with other hotelling input options.
HotellingActivityDistribution
The HotellingActivityDistribution table can be used to change the default operating mode
distribution of hotelling activity by model year. MOVES divides hotelling activity into four
operating modes:
1. Extended Idle: Extended Idle is defined as long-duration idling with more load than
standard idle and a different idle speed. It is used to account for emissions during
hotelling operation when a truck's engine is used to support loads such as heaters, air
conditioners, microwave ovens, etc.
2. Diesel Auxiliary Power (APU): Diesel Auxiliary Power refers to use of auxiliary power
units that allow for heating/cooling/power for the cab without running the truck's engine.
3. Battery Power: Battery power refers to the use of a truck's own battery to provide power
for heating/cooling/power for the cab without running the truck's engine.
4. Engine-Off: Engine-Off refers to hotelling when the truck's engine is off and an APU is
not being used. This could include hotelling resulting from truck-stop electrification.
In most cases, users should rely on the national default hotelling operating mode fractions.
However, if local data are supplied, this input can be used independently or in combination with
other hotelling input options.
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4.12 Idle Data
The Idle Tab is used to import optional information on off-network idle (ONI) activity that is not
related to combination truck hotelling activity. ONI is defined in MOVES as time during which
a vehicle engine is running idle and the vehicle is somewhere other than on the road, such as in a
parking lot or driveway. This engine activity contributes to total mobile source emissions but
does not take place on the road network. This is a new tab in MOVES3, related to a new
category of idle emissions added to this version of the model.
This user input is optional and should only be used if better local data for ONI are available. The
default data included in MOVES3 for light duty vehicles were derived from telematics data that
included about 40 million trips. The default data used for heavy duty vehicles were derived from
a study of 415 vehicles during over 120,000 hours of operation.43 Survey data, limited
observations, or assumptions about efficacy of idle restrictions should not be used to replace the
default data in MOVES.
The drive cycles in MOVES account for idling at traffic signals, stop signs, and in traffic as part
of the running exhaust and crankcase running exhaust processes on the urban and rural restricted
and unrestricted road types. However, they do not account for other idling activity, such as:
light duty passenger vehicles idling while waiting to pick up children at school or to pick
up passengers at the airport or train station,
single unit and combination trucks idling while loading or unloading cargo or making
deliveries, and
vehicles idling at drive-through restaurants.
Emissions during these types of events are now included in MOVES output as running exhaust
and crankcase running exhaust on the off-network road type.
Section 4.12.1 provides guidance on how to import local idling data when running MOVES in
Inventory mode. Local idling data do not need to be imported when running MOVES in
Emission Rates mode. However, guidance on how to calculate an off-network idle emission
inventory with or without local idling data is provided in Section 4.12.2, as this is a necessary
step in calculating a complete emissions inventory when using the Emission Rates mode.
4.12.1 Off-network Idle: Guidance for Inventory Mode
The Idle Tab contains four importers. This tab is optional and should only be used if better local
data for vehicle idling are available. Depending on the information available, one of two
primary input tables can be used: TotalldleFraction or IdleModelYearGrouping. Additionally, if
the IdleModelYearGrouping table is supplied, IdleMonthAdjust and IdleDayAdust should also
be supplied; default MOVES assumptions will not be used to supplement any user-supplied data
for these inputs. Note, if local data are used to populate any of these tables, users should fully
document how those data were collected.
43 For more information on the default idle activity data in MOVES, see Section 10 of the technical report
Population and Activity of Onroad Vehicles in MOVES3 (EPA-420-R-20-023), available at
https://www.epa.gov/moves/moves-onroad-technical-reports.
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Totall dleFraction
The TotalldleFraction table can be used if local data are available on the total time spent idling
as a fraction of source hours operating by source type, model year range, month, and day type.
The fractions here are total idle times, which include off-network idle as well as idling occuring
on roadways (such as incidental idle at signals, stop signs, and in traffic). For example, a total
idle fraction of 0.22 represents 22% of time between a vehicle's "key-on" and "key-off" is spent
idling. However, note that for long-haul combination trucks, this fraction should not include idle
time while hotelling, as that is a separate process (see Section 4.11 for more information). If this
table is used, IdleModelYearGrouping, IdleMonthAdjust, and IdleDayAdjust should not be used.
I dleModel YearGrouping
The IdleModelYearGrouping table is an alternate input for providing the total time spent idling
as a fraction of source hours operating. The units are the same as for the TotalldleFraction table,
but this table may be preferable, depending on the format of the local data, as it allows the user
to provide total idle fraction data by source type and model year range. However, note that if
this table is used, IdleMonthAdjust and IdleDayAdjust should also be supplied.
IdleMonthAdjust
The IdleMonthAdjust table is used to vary idle activity provided in the IdleModelYearGrouping
table between different months. An adjustment factor of 1.0 for each month will model a
situation where the total idle fraction does not change between months. Local idling information
can be used to adjust the idle fraction up or down depending on the month (or season) by
changing the adjustment factors for each month.
IdleDayAdjust
The IdleDayAdjust table is used to vary idle activity provided in the IdleModelYearGrouping
table by day type (weekday or weekend day). An adjustment factor of 1.0 for each day will
model a situation where the total idle fraction does not change by day type. Local idling
information can be used to adjust the idle fraction up or down for weekdays separately from
weekend days.
4.12.2 Off-network Idle: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode
When using the Emission Rates mode, the user calculates off-network idle emissions by
multiplying the roadTypelD 1 emission rates in the RatePerDistance table with the
corresponding hours of off-network idling activity. The hours of activity should be provided at
the same level of detail as the emission rates. For example, if source type is selected in the
output emission detail, then the hours of off-network idling activity should include detail at the
source type level. Note that all other emission rates in the RatePerDistance table are in units of
mass per distance; only the roadTypelD 1 emission rates in this table are in units of mass per
hour.
Also note that the relevant idle activity data are different between Inventory mode and Emission
Rates mode: in Inventory mode, the user input is TotalldleFraction, whereas in Emission Rates
mode, the idle activity data are hours of off-network idle.
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If local data on the number of hours of off-network idling are unavailable, default MOVES data
for this activity may be used instead, which can be obtained using the ONI Tool. This feature is
available by opening the Tools drop-down menu in the MOVES GUI and selecting ONI Tool.
The ONI Tool combines data in the user input database with MOVES default data to provide the
same hours of off-network idling that MOVES would internally calculate when running in
Inventory mode. Therefore, users need to complete their RunSpec and finish populating their
input database before running this tool. The ONI tool can be run before or after MOVES is run,
as long as the input database is the same. The ONI Tool outputs hours of idling activity that the
user would multiply by the corresponding roadTypelD 1 emission rates in the RatePerDistance
table. Detailed instructions on how to use the ONI Tool are available in the MOVES GUI: after
opening the tool via the Tools drop-down menu, click the "Open Instructions" button.
4.13 Retrofit Data
The Retrofit Data Tab in MOVES allows users to enter heavy-duty diesel retrofit and/or
replacement program data that apply adjustments to vehicle emission rates. There are no default
retrofit or replacement data in MOVES. However, users are not required to input such data into
MOVES; they would only do so if they have a retrofit or replacement program that they want to
model. Users should consult EPA's SIP and Conformity Retrofit and Replacement Guidance
(available at https://www.epa.gov/state-and-local-transportation/policy-and-technical-guidance-
state-and-local-transportation#quantifying) for additional information.
4.14 Stage II Refueling Programs
MOVES can model the effects of Stage II vehicle refueling controls. The two types of Stage II
emissions included in MOVES are vapor displacement and spills. Stage II control programs can
affect both types of losses and MOVES allows the user to specify the impact of controls on each
type separately. The impact of controls for refueling losses are affected by a combination of the
efficiency of the control technology, the coverage of the program (including the impact of
exemptions) and the state of repair of the equipment, which is affected by the frequency of
formal inspections.44
There is currently no dedicated importer for this in the CDM. Stage II information is included in
the County Year table. An alternative County Year table can be imported using the Generic Tab
(described below). Using this tab, users can export the default CountyYear table for the county
being modeled, modify the values as necessary, and import a revised table.
MOVES includes default county-level Stage II control efficiencies. Users should check that the
default data are accurate for the local area. MOVES separates the Stage II control efficiency into
two factors, a refueling vapor adjustment factor, and a spillage adjustment factor, which are
44 States must account for all emission processes in the SIP. However, two of the 12 hydrocarbon emission
categories, refueling displacement vapor loss and refueling spillage loss, are sometimes included in the SIP as an
area source and left out of the onroad mobile source inventory and motor vehicle emissions budget. In that case, the
two refueling emission processes which are not included in the motor vehicle emission budget would not be
included in a regional conformity analysis. The interagency consultation process should be used to confirm that
there is consistency in the approach used to account for refueling emissions in the SIP and regional
conformity analysis.
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measures of the efficiency of the Stage II program at reducing vapor displacement and spillage.
Calculation of Stage II efficiency is addressed in Section 4 of the EPA document Volume IV:
Chapter 1, Preferred and Alternative Methods for Gathering and Locating Specific Emission
Inventory Data (https://www.epa.gov/air-emissions-inventories/volume-4-mobile-sources). In
the absence of any local information that differentiates the efficiency of the Stage II program for
controlling vapor displacement and spillage, the same control efficiencies should be used for
both programs.
4.15 Generic
The Generic Tab can be used to export, modify, and re-import any of the default MOVES tables
not covered by specific tabs in the CDM. Users should note that there are complex interactions
between tables in MOVES, and there may be unintended consequences from changing any table.
Other than the Stage II inputs mentioned above, most tables should never be changed, and results
will not be acceptable if such tables are modified. EPA recommends that users consult with their
EPA Regional Office before modifying any of the default MOVES tables accessible through the
Generic Tab.
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Section 5. Developing Nonroad Inventories with MOVES
The onroad and nonroad modeling capabilities exist as separate modules in MOVES, and users
must select one or the other in each run of the model.
The basic nonroad emission rates and population and activity estimates in MOVES3, including
estimates of population growth, have not changed from MOVES2014b. However, MOVES3
should be used because it includes updated fuel information which does affect estimates of
nonroad emissions.
MOVES-Nonroad allows for the estimation of emissions from 12 different sectors of nonroad
equipment containing 88 equipment types at the county level based on default assumptions of
county-level nonroad equipment populations and activity. Nonroad equipment population
growth rates in MOVES3 are based on state and regional growth estimates45. Equipment
populations and activity are then allocated to the state and county level based on surrogates such
as construction spending for construction equipment, harvested cropland for agricultural
equipment, number of manufacturing employees for industrial equipment, etc.46 While this
approach has limitations, EPA recognizes that estimating local data on nonroad equipment
populations and activity can be challenging, so relying on MOVES default nonroad population
and activity data is acceptable for SIPs and other regulatory purposes.
The rest of this section addresses the development of nonroad RunSpec files, importing local
meteorological and fuel data, and alternatives to using default nonroad population and activity
data for developing local nonroad emissions inventories.
5.1 Developing a Nonroad RunSpec
This section focuses on the navigation panels that differ from the equivalent onroad panels.
5.1.1 Scale
When Nonroad is selected as the model type, Default Scale is the only option for domain/scale.
Default Scale uses the national and county-level default information in MOVES to calculate
inventories at the national, state, or county level. Users can create an input database with the
Nonroad Data Importer to enter local meteorology, fuels and retrofit data.
"Inventory" is the only option offered for Calculation Type. Users who want to work with
nonroad emission rates or want to apply local nonroad population and activity data can use post-
processing scripts in MOVES to convert inventory output to emission rates. These scripts are
available in the Post Processing Menu. See Section 5.3 for more information.
5.1.2 Time Spans
MOVES-Nonroad does all calculations at the day level with no hourly detail. Multiple years,
months, and day types can be specified in a single RunSpec, but not individual hours. Users
45 See Nonroad Engine Population Growth Estimates in MOVES2014b, EPA-420-R-18-010
(https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZvPDF.cgi?Dockev=P 100UXTK.pdf) for more information.
46 See Geographic Allocation of Nonroad Engine Population Data to the State and County Level, NR-014d
(https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZvPDF.cgi?Dockev=P 1004LDX.pdf) for more details.
59
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creating a nonroad input database for a nonroad run in MOVES should limit the RunSpec to a
single year. Users should choose the appropriate months for the pollutant being analyzed, e.g.,
months representing the ozone season for NOx and HC, the months of the PM2.5 season or
episode for the 24-hour PM2.5 standard, or the winter CO season. To develop an annual
inventory, all months should be selected. Choice of day type should be consistent with choices
made for the onroad portion of the inventory.
5.1.3 Geographic Bounds
MOVES-Nonroad allows for the selection of multiple counties in a single RunSpec. However,
users creating a nonroad input database through the Nonroad Data Importer should limit the
RunSpec to a single county.
Note that the output from MOVES-Nonroad is for individual counties. Post-processing may be
needed to adjust results to the boundaries of the analysis (e.g., a nonattainment or maintenance
area).
5.1.4 Vehicles/Equipment: Nonroad Vehicle Equipment
MOVES-Nonroad divides nonroad equipment into 12 economic sectors containing 88 equipment
types. These sectors are:
Agriculture
Airport Support
Commercial
Construction
Industrial
Lawn/Garden
Logging
Oil Field
Pleasure Craft
Railroad
Recreational
Underground Mining.
The Nonroad Equipment Panel lets users select nonroad equipment by a combination of sectors
containing specific equipment types and the fuel that those equipment types can use. For a list of
equipment included in each sector, see Appendix B. The fuel types available include
compressed natural gas, gasoline, liquified petroleum gas, marine diesel fuel, and nonroad diesel
fuel. Note that since MOVES-Nonroad does not model emissions from electric equipment, users
may assume these equipment have zero emissions.
For SIP analyses, users should select all valid sector and fuel combinations that occur within the
modeled geographic domain. Note that MOVES-Nonroad does not model emissions from
locomotives, commercial marine vessels, or aircraft.47
47 The "Railroad" sector in MOVES-Nonroad includes only railway maintenance equipment; "Pleasure Craft"
includes only personal watercraft and recreational boats with outboard or inboard/sterndrive motors; and "Airport
Support" includes only ground support equipment used at airports.
60
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5.1.5 Road Type
There is only one Nonroad road type ("Nonroad"), and it will automatically be selected in the
Road Type Panel.
5.1.6 Pollutants and Processes
The pollutant processes in MOVES-Nonroad are mutually exclusive types of emissions;
therefore, users must select all processes associated with a modeled pollutant to account for all
emissions of that pollutant.
5.1.7 Output
The Output Panel provides access to two additional panels, General Output and Output
Emissions Detail, which operate in a similar manner to the corresponding panels in MOVES-
Onroad (see Section 3.8). In general, users can generate output in whatever form works best for
their specific needs. The following subsections provide guidelines to consider when specifying
output details and format.
5.1.7.1 General Output
The General Output Panel in MOVES-Nonroad does not include an option to select specific
activity output options. By default, MOVES-Nonroad includes all applicable activity types in
the MOVESActivityOutput table populated during the run.
5.1.7.2 Output Emissions Detail
This panel allows the user to select the level of detail reported in the output database. As noted
in Section 5.1.2, MOVES-Nonroad does all calculations at the day level. County is the
recommended selection for Location. If MOVES-Nonroad results will be post-processed using a
script provided with MOVES (e.g., an emission factor script), choices in this panel must be
compatible with the script. The use of emission factors scripts is described in detail in Section
5.3 below.
5.2 Use of the Nonroad Data Importer
The Nonroad Data Importer is accessed from the Create Input Databases Panel by selecting
"Enter/Edit Data." Once a database is selected or created, the importer provides three tabs, each
of which opens importers that are used to enter specific local data:
Meteorology
Fuel
Generic (used for importing user data to the nonroad retrofit table (nrRetrofitFactors) as
well as equipment population and activity tables)
Each tab allows the user to create and save a template file with column headings and other key
fields populated. The user then enters local data into the created template using a spreadsheet
application (e.g., Microsoft Excel) and imports the edited spreadsheet into MOVES. In some
cases, there is also the option to export default data from the MOVES database, which can be
reviewed and/or edited. Once the user determines that the default data are accurate and
applicable to the analysis or determines that the default data need to be changed and makes those
changes, the user then imports that data into MOVES. Details of the mechanics of using the data
61
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importers are provided in the MOVES training materials. Guidance for the use of the data
importers for SIPs is given below.
5.2.1 Meteorology
MOVES-Nonroad uses the same default meteorology data as MOVES-Onroad. For SIPs, EPA
recommends using local meteorology data for each month that is specified in the RunSpec. The
choice of specific temperature and humidity data may depend on the type of analysis being
performed:
For air quality modeling of a specific exceedance episode (e.g., for SIP attainment
modeling), hourly meteorological data for the episode or for a longer period may be
necessary.
For more generic modeling of average summer or winter day ozone, PM2.5, or CO
conditions, users should input average daily temperature profiles for the months when
exceedances typically occur (in coordination with the EPA Regional Office):
o For ozone season analysis, users should enter either the local average temperature
profile for the period chosen to represent the area's ozone season (typically June,
July and August; or July, August, and September),
o For PM2.5 season or episodic analysis, users should enter the local average
temperature profile for the chosen months,
o For CO season analysis, users should enter the either local average temperature
profile for January, or the local average temperature profile for the three-month
period that best represents the CO season (typically December, January, and
February).
For an annual analysis, users need to enter the local average temperature profile for all
months.
For a given analysis, the nonroad inventory should be based on the same meteorology data used
for the onroad inventory. Local average temperature profiles can be based on the average
minimum and maximum temperatures.
5.2.2 Fuels (Fuel Supply and Fuel Formulation)
MOVES-Nonroad uses two tables, the NRFuelSupply and FuelFormulation tables, that interact
to define the fuels used in the modeling domain.
The NRFuelSupply table identifies the fuel formulations used in a region and each
formulation's respective market share. This is a separate table from the onroad fuel
supply, which is simply called the FuelSupply table.
The FuelFormulation table defines the properties (such as RVP, sulfur level, ethanol
volume, etc.) of each fuel. This is the same table as used in the onroad portion of
MOVES.
The MOVES defaults for both tables are accessible using the Export Default Data button in the
Fuel Tab of the Nonroad Data Importer. The NRFuelSupply table serves the same function as
the FuelSupply table in MOVES-Onroad. For a full description of the FuelSupply and
FuelFormulation tables and data fields, see Section 4.8.1 of this document.
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In M0VES3, the default values in the FuelFormulation and NRFuelsupply tables are current as
of the date of release of the model but do not reflect later changes made to local fuel
requirements. Users should first review the default fuel formulation and fuel supply, and then
make changes only where precise local volumetric fuel property information is available or
where local fuel requirements have changed. Where local requirements have not changed, EPA
strongly recommends using the default fuel properties for a region unless a full local fuel
property study exists. Because fuel properties can be quite variable, EPA does not consider
single or yearly station samples adequate for substitution.
One exception to this guidance is in the case of Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) where a user should
change the value to reflect any specific local regulatory requirements and differences between
ethanol- and non-ethanol blended gasoline not reflected in the default database. Any changes to
RVP (or to any other gasoline formulation parameters) should be made using the "Fuels Wizard"
tool in the Fuel Tab of the Nonroad Data Importer. This tool can be used to adjust unknown
gasoline properties based on known properties. For instance, changing a fuel's RVP will affect
other fuel properties due to changes in refinery configuration in order to create that new fuel.
The Fuels Wizard calculates the appropriate values consistent with EPA's refinery modeling.
The Fuels Wizard should be used whenever changing any default fuel property for gasoline and
gasoline-ethanol blends in the Fuel Formulation table.48 This approach could also be used for
determining the impacts of relaxing low RVP requirements. Comparisons of emissions should
be done for both onroad and nonroad inventories.
Users who want to determine the benefits of a current reformulated gasoline (RFG) requirement
can do so by comparing the emissions inventory with RFG to the emissions inventory for their
county calculated using the fuel supply and fuel formulations from an adjacent non-RFG county
in the same state. This comparison should be done for both onroad and nonroad inventories.
ilike the algorithm for onroad fuel supplies, any user-
supplied nonroad fuel supply will fully replace the
default. This means that any user-suppU
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The Generic Tab can be also used to export, modify, and re-import any other default MOVES
tables not covered by a specific tab in the Nonroad Data Importer, including tables that affect
local equipment population and activity. These tables in MOVES-Nonroad interact in complex
ways and changing one table may have unintended consequences for other tables and on
emission estimates. In general, EPA discourages the use of these tables to apply locally-derived
equipment populations and activity. For users who do have locally-derived population and
activity data, EPA recommends incorporating these data using the method described in Section
5.3.
5.3 Using Emission Factor Scripts to Apply Local Population and Activity
Data
As noted in the introduction to Section 5, use of default equipment population and activity data
in MOVES-Nonroad is acceptable for SIP inventories. However, some users may prefer to use
locally-derived population and activity data when developing nonroad inventories. When this is
the case, EPA recommends the following approach for developing nonroad inventories using
local data:
1. Run MOVES using default population and activity data.
2. Convert inventory results into emission rates by using emission factor scripts provided in
the MOVES Post Processing Menu.
3. Multiply the resulting emission rates by the appropriate local population or activity
measure to calculate a new emissions inventory.
EPA has provided 10 emission factor scripts, available in the MOVES Post Processing menu,
that can be used in step 2 above, depending on the type of local data available. Table 5-1
summarizes what each of the scripts does and what kind of local activity data the results should
be multiplied by. Note that each script has different requirements for level of output detail
selected in the Output Emissions Detail Panel prior to running MOVES.
To calculate activity in hp-hours, the following equation can be used:
hp-hours = rated horsepower x load factor x total hours of operation per equipment x
number of equipment operating
To calculate activity in operating hours, the following equation can be used:
hours = total hours of operation per equipment x number of equipment operating
To calculate activity in vehicle-days, the following equation can be used:
vehicle-days = number of equipment operating x number of days of operation
When calculating the total hours operation or the number of days of operation, the timespan of
the inventory should be considered. For example, if the inventory is for one day, the total hours
should account for all hours of operation throughout the day. If the inventory is for a year, the
total hours should account for all hours of operation throughout the year. However, multiple
runs may be required to account for seasonal variations in emission factors.
64
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Table 5-1. Nonroad Emission Factor Scripts in MOVES3
Script Title
Description of script
output
Select in Output
Emissions Detail
Panel
To Calculate an
Inventory, Multiply
Resulting Emission
Factors By:
EmissionF actors_per_h
phr_by
_Equipment.sql
Emission factors in
g/hp-hr for each
equipment type
SCC
Total number of hp-
hours for appropriate
equipment type
EmissionF actors_per_h
phr_by
_Equipment_and
_Horsepower.sql
Emission factors in
g/hp-hr for each
equipment type and
horsepower class
SCC, HP Class
Total number of hp-
hours for appropriate
equipment type and
horsepower class
EmissionF actors_per_h
phr_by_SCC.sql
Emission factors in
g/hp-hr for each SCC
SCC
Total number hp-hours
for appropriate SCC
EmissionF actors_per_h
phr_by_S C C_and_Mod
elYear.sql
Emission factors in
g/hp-hour for each
SCC, horsepower class,
and model year
SCC, HP Class, Model
Year
Total number of hp-
hours for appropriate
SCC, horsepower class,
and model year
EmissionF actors_per_
OperatingHour_by
_Equipment.sql
Emission factors in
g/hour for each
equipment type
SCC
Total hours of
operation for
appropriate equipment
type
EmissionF actors_per_
OperatingHour_by_Eq
uipment_and
_Horsepower.sql
Emission factors in
g/hour for each
equipment type and
horsepower class
SCC, HP Class
Total hours of
operation for
appropriate equipment
type and horsepower
class
EmissionF actors_per_
OperatingHour_by
_SCC.sql
Emission factors in
g/hour for each SCC
SCC
Total hours of
operation for
appropriate SCC
EmissionF actors_per_
Vehicle_by
_Equipment.sql
Emission factors in
g/vehicle per day for
each equipment type
SCC
Total number of
vehicle-days for
appropriate equipment
type
EmissionF actors_per_
Vehicle_by
_Equipment_and
_Horsepower.sql
Emission factors in
g/vehicle per day for
each equipment type
and horsepower class
SCC, HP Class
Total number of
vehicle-days for
appropriate equipment
type and horsepower
class
EmissionF actors_per_
Vehicle_by_SCC.sql
Emission factors in
g/vehicle per day for
each SCC
SCC
Total number of
vehicle-days for
appropriate SCC
65
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EPA strongly recommends taking the following steps to reduce the size of the MOVES output
database before using one of these scripts to reduce the possibility of excessive post-processing
script run times:
When setting up the MOVES RunSpec, only select sectors in the Nonroad Equipment
Panel for which there are appropriate activity data
When setting up the MOVES RunSpec, choose only the detail needed, based on the table
above, in the Output Emissions Detail Panel
After the run completes, delete equipment types from the output file for which activity
information are not available before running the emission factor script. An example
script that could be used to delete equipment types is included in Appendix C.
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Appendix A MOVES Source Types by Regulatory Class
I/M programs entered in MOVES are applied to source types. However, as discussed in Section
4.9.2, this association of I/M programs and source type may be inconsistent with state I/M
program regulations that define I/M programs by the vehicle weight classes. Users can correct
for this inconsistency by including gasoline regulatory class coverage adjustments in the
calculation of the compliance factor as described in Section 4.9.6.4.
Table A-l. MOVES Gasoline Regulatory Class Distributions by Source Type
Source Type
Description
Source
Type ID
MOVES
Regulatory Class
Description
MOVES Reg
Class ID
Gasoline Vehicle
Regulatory Class
Coverage
Adjustment
Motorcycle
11
Motorcycles
10
1.0000
Passenger Car
21
Light Duty
Vehicles
20
1.0000
Light Duty Trucks
30
0.9612
Class 2b and 3
Passenger Truck
31
Trucks (8,500 lbs
< GVWR <=
14,000 lbs)
41
0.0388
Light Duty Trucks
30
0.7526
Light Commercial
Truck
32
Class 2b and 3
Trucks (8,500 lbs
< GVWR <=
14,000 lbs)
41
0.2474
Class 4 and 5
Trucks (14,000 lbs
< GVWR <=
42
0.9277
19,500 lbs)
Class 6 and 7
Other Buses
41
Trucks (19,500 lbs
< GVWR <=
33,000 lbs)
46
0.0719
Class 8a and 8b
Trucks (GVWR >
47
0.0004
33,000 lbs)
Class 4 and 5
Trucks (14,000 lbs
< GVWR <=
42
0.9952
Transit Bus
42
19,500 lbs)
Class 6 and 7
Trucks (19,500 lbs
< GVWR <=
46
0.0044
33,000 lbs)
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Class 8a and 8b
Trucks (GVWR >
47
0.0005
33,000 lbs)
Class 2b and 3
Trucks (8,500 lbs
< GVWR <=
41
0.0026
14,000 lbs)
Class 4 and 5
Trucks (14,000 lbs
< GVWR <=
42
0.4404
School Bus
43
19,500 lbs)
Class 6 and 7
Trucks (19,500 lbs
< GVWR <=
46
0.5457
33,000 lbs)
Class 8a and 8b
Trucks (GVWR >
47
0.0112
33,000 lbs)
Class 2b and 3
Trucks (8,500 lbs
< GVWR <=
41
0.0728
14,000 lbs)
Class 4 and 5
Trucks (14,000 lbs
< GVWR <=
42
0.1530
Refuse Truck
51
19,500 lbs)
Class 6 and 7
Trucks (19,500 lbs
< GVWR <=
46
0.7152
33,000 lbs)
Class 8a and 8b
Trucks (GVWR >
47
0.0591
33,000 lbs)
Class 2b and 3
Trucks (8,500 lbs
< GVWR <=
41
0.5676
14,000 lbs)
Class 4 and 5
Single Unit Short-
haul Truck
52
Trucks (14,000 lbs
< GVWR <=
19,500 lbs)
42
0.3401
Class 6 and 7
Trucks (19,500 lbs
< GVWR <=
46
0.0842
33,000 lbs)
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Class 8a and 8b
Trucks (GVWR >
47
0.0081
33,000 lbs)
Class 2b and 3
Trucks (8,500 lbs
< GVWR <=
41
0.5807
14,000 lbs)
Class 4 and 5
Trucks (14,000 lbs
< GVWR <=
19,500 lbs)
42
0.3117
Single Unit Long-
haul Truck
53
Class 6 and 7
Trucks (19,500 lbs
< GVWR <=
46
0.0995
33,000 lbs)
Class 8a and 8b
Trucks (GVWR >
47
0.0080
33,000 lbs)
Class 4 and 5
Trucks (14,000 lbs
< GVWR <=
42
0.6241
19,500 lbs)
Class 6 and 7
Motor Home
54
Trucks (19,500 lbs
< GVWR <=
33,000 lbs)
46
0.3757
Class 8a and 8b
Trucks (GVWR >
47
0.0002
33,000 lbs)
Class 6 and 7
Trucks (19,500 lbs
< GVWR <=
33,000 lbs)
46
0.2630
Combination Short-
haul Truck
61
Class 8a and 8b
Trucks (GVWR >
47
0.7370
33,000 lbs)
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Appendix B Nonroad Equipment Types
The table below lists nonroad equipment types and the sectors they are assigned to in MOVES.
Table B-l. Nonroad Equipment Types
NREquipTypelD
Description
SectorlD
Sector
1
Snowmobiles
1
Recreational
2
Off-road Motorcycles
1
Recreational
3
All-Terrain Vehicles
1
Recreational
4
Golf Carts
1
Recreational
5
Specialty Vehicle Carts
1
Recreational
6
Pavers
2
Construction
7
T ampers/Rammers
2
Construction
8
Plate Compactors
2
Construction
9
Rollers
2
Construction
10
Paving Equipment
2
Construction
11
Surfacing Equipment
2
Construction
12
Signal Boards/Light Plants
2
Construction
13
Trenchers
2
Construction
14
Bore/Drill Rigs
2
Construction
15
Concrete/Industrial Saws
2
Construction
16
Cement & Mortar Mixers
2
Construction
17
Cranes
2
Construction
18
Crushing/Proc. Equipment
2
Construction
19
Rough Terrain Forklift
2
Construction
20
Rubber Tire Loaders
2
Construction
21
T ractors/Loaders/Backhoes
2
Construction
22
Skid Steer Loaders
2
Construction
23
Dumpers/Tenders
2
Construction
24
Other Construction Equipment
2
Construction
25
Aerial Lifts
3
Industrial
26
Forklifts
3
Industrial
27
Sweepers/Scrubbers
3
Industrial
28
Other General Industrial Eqp
3
Industrial
29
Other Material Handling Eqp
3
Industrial
30
AC Refrigeration
3
Industrial
31
Terminal Tractors
3
Industrial
32
Lawn mowers (residential)
4
Lawn/Garden
33
Lawn mowers (commercial)
4
Lawn/Garden
34
Rotary Tillers < 6 HP
4
Lawn/Garden
(residential)
35
Rotary Tillers < 6 HP
4
Lawn/Garden
(commercial)
36
Chain Saws < 6 HP (residential)
4
Lawn/Garden
70
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NREquipTypelD
Description
SectorlD
Sector
37
Chain Saws < 6 HP
4
Lawn/Garden
(commercial)
38
Trimmers/Edgers/Brush Cutter
(residential)
4
Lawn/Garden
39
Trimmers/Edgers/Brush Cutter
4
Lawn/Garden
(commercial)
40
Leaf blowers/Vacuums
4
Lawn/Garden
(residential)
41
Leaf blowers/Vacuums
(commercial)
4
Lawn/Garden
42
Snow Blowers (residential)
4
Lawn/Garden
43
Snow Blowers (commercial)
4
Lawn/Garden
44
Rear Engine Riding Mowers
(residential)
4
Lawn/Garden
45
Rear Engine Riding Mowers
4
Lawn/Garden
(commercial)
46
Front Mowers (commercial)
4
Lawn/Garden
47
Shredders < 6 HP (commercial)
4
Lawn/Garden
48
Lawn & Garden Tractors
(residential)
4
Lawn/Garden
49
Lawn & Garden Tractors
(commercial)
4
Lawn/Garden
50
Chippers/Stump Grinders
4
Lawn/Garden
(commercial)
51
Commercial Turf Equipment
4
Lawn/Garden
(commercial)
52
Other Lawn & Garden
Equipment (residential)
4
Lawn/Garden
53
Other Lawn & Garden
4
Lawn/Garden
Equipment (commercial)
54
2-Wheel Tractors
5
Agriculture
55
Agricultural Tractors
5
Agriculture
56
Combines
5
Agriculture
57
Balers
5
Agriculture
58
Agricultural Mowers
5
Agriculture
59
Sprayers
5
Agriculture
60
Tillers > 6 HP
5
Agriculture
61
Swathers
5
Agriculture
62
Other Agricultural Equipment
5
Agriculture
63
Irrigation Sets
5
Agriculture
64
Generator Sets
6
Commercial
65
Pumps
6
Commercial
66
Air Compressors
6
Commercial
71
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NREquipTypelD
Description
SectorlD
Sector
67
Gas Compressors
6
Commercial
68
Welders
6
Commercial
69
Pressure Washers
6
Commercial
70
Hydro Power Units
6
Commercial
71
Chain Saws > 6 HP
7
Logging
72
Shredders > 6 HP
7
Logging
73
Forest Equipment -
F eller/Bunch/Skidder
7
Logging
74
Airport Support Equipment
8
Airport Support
75
Other Oil Field Equipment
10
Oil Field
76
Scrapers
2
Construction
77
Excavators
2
Construction
78
Graders
2
Construction
79
Off-highway Trucks
2
Construction
80
Rough Terrain Forklifts
2
Construction
81
Crawler Tractor/Dozers
2
Construction
82
Off-Highway Tractors
2
Construction
83
Commercial Mowers
(commercial)
4
Lawn/Garden
84
Other Underground Mining
Equipment
9
Underground
Mining
85
Outboard
11
Pleasure Craft
86
Personal Water Craft
11
Pleasure Craft
87
Inboard/Sterndrive
11
Pleasure Craft
88
Railway Maintenance
12
Railroad
72
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Appendix C Nonroad Post-Processing Scripts
The nonroad post-processing scripts in MOVES can take a long time to run depending on the
size of the output database. Users can reduce the size of their output databases by choosing just
the amount of detail needed in the Output Emissions Detail Panel of MOVES, only selecting the
sectors for which there are available activity data, and deleting equipment types for which there
is no activity information.
If planning to delete records from MOVES output tables, EPA recommends that users make a
copy of the original MOVES output so that runs do not need to be repeated if the information is
needed later. An example script that makes a copy of MOVES output is as follows:49
CREATE TABLE output_database.movesoutput_copy
SELECT * FROM output_database.movesoutput;
CREATE TABLE output_database.movesact ivi tyoutput_copy
SELECT * FROM output_database.movesact ivi tysoutput;
When using this script, output_database should be replaced with the actual name of the
MOVES output database.
To reduce the size of the MOVES output database and to reduce post-processing script runtimes,
SQL scripts may be used to manually delete equipment types. For example, if you only had
activity data for pavers (NREquipTypelD 6) and rollers (NREquipTypelD 9), the following
example SQL script could be run on your output database to reduce the output to only pavers and
rollers:50
DELETE output_database.movesoutput
FROM output_database.movesoutput
INNER JOIN movesdb20200611.nrsee USING (SCC)
INNER JOIN movesdb20200611.nrequipmenttype USING (NREquipTypelD)
WHERE NREquipTypelD NOT IN (6, 9) ;
DELETE output_database.movesact ivi tyoutput
FROM output_database.movesact ivi tyoutput
INNER JOIN movesdb20200611.nrsee USING (SCC)
INNER JOIN movesdb20200611.nrequipmenttype USING (NREquipTypelD)
WHERE NREquipTypelD NOT IN (6, 9) ;
When using this script, output_database should be replaced with the actual name of the
MOVES output database, and the equipment type IDs that there are data for should be specified
in the NOT IN clause. See Appendix B for a list of nonroad equipment type IDs.
49 These SQL scripts can be run in an SQL editor, such as HeidiSQL (for more information, see
https://www.heidisql.com) or MySQL Workbench (for more information, see
https://www.mvsql.com/products/workbench).
50 When running DELETE commands in MySQL Workbench, the "Safe Updates" option may need to be unchecked
in the Edit > Preferences... > SQL Editor panel.
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Once this step is completed, users may execute the desired nonroad post-processing script
MOVES.
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