Automotive test drive cycles for emission measurement and real-world emission levels-a review

Abstract

The emission levels produced by any vehicle are dependent on the mode of operation of the vehicle and technology behind the vehicle design. The test drive cycles employed to measure the emissions produced by vehicles should adequately represent the real-world driving pattern of the vehicle to provide the most realistic estimation of these levels. However, there is increasing concern about the representative drive cycles used by the various vehicle certification and regulatory authorities. This paper reviews the various drive cycles used for gasoline engine vehicles in Europe and the United States, and the impact of various factors and their influence on real-world emission levels. The proposed new drive cycles of the United States and Europe are considered. From the work reviewed, it can be concluded that the amount of pollutant levels from automotive vehicles are underestimated because of the characteristics of the existing drive cycles. While much work remains to be done with the development of new drive cycles to represent real-world driving patterns, some useful conclusions can be drawn regarding the impacts of the factors reviewed here. The impacts of the factors reviewed in this paper can be characterized to improve estimations and simulations of the real-world emission levels of the vehicle.