From Test Bench to Road Measurement

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New RDE (Real Driving Emissions) legislation imposing vehicle emission testing on actual roads rather than test benches is redefining requirements when it comes to the approval of new passenger vehicles and light commercial vehicles in Europe. Unlike measuring approaches previously employed, RDE mean that parameters such as engine load and vehicle speed are no longer specified in terms of a fixed pattern, but are mainly determined by traffic events, driver behaviour, road routing and environmental influences. The European Commission introduced RDE legislation in four packages of measures. In May 2015, the first package included a ruling mandating the use of portable emission measurement systems (PEMS) and rolling out a monitoring phase in 2016, which is scheduled to last up to and including August 2017. In February 2016, the second package set out restrictions on nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and framework conditions for the RDE tests. In December 2016, the third package imposed an additional limit on the particle number (PN) as well as a cold-start test and rules for hybrid vehicles. The fourth package, which is scheduled to be published in December 2017, will stipulate mandatory RDE tests on vehicles already in use to be performed by all EU member states. …