Bus retrofitting under the spotlight: Opus technology key to examining the effectiveness of Scotland’s retrofitting programs
Scotland 2023
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Ricardo Energy & Environment, in collaboration with the Scottish government and using Opus’s remote sensing technology, evaluated the real-world effectiveness of emissions reduction on retrofitted buses within the BEAR program.
This study aimed to help achieve the air quality goals defined in the Cleaner Air for Scotland Strategy, focusing on reducing road transport emissions, which are responsible for most of the urban pollution. As part of the work to meet these targets, Transport Scotland contracted a refurbishment of old buses in its fleet, with the aim of reducing their emissions and extending their lifespan. Once the retrofitting was completed, the effectiveness was analyzed by different means, including remote monitoring of vehicle emissions using Opus portable RSDs. The measurements took place in the cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee.
The Opus RSD sampled the reconditioned vehicles and checked them against Transport Scotland’s expected results, finding severe discrepancies between expectations and actual bus emissions.
“On average, NOx emissions from retrofitted Euro V buses were 11% lower than those from non-retrofitted Euro V buses. The sample of retrofitted buses analysed are not consistently achieving the objective of 80% NOx reduction to deliver emissions levels approaching those of Euro VI buses; NOX reduction levels are considerably lower.”
“Our most recent in-service monitoring has highlighted evidence to suggest that the SCR technology on retrofitted buses is not, in the sample studied, reducing NOx emissions to the levels expected.”
“The evidence presented shows that real-world NOx emissions from buses with retrofitted SCR systems are higher than expected. Evidence also indicates that the fraction of NOx emitted as NO2 is greater for retrofitted buses compared to non-retrofitted buses.”
“A robust centralised in-service monitoring regime should be developed to monitor and scrutinise telematics data from retrofitted buses across England. This data should be used to identify persistent poor performing buses and to inform appropriate action”.
Related to
Ricardo Energy & Environment, in collaboration with the Scottish government and using Opus’s remote sensing technology, evaluated the real-world effectiveness of emissions reduction on retrofitted buses within the BEAR program.
This study aimed to help achieve the air quality goals defined in the Cleaner Air for Scotland Strategy, focusing on reducing road transport emissions, which are responsible for most of the urban pollution. As part of the work to meet these targets, Transport Scotland contracted a refurbishment of old buses in its fleet, with the aim of reducing their emissions and extending their lifespan. Once the retrofitting was completed, the effectiveness was analyzed by different means, including remote monitoring of vehicle emissions using Opus portable RSDs. The measurements took place in the cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee.
The Opus RSD sampled the reconditioned vehicles and checked them against Transport Scotland’s expected results, finding severe discrepancies between expectations and actual bus emissions.
“On average, NOx emissions from retrofitted Euro V buses were 11% lower than those from non-retrofitted Euro V buses. The sample of retrofitted buses analysed are not consistently achieving the objective of 80% NOx reduction to deliver emissions levels approaching those of Euro VI buses; NOX reduction levels are considerably lower.”
“Our most recent in-service monitoring has highlighted evidence to suggest that the SCR technology on retrofitted buses is not, in the sample studied, reducing NOx emissions to the levels expected.”
“The evidence presented shows that real-world NOx emissions from buses with retrofitted SCR systems are higher than expected. Evidence also indicates that the fraction of NOx emitted as NO2 is greater for retrofitted buses compared to non-retrofitted buses.”
“A robust centralised in-service monitoring regime should be developed to monitor and scrutinise telematics data from retrofitted buses across England. This data should be used to identify persistent poor performing buses and to inform appropriate action”.