Periodic Reporting for period 1 - VERA (Vehicle Emission Retrofit Activities)
Reporting period: 2022-12-01 to 2024-05-31
VERA aims at the development, optimisation and demonstration of retrofit technologies and systems to reduce both tailpipe and brake particle emissions, covering a wide range of applications from road vehicles to metros and trains.
The motivation behind this work lies in a number of facts:
- Average vehicle age in the EU is increasing, for both light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles
- There are still certain types of road vehicles that are not equipped with a particulate filter, although that they can emit high numbers of particles under real driving conditions
- The recently introduced Euro 7 regulation includes, for the first time, limits for the particle emissions from brakes.
- Recent studies, as well as future projections, indicate that the contribution of brake emissions to total particle emissions from vehicles is constantly increasing, since modern vehicles are equipped with state-of-the-art systems minimizing exhaust particles.
- PM concentration in metro networks is significantly higher as compared to the ambient outdoor air, with one of the main sources being brake particles. Braking events produce fine and ultrafine particles containing hazardous metals that pose health risks.
- Air quality in closed and confined environment, such as underground metro stations and bus terminals, is strongly influenced by the particle emissions of metro and buses.
- Urban air quality is strongly influenced by the environmental behavior of vehicles running high mileages in the city center (taxis, delivery vans, buses). Improved urban air quality is critical for human health, particularly when considering that European union is highly urbanized with 75% of its population living in cities and urban centers.
All the above suggest that existing fleets of road vehicles and metros/trains need to become cleaner and reduce their impact on air quality. In this direction, the overall goal of VERA is to provide technological solutions for the improvement of the environmental character of road vehicles and metros/trains, particularly focusing on the reduction of particle emissions, by:
- Developing and optimising innovative retrofit solutions for tailpipe emissions of road vehicles, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of existing retrofit systems in order to assess the market gaps and define precisely the requirements of new systems.
- Optimising an existing and developing new innovative retrofit solutions for brake particles of road vehicles, targeting to maximum emissions reduction through their combination. The solutions include innovative materials as well as a filtration system.
- Implementing and optimising a retrofit solution for brake particles of metro vehicles, including systems for different braking technologies.
- Running cost-benefit analyses for the developed retrofit solutions, accounting for the health effects of particle emissions before and after the retrofitting and considering different scenarios of implementation supported by regulatory and incentive schemes to promote retrofitting.
The motivation behind this work lies in a number of facts:
- Average vehicle age in the EU is increasing, for both light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles
- There are still certain types of road vehicles that are not equipped with a particulate filter, although that they can emit high numbers of particles under real driving conditions
- The recently introduced Euro 7 regulation includes, for the first time, limits for the particle emissions from brakes.
- Recent studies, as well as future projections, indicate that the contribution of brake emissions to total particle emissions from vehicles is constantly increasing, since modern vehicles are equipped with state-of-the-art systems minimizing exhaust particles.
- PM concentration in metro networks is significantly higher as compared to the ambient outdoor air, with one of the main sources being brake particles. Braking events produce fine and ultrafine particles containing hazardous metals that pose health risks.
- Air quality in closed and confined environment, such as underground metro stations and bus terminals, is strongly influenced by the particle emissions of metro and buses.
- Urban air quality is strongly influenced by the environmental behavior of vehicles running high mileages in the city center (taxis, delivery vans, buses). Improved urban air quality is critical for human health, particularly when considering that European union is highly urbanized with 75% of its population living in cities and urban centers.
All the above suggest that existing fleets of road vehicles and metros/trains need to become cleaner and reduce their impact on air quality. In this direction, the overall goal of VERA is to provide technological solutions for the improvement of the environmental character of road vehicles and metros/trains, particularly focusing on the reduction of particle emissions, by:
- Developing and optimising innovative retrofit solutions for tailpipe emissions of road vehicles, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of existing retrofit systems in order to assess the market gaps and define precisely the requirements of new systems.
- Optimising an existing and developing new innovative retrofit solutions for brake particles of road vehicles, targeting to maximum emissions reduction through their combination. The solutions include innovative materials as well as a filtration system.
- Implementing and optimising a retrofit solution for brake particles of metro vehicles, including systems for different braking technologies.
- Running cost-benefit analyses for the developed retrofit solutions, accounting for the health effects of particle emissions before and after the retrofitting and considering different scenarios of implementation supported by regulatory and incentive schemes to promote retrofitting.
In the first half of the project, the preparatory activities have been performed, setting the basis for the development and demonstration of the retrofit solutions. First versions of the retrofit systems have been developed and tested, paving the way for further adaptation and optimization. Activities performed can be summarized as follows:
- Finalization of market screening for tailpipe and brake retrofit solutions. This analysis provided an overview of the systems that are used for emissions control in modern vehicles and a comprehensive list of the suppliers that have been contacted, with the vast majority of them not having suitable products. This enabled also the gap analysis, including the evaluation of the feasibility of tailpipe retrofit solutions, in relation to emission limits, and of brake retrofits in relation to the introduced limits in Euro 7.
- Completion of retrofitting of a PHEV passenger car with a commercial (prototype) uncoated GPF and execution of the tests before and after retrofitting, highlighting the pros and cons of existing systems and supporting the definition of the first set of requirements of new retrofit solutions.
- Procurement and baseline testing of two light-duty vehicles (passenger car and light commercial vehicle) that will be retrofitted and used as the demonstrators.
- Evaluation of components of retrofit systems for both LDV and HDV (coated/uncoated GPF, TWC), in order to conclude to the preferred formulation of the system. Preliminary evaluation of the first full-scale retrofit system for LDV and preparation of updated design for vehicle installation and testing.
- Design of a monitoring and indication system for driver information concerning operating parameters of the tailpipe retrofit system.
- Definition of the use cases for brake retrofits of metro and vehicle application, definition of the test procedures for the evaluation of brake retrofit solutions based on different conditions: real life, worst case and according to current legislation. Assessment of the key factors which influence brake emissions in real life.
- First version of brake retrofit solutions have been developed, including alternative materials for brake discs and pads and filtration system, the latter applied to both road vehicles and metro. New discs and pads are under manufacturing procedure for full-scale testing.
- Two field studies have been performed, evaluating air quality in closed (metro station in Madrid) and confined (bus terminal in Amsterdam) environments. Environmental samples have undergone analysis for brake wear. The measurements of the exposure scenario have been completed, and the final chemical analysis of these samples is in progress.
- The database to store chemical and toxicological data has been established, while a hazard index to integrate the toxicological data into one numerical value for input in the CBA (cost-benefit analysis) has been developed.
- Finalization of market screening for tailpipe and brake retrofit solutions. This analysis provided an overview of the systems that are used for emissions control in modern vehicles and a comprehensive list of the suppliers that have been contacted, with the vast majority of them not having suitable products. This enabled also the gap analysis, including the evaluation of the feasibility of tailpipe retrofit solutions, in relation to emission limits, and of brake retrofits in relation to the introduced limits in Euro 7.
- Completion of retrofitting of a PHEV passenger car with a commercial (prototype) uncoated GPF and execution of the tests before and after retrofitting, highlighting the pros and cons of existing systems and supporting the definition of the first set of requirements of new retrofit solutions.
- Procurement and baseline testing of two light-duty vehicles (passenger car and light commercial vehicle) that will be retrofitted and used as the demonstrators.
- Evaluation of components of retrofit systems for both LDV and HDV (coated/uncoated GPF, TWC), in order to conclude to the preferred formulation of the system. Preliminary evaluation of the first full-scale retrofit system for LDV and preparation of updated design for vehicle installation and testing.
- Design of a monitoring and indication system for driver information concerning operating parameters of the tailpipe retrofit system.
- Definition of the use cases for brake retrofits of metro and vehicle application, definition of the test procedures for the evaluation of brake retrofit solutions based on different conditions: real life, worst case and according to current legislation. Assessment of the key factors which influence brake emissions in real life.
- First version of brake retrofit solutions have been developed, including alternative materials for brake discs and pads and filtration system, the latter applied to both road vehicles and metro. New discs and pads are under manufacturing procedure for full-scale testing.
- Two field studies have been performed, evaluating air quality in closed (metro station in Madrid) and confined (bus terminal in Amsterdam) environments. Environmental samples have undergone analysis for brake wear. The measurements of the exposure scenario have been completed, and the final chemical analysis of these samples is in progress.
- The database to store chemical and toxicological data has been established, while a hazard index to integrate the toxicological data into one numerical value for input in the CBA (cost-benefit analysis) has been developed.
In the first half of the project, the main focus has been on screening the market for both tailpipe and brake retrofit solutions and performing the preparatory activities for the development, demonstration and optimization of the retrofit solutions. This provided the necessary background for the definition of the requirements of the new retrofit systems, aiming at going beyond the current state of the art. First versions of the retrofit systems have been developed and are under evaluation, providing useful feedback for the further adaptation and for the development of the final configuration. Since the retrofit systems of the VERA project are still under evaluation and optimization, further research, testing and demonstration activities during the second half of the project will highlight the benefits compared to existing systems.