Vehicle Emissions Reduction

One of the major challenges in maintaining low emissions among in-use vehicles is having a well-trained and well-equipped cadre of vehicle repair technicians. This is an essential precursor to an effective IM program.

The rate of change in vehicle technology has accelerated over the past 20 years, making it very difficult for well-resourced repair shops to keep up. With old technology vehicles, simple tools and on-the-job-training were often enough to allow a technician to properly tune a carbureted vehicle. As the fleet moves toward fuel-injected computer controlled technology, this approach is no longer adequate. More sophisticated training and more advanced tools are needed. Rallying economic and political support for addressing this problem is hard because it is difficult to attach emission reduction benefits to a long-term program of training, technician support services, or equipment subsidies.