China's first national portable emissions testing standard for heavy-duty vehicles
In September 2017, China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection issued the first national standard for portable emission measurement system (PEMS) testing of heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs). The regulation is a supplement to all existing requirements under the China V standard, and it requires additional on-road PEMS testing for new and in-use China V HDVs. Given that the China VI HDV emission standard is not likely to be implemented nationwide until 2020, the supplemental PEMS standard is designed to prevent excess nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions from China V HDVs. In doing so, China has become the first country in the world to attempt to solve a known deficiency in the Euro V type-approval process by requiring additional PEMS testing for newly produced vehicles and in-use compliance testing. The PEMS testing standard took effect October 1, 2017. Type approvals of new China V heavy-duty diesel and gas fueled models after that date must comply with the standard. For China V models type-approved before October 1, 2017, the standard requires in-use compliance testing and reporting of results to the regulatory agency. Relevant local standards become invalid as of the national standard’s implementation date. The supplemental PEMS testing standard for China V HDVs is a great step forward to ensure further control of excess NOX emissions from HDVs in China. As a next step, a more stringent China VI standard is expected to be finalized by early 2018, which we will continue to track closely.