Development of a vehicle emissions monitoring system

Investigation of vehicle emissions with an on-board emissions measurement system can provide a better understanding of how these emissions contribute to air pollution. This paper discusses the design and development by Imperial College London and industrial collaborators of a vehicle performance and emissions monitoring system, including its installation both on test vehicles allowing an interface with the engine management system and those that do not. Results from preliminary field trials and chassis dynamometer testing of the diesel test vehicle are presented. Good correlation between the monitoring system and reference measurements is observed, with differences in aggregate measurements of between 8% and 18% over a standard test cycle. The remote download and synthesis of navigation, performance and emissions data from an in-use vehicle was successfully achieved. This project has shown that it is possible to produce a system suitable for deployment for simultaneous studies over a wide area. However, the non-standard nature of engine management system interfaces for much of the European vehicle fleet presents a significant barrier to implementation. It is therefore recommended that European legislation be enforced to ensure standard interfaces on all new vehicles.