Identification of High Emitting Heavy Duty Vehicles

This research paper presents the identification of high emitting heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) using the Plume Chasing method across various European countries from 2016 to 2023. It details the real-world emissions of nearly 5000 HDVs, providing NOx emission factors for all assessed vehicles, and solid particle number (PN) and black carbon (BC) emission factors for over 1100 HDVs. The paper outlines how a real-time processing software classifies vehicles as suspect or high emitters based on Euro emission standards. The findings indicate significant variations in emissions across countries, with Slovakia and Czechia showing high proportions of identified high emitters. The study emphasizes the effectiveness of the Plume Chasing method for pre-identifying malfunctions in emission systems, revealing that a small fraction of the dirtiest vehicles is responsible for a substantial share of total emissions. The paper also discusses the implications of these findings for improving air quality and enforcing emission regulations.