Remote Sensing Device High Emitter Identification with Confirmatory Roadside Inspection

INTRODUCTION Several uses of remote sensing devices (RSDs) have been proposed, such as on-road identification of high emitting vehicles and monitoring on-road vehicle emissions for program evaluation purposes. The Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) conducted a study to evaluate the ability of RSDs to consistently identify vehicles with excessive emissions and correctly classify the vehicles as failing the Acceleration Simulation Mode (ASM) inspection test. The ASM test was performed using the BAR-97 Emission Inspection System (EIS) which includes an emissions analyzer and steady-state dynamometer. As a special study, BAR deployed two remote sensors upstream of the roadside inspection lane at multiple sites. These units were used to measure and pre-select high-emitting vehicles (HEVs) for an immediate ASM inspection by the roadside team. For comparison purposes, the RSDs also measured passing vehicle emissions.