US EPA issues 2007 vehicle and engine compliance report

14 November 2008

The US EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) has published the first engine and vehicle compliance report. The report summarizes vehicle and engine compliance program data collected by the EPA in 2007.

In 2007, OTAQ issued over 3,500 certificates of conformity to vehicle and engine manufacturers. Most light-duty vehicles in the United States are meeting the Tier 2 Bin standards with significant compliance margins, ranging from 46% to 96% depending on the manufacturer and the pollutant.

Five manufacturers—Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, and Toyota—had a positive Tier 2 emission credit balance for MY 2007. Tier 2 emission credits are earned for certifying vehicles to emission limits more stringent than Bin 5 (which is equivalent to the fleet average NOx emission standard), such as Bin 3 and Bin 4. The emission credits can be used during a later compliance period or be sold to other manufacturers that produce vehicles that do not meet the average emission standard.

In 2007, the EPA certified two noteworthy diesel vehicles:

• Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec—the first Tier 2 diesel vehicle, certified to the Bin 8 standards.
• Dodge Ram 2500/3500 with the 6.7 liter Cummins engine—the first heavy-duty vehicle compliant with the 2010 heavy-duty 0.2 g/mi NOx emission standard. The Dodge Ram was also the first chassis-certified heavy-duty vehicle.

In spite of the relatively mature emission technology in the light-duty area, more than 2.5 million vehicles were affected by emissions related voluntary recalls in 2007.

Source: US EPA