ARB Harmonizes its Standards with the U.S. EPA 2008 Gasoline HDE Standards and New SULEV Category for Gasoline HDEs

On November 14, 2002, ARB aligned the California heavy-duty gasoline engine emissions standards with levels required by the EPA starting in the 2008 model year. This alignment pertains to engine-certified, incomplete gasoline medium-duty vehicles with GVW between 8501 and 14,000 lbs., and heavy-duty gasoline engines used in vehicle applications over 14,000 lbs. GVW. For incomplete vehicles, the 2008 model year California ULEV emission limits will be the same as the 2008 model year EPA emission standards for this weight class. The rule also establishes a new SULEV emission category for the 8501-14,000 lb. GVW incomplete gasoline vehicle category at 50% of the emission levels required by the EPA 2008 levels for these engines. Certification of engines in this new SULEV category will be voluntary and provide manufacturers with credits that could be used in the federal averaging, banking and trading program. A summary of the changes along with the 2005-2007 model year California emission standards for these classes of heavy-duty gasoline engines is provided in the following table:

California Emission Standards for 2005 and Subsequent Model
Heavy-Duty Otto-Cycle Engines
(in g/bhp-hr)

Model Year	Emission Category	NMHC + NOx	NMHC	NOx	CO	HCHO	PM
Standards for Heavy-Duty Otto-Cycle Engines Used In Incomplete Medium-Duty Vehicles 8,501 to 14,000 pounds GVW
2005 through 2007	ULEV	1.0	n/a	n/a	14.4	0.05	n/a
	SULEV	0.5	n/a	n/a	7.2	0.025	n/a
2008 and subsequent	ULEV	N/a	0.14	0.20	14.4	0.01	0.01
	SULEV	N/a	0.07	0.10	7.2	0.005	0.005
Standards for Heavy-Duty Otto-Cycle Engines Used In Heavy-Duty Vehicles Over 14,000 pounds GVW
2005 through 2007	n/a	1.0	n/a	n/a	37.1	0.05	n/a
2008 and subsequent	n/a	N/a	0.14	0.20	14.4	0.01	0.01

Formaldehyde emission limits for both incomplete ULEV and heavy-duty gasoline engines are set at 0.01 g/bhp-hr in this proposal in alignment with California’s 2004 and subsequent model year urban bus engine standards.

The rule included a number of other minor modifications to the ARB LEV II light-duty vehicle emission program, including extending the requirements for fuel-fired heaters first adopted for ZEVs to all light- and medium-duty vehicles that may employ such heaters, and a change in the test cycle required for direct ozone reduction technologies from the Supplemental Federal Test Procedure (SFTP) to the Unified Cycle Driving Schedule (UCDS). For a copy of the staff report and additional details on this action, go to: www.arb.ca.gov/regact/levhdg02/levhdg02.htm.