Emissions standards
Emissions standards are numerical limits set by a governing body or agency to regulate the amount of key air pollutants (e.g., NOx, HC, CO) that are emitted through the tailpipe or leak out of the engine.
Emissions standards fall under two general categories:
- Type approval (TA) and Conformity of Production (COP) standards for new vehicles
- In-use standards for vehicles already on the road
Several organizations have adopted their own set of standards to regulate motor vehicle emissions.
- UN/ECE
- The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) has been setting vehicle emission standards for several decades. Its recommendations have formed the basis for several early EU Directives. Today, the UN/ECE is working to harmonize vehicle regulations on a global scale.
- European Union
- The European Union has slowly taken the lead in formulating automotive emissions standards in Europe. The EU's primary task is to provide model standards from which member countries can choose to adopt as their own.
- United States
- In the US, stringent emission standards have effectively reduced air pollution from motor vehicles with the passage of the Clean Air Act of 1990 (CAA) by the US Congress. Federal emission standards are set by the EPA.
- Japan
- For many years, Japan has had its own set of emissions standards. These standards, however, are being tightened to address NO2, O3, and PM problems in major Japanese cities.
- Asia and the Pacific
- Most countries in Asia have adopted standards proposed by the European Union. But many of these countries are not yet capable of immediate compliance because of socio-economic limitations.
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