[edit] Vehicle Emission Standards | Car Emission Standards
When a consumer is considering which vehicle to buy, there are many factors to consider. If you want to buy ‘green’ there are even more issues that need to be compared and assessed. Some of these additional issues include:
- The standards it meets
- The emission controls it uses
- How the vehicle will be driven
- How the vehicle will be maintained
- The fuel consumption
- The fuel type it burns
Within the US, each vehicle manufactured for sale must meet either the Federal Standards or the California Standards. Generally, the newer vehicles have been designed to meet both sets of standards in order to have a wider sales region. The California standards are considered to be the higher of the two standards.
Within the automobile industry, the Federal government uses the term ‘light trucks’ to include:
This class of vehicle has lighter or less stringent fuel economy standards than the passenger vehicles. This mean that light trucks usually pollute the environment more than the common car does. Some of the heaviest of these ‘light trucks’ like the large SUVs don’t have to comply with the fuel economy standards, making them some of the worst polluting vehicles on the road today.
| Some of the heaviest of these ‘light trucks’ like the large SUVs don’t have to comply with the fuel economy standards, making them some of the worst polluting vehicles on the road today.
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[edit] 2008 Vehicle Emission Standards
There are several different standards that a vehicle can certify with. Some of the issues deciding which of the standards are in effect depend on where the vehicle is being sold and how clean it is in terms of fuel efficiency and emissions.
In 2004, both the Federal and California Standards were updated. The Federal Standards now have Tier 2 standards which are more stringent over the older Tier 1 standard. California has also introduced Phase II Low-emission vehicle standards as an update on their Phase I’s.
The California standards are no longer just for vehicles being sold in California. Several other states have adopted the California standards as their own, including Maine, New York, Vermont and Massachusetts. Even more of the states are in the process of adopting these stricter standards for their own such as Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, Oregon and even Rhodes Island. The process will be formally completed over the next few months to a year.
In all the other states, the vehicles are normally certified to the new Federal Tier 2 standards.
[edit] Identifying the Vehicle's Standard
There are several methods available to identify which emission standard a specific vehicle is certified with. Some of these methods are:
- Check the manufacturer’s web site for the vehicle specifications.
- Check the window sticker on the vehicle as it should identify the certification level.
- There is a mandatory label found just under the hood of every vehicle that identifies the emission standard.
- If you don’t want to check the vehicle yourself, ask the salesman or the dealer to show you the label proving the certification.
There could be two certifications found as some vehicles will have both a Federal and a California certification. This allows the vehicle to be sold throughout the country. The process to identify certification isn’t hard so do take the time to check it out.
You may also find a certification called ‘clean fuel fleet’ that is usually found on the under the hood label. This status is for regulatory purposes and shouldn’t be used to identify the standards certificate. This regulatory certificate will not be as good as either of the California or Federal certificates.
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