Vehicles Emissions Standards and Inspection and Maintenance - Policy Guidelines for Reducing Vehicle Emissions in Asia

Air quality problems in Asian cities are increasingly caused or exacerbated by emissions from the growing number of motor vehicles. Appropriate vehicle emissions standards for new and in-use vehicles and a well-designed and operated inspection and maintenance (I/M) program are important elements of an overall strategy to reduce vehicle emissions and air pollution.
As part of its Regional Technical Assistance (RETA) project to reduce motor vehicle air pollution, Asian Development Bank (ADB) organized a workshop on vehicle emissions standards and strengthening vehicle inspection and maintenance programs. The workshop was held in Chongqing, People’s Republic of China on 7–9 November 2001.
The Policy Guidelines on Vehicle Emissions Standards and Inspection and Maintenance summarize the most important policy conclusions and recommendations from the workshop.

In setting new vehicle standards, policymakers should be guided by the following principles:
 

• New vehicle standards must be closely linked to fuel quality requirements, as more advanced technologies are precluded or diminished by certain fuel parameters such as lead in gasoline or high sulfur levels in gasoline or diesel.
• If the air pollution problem is serious, as it is in most major Asian cities, policymakers should strongly consider jumping forward to the most stringent standards possible after examining what quality of fuel could be made available.
• Short- and long-term plans for adopting vehicle and fuel standards should be developed so that the vehicle and
  fuels industries have sufficient time to adapt. The long-term goal for each country in Asia should be parity with European new vehicle and fuel standards by 2010 at the latest. Vehicles complying with 2010 United States standards
  should also be acceptable.
• An active dialogue between the motor and oil industries should be strongly encouraged to ensure that vehicle technologies and available fuels are closely linked.
• As new vehicle standards are tightened, in-use vehicle standards for new models should also be tightened and these
  in turn should form the basis for routine vehicle inspections. Onboard diagnostic systems (OBD) linked to new vehicle standards can also play a critical role in controlling
  in-use vehicle emissions.