Automotive emissions, regulation requirements

The 2007 federal law comes after the State of California adopted stiff regulations on its own in September 2004. The California Air Resources Board voted unanimously to adopt regulations to improve average fuel economy by as much as 40% by 2016. Moreover, the state adopted greenhouse gas regulations that require a major reduction of automotive emissions. California standards have a decided impact on manufacturers since that state accounts for 10% of all new auto sales in the U.S. 

Recent amendments to the Clean Air Act have set up more stringent requirements for automotive emissions. By 2009, all vehicles will be required to adhere to the Federal tier 2 standards. The EPA regulations cover California emission categories in order to make certification to the federal and California standards easier for vehicle manufacturers. Many states are adopting the California standards to meet the more stringent regulations. 

Gasoline composition may also be regulated in Europe. A tripartite initiative is being carried out among the European Commission, the oil industry, and the automotive industry. Based on an analysis of the required improvements in air quaUty, new regulations are to be written that control vehicle emissions and fuel composition into the twenty-first century. 

In the United States, regulation of emissions from new automotive vehicles has followed the prototype-replicate route. The argument for routine annual automobile inspection is that cars should be regularly inspected for safety (brakes, lights, steering, and tires) and that the additional time and cost required to check the car s emission control system during the same inspection will be minimal. Such an inspection certainly pinpoints cars whose emission control system has been removed, altered, damaged, or deteriorated and force such defects to be remedied. The question is whether... 

For the conventional automotive TWC, continued improvements will be needed in thermal durability of OSC materials, especially given that upcoming regulations, such as those for Partial Zero Emission Vehicles in California, allow for no increase of emissions above the extremely low mandated levels over 150,000 miles of vehicle life. Such requirements can only be met if there is almost no deterioration in emission performance over the useful life of the vehicle. Hence, extremely durable oxygen storage materials - even better than those on vehicles today - will be needed. Similarly, the impact of chemical deactivation, particularly phosphorus poisoning, will need to be minimized. More understanding is needed of... 

Electronic systems, critical from a safety viewpoint, have become commonplace in the automotive field. Examples of publicly known features are ABS/ESP and speed control. Customer requirements and Enropean regulations limiting pollutant emissions via the Enro 4, 5 and 6 standards have made electronics indispensable. In an effort to make vehicles more environmentally friendly, the move to hybrid solutions and electric vehicles caimot be done without electronics. 

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