Measuring real-driving emissions of private passenger cars
Opus RSE works with Automovilidad, a Spanish official laboratory for vehicle repairs, since 2016.
The project done between the parties consists of offering private car drivers the measurement, under real-life conditions, of polluting emissions from their vehicles. Different brands and vehicle ages are measured by our RSDs to inform the drivers about their cars' emissions.
Opus RSE delivers an ISO-17025 report showing the vehicle's actual emissions.
Drivers must know
Investigations after the 'Dieselgate' scandal have shown that real-driving emissions are much higher than those approved in type-approval tests. Real-world emission levels are on average about 7 times higher [Link]
That is why this project is so important. Private drivers can know for sure which are the real emissions of their cars. We measure them several times, in different driving conditions, to define an average level of real-driving emissions.
This is the only cost-effective method to really know the emissions of the vehicles.
THE CHEAPEST TEST
There are currently only three methods of measuring vehicle emissions:
BENCH TEST
It simulates the real driving of a vehicle on a chassis dynamometer that rotates the wheels of the vehicle at different speeds. A series of sensors are installed to monitor the vehicle's emissions. The problem is that the cost of this test is very high, it does not represent the real road conditions and it takes a long time to do the test. This type of test is carried out in the homologation of vehicles and it has demonstrated it differs to real-driving emissions.
PEMS TEST
A portable emissions measuring system (PEMS) is installed in the trunk of the vehicle. In this test the vehicle does circulate in real conditions, but it takes time to prepare the vehicle and the cost of each test can exceed 15,000-20,000€. It is not a cost-effective solution to audit several cars.
REMOTE SENSING TEST
The RSD is placed at a specific location. Vehicle owners themselves can pass through the device to have their emissions measured under real conditions. For a complete test, each driver passes through the measurement point about 10 times, in order to be able to record different driving conditions.
This test takes into account environmental conditions, actual driving style, vehicle maintenance, etc. In addition, no preparation is required for the vehicle, so the cost of each test is very low.
Location
The measurements are done in selected and controlled locations in Madrid.
Private drivers are called at a specific time and place by Opus RSE. They drive their own vehicle several times in front of the RSD equipment, so that emissions of each vehicle are measured several times.
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