Vehicle Interior Air Quality:Ultrafine Particles

Many studies have addressed Ambient Air Pollution (AAP) that arises from traffic, and its associated negative impacts on public health. However, less has been done to understand Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) despite the average person now spending more than 90% of their time indoors (Klepeis et al. 2001). Around one hour of this indoor exposure is spent inside vehicles (Müller et al. 2011), and is referred to as Vehicle Interior Air Quality (VIAQ). This exposure is important to understand given the immediate proximity to significant pollutant sources (other vehicles), plus, in urban areas, high AAP concentrations compared to other micro-environments. To address this knowledge gap, two NAQTS V1000 Integrated Air Quality Monitors were used to simultaneously monitor inside-outside four vehicles for Particle Number (PN) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2). The vehicles were analysed to understand Ingress Ratio (how much ambient PN is getting into the vehicle cabin) and Stuffiness (how well the vehicle is ventilating CO2)

Vehicle Interior Air Quality Dynamics

Many studies have addressed Ambient Air Pollution (AAP) that arises from traffic, and its associated negative impacts on public health. However, less has been done to understand Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) despite the average person now spending more than 90% of their time indoors (Klepeis et al. 2001). Around one hour of this indoor exposure is spent inside vehicles (Müller et al. 2011), and is referred to as Vehicle Interior Air Quality (VIAQ). This exposure is important to understand given the immediate proximity to significant pollutant sources (other vehicles), plus, in urban areas, high AAP concentrations compared to other micro-environments. To address this knowledge gap, two NAQTS V1000 Integrated Air Quality Monitors were used to simultaneously monitor inside-outside four vehicles for Particle Number (PN) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2). The vehicles were analysed to understand Ingress Ratio (how much ambient PN is getting into the vehicle cabin) and Stuffiness (how well the vehicle is ventilating CO2). The data from these four vehicles shows the heterogeneity of Ingress Ratios (ranging from 24% to 99% with recirculation mode off, and 517% with recirculation mode on) and Stuffiness Factors (1.2 – 1.4 with recirculation mode off, and 3.3 – 4.97 with recirculation mode on) across different manufacturers and vehicle types. The results raise an inherent tradeoff between protecting passengers from ambient PN ingress, and adequate ventilation to prevent Stuffiness. This demonstrates the huge influence of passenger habit on dose of CO2 and PN. By driver education, and/or automation of HVAC controls, exposure to PN can be reduced significantly

Air Quality Inside and Outside Vehicles:Complex Patterns of Exposure in Space and Time

The average person now spends more than 90% of their time indoors, with around one hour of this spent inside vehicles. This is referred to as Vehicle Interior Air Quality (VIAQ). This exposure is important to understand given the immediate proximity to significant pollutant sources (other vehicles), plus in urban areas, high outdoor concentrations. 1) Two key questions must be rexplored when examining VIAQ; 1) how much outdoor air pollution is penetrating into the cabin? 2) what are the in-vehicle emissions? 1)To address this knowledge gap, two NAQTS V2000 Integrated Air Quality Monitors were used to simultaneously monitor inside/outside an array of vehicles for a holistic understanding of VIAQ (Particle Number Concentrations (> 23nm), Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Volatile Organic Compounds) along with environmental and road comfort parameters (Noise, Temperature, Pressure, Relative Humidity, Speed, Location, and Vibration). The data was gathered on “real-world driving” routes encompassing urban, rural, and highway sections, under a wide range of HVAC operating modes. For the VIAQ measurements, the NAQTS V2000 was conveniently housed in a mannequin to reflect human exposure. For the AAP measurements, the NAQTS V2000 was mounted onto a suction cup, that could be fitted onto a wide range of vehicles easily. The objective of this project was to characterize the kinetics of air pollution inside/outside vehicles to understand the role of location, passenger habits, and vehicle technology (filtration etc.) on VIAQ 2)There are also significant sources of pollution from inside the vehicle. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), responsible for the “new car smell”, can be emitted from an array of interior parts and components: the dashboard, interior panels, flooring materials, and many others. Within the confined space of a vehicle, VOCs emitted from these components may reach levels that are potentially harmful to human occupants, causing symptoms such as nausea, allergies, fatigue, stinging eyes, and headaches. Beyond affecting drivers’ and passengers’ well-being and comfort, such symptoms may have also consequences on safe driving. NAQTS and Emissions Analytics have been developing the technology and methodology to deepen our knowledge of VIAQ. The information from different vehicles was indexed to create a benchmark for vehicles on VIAQ. This information will improve consumer information on vehicle’s performance through a new metric, In-cabin comfort. It will also inform the general public on behavioural changes that can mitigate exposure, as well as inform manufacturers on how to best develop models/hardware to automate HVAC systems to reduce occupants air pollution exposure, as well as to use the best materials to mitigate VOCs emissions. This presentation will focus on: •The regulatory context of VIAQ •The technology to measure inside vehicles: challenges and opportunities •Insights from the Emissions Analytics database on VIAQ •How to effectively present this information to the general publi

Vehicle Interior Air Quality:Volatile Organic Compounds

The average person now spends more than 90% of their time indoors, with around one hour of this spent inside vehicles. This is referred to as Vehicle Interior Air Quality (VIAQ). This exposure is important to understand given the immediate proximity to significant pollutant sources (other vehicles), plus in urban areas, high outdoor concentrations. However, there are also significant sources of pollution from inside the vehicle. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), responsible for the “new car smell”, can be emitted from an array of interior parts and components: the dashboard, interior panels, flooring materials, and many others. Within the confined space of a vehicle, VOCs emitted from these components may reach levels that are potentially harmful to human occupants, causing symptoms such as nausea, allergies, fatigue, stinging eyes, and headaches. Beyond affecting drivers’ and passengers’ well-being and comfort, such symptoms may have also consequences on safe driving. NAQTS and Emissions Analytics have been developing the technology and methodology to deepen our knowledge of VOCs concentrations, sources, and species inside vehicles. Incorporating the latest developments in low-cost sensor technologies alongside thermal desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry (TD-GCMS), we can better understand absolute concentrations, temporal signatures, and full speciation, resulting in a holistic understanding of VIAQ VOCs. This presentation will focus on: • The regulatory context of VIAQ • The technology to measure inside vehicles: challenges and opportunities • Initial findings - Characterising VOCs emissions from interior components • How to effectively present this information to the general publi

In-Cabin Air Quality and Ride Comfort

Many studies have addressed outdoor air pollution that arises from traffic, and its associated negative impacts on public health. However, less is being done to understand indoor air pollution, despite the average person now spending more than 90% of their time indoors (European Commission, 2004). In-cabin air quality represents around one hour of this exposure (Müller et al. 2011), but is especially important given the immediate proximity to motor vehicles, plus, in urban areas, high ambient concentrations compared to other micro-environments. To address the dearth of research on this topic, an NAQTS V1000 air quality monitor, conveniently housed in a mannequin (“Justin”), was used to monitor inside vehicles: five pollutants were monitored (PN, CO, CO2, NO2, VOCs) along with environmental and road comfort parameters. Consistent with other research (CARB, 2015; Müller et al. 2011), our data shows that the measured pollutants are often several times higher than those outside, due to factors of passenger habits, location, and release of VOCs from the vehicle interior components. By driver education, and/or automation of HVAC controls, exposure can be reduced significantly

Quantifying Solid and Total Particle Number Concentrations from an Array of Vehicles Using the “Plume Chaser Method”

Despite the relatively short period of time spent in cars, exposure levels are of concern given the immediate proximity to motor vehicles, plus in urban areas, high ambient concentrations compared to other micro-environments. For vehicle-related pollutants such as particulates, this contribution is particularly important. The adverse health effects of particulate matter (PM) have been clearly established in the scientific community, and it has frequently been proposed that ultrafine particles (UFPs) -those with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤0.1 μm- have a more significant effect on human health per unit mass of similar chemical composition than larger particles (Delfino et al. 2005; Harrison et al. 2012; Seaton et al. 1995). The development of a Solid Particle Number (SPN) measurement programme -under the Particle Measurement Programme (PMP) has standarised the measurement protocol for vehicular UFPs. The PMP protocol has been extensively scrutinized, with its repeatability and reproducibility being widely lauded. However, several studies have shown that a significant number of sub-23 nm particles can remain present downstream from the PMP system (Giechaskiel et al. 2009; Herner et al. 2007; Johnson et al. 2009). Consequently, a number of studies were conducted to investigate the composition of these sub-23nm particles, demonstrating that most of them were formed through the renucleation of semi-volatiles, and therefore not of a solid state (Zheng et al. 2011; Zheng et al. 2012). In developing informed public policy to protect public health, it is important that the concentrations of SPN as well as Total Particle Number (TPN) -including particles of a non-solid state- within vehicles are better quantified, as it is understood that the health concerns associated with PM are a function of particle size, rather than particle state of matter

The drivers behind differences between official and actual vehicle efficiency and CO 2 emissions

Literature explaining the gap between official and actual vehicle efficiency and CO 2 emissions focuses on descriptive analysis to calculate this gap without examining causality. In this paper, we explore this discrepancy in detail by drawing on a database from Emissions Analytics Ltd. that provides on-road emissions measurement on more than 650 vehicles in the period 2010–2017. The data reveal concerning results: firstly, the gap in data relates both to hybrid vehicles (that are supposedly ‘more fuel-efficient’) and to the biggest selling vehicles (medium-sized cars). Secondly, the average deviation rate increased prior to 2015, but decreased following ‘Dieselgate’. The Volkswagen scandal threw light on the discretionary behaviour of manufacturers on this question and highlighted how weak the official tests are: and this in turn points to a regulatory and compliance problem. In other words, the interpretation of the results suggests that after several years of adaptation to the protocol and the corresponding test (but no translated in real consumption), manufacturers have taken measures to reduce the divergence in real terms after the scandal.Sin financiación4.577 JCR (2019) Q1, 18/123 Environmental Studies, 5/37 Transportation1.662 SJR (2019) Q1, 21/408 Civil and Structural Engineering, 15/150 TransportationNo data IDR 2019UE

Research data supporting “Engine maps of fuel use and emissions from transient driving cycles"

Matlab fig files to recreate the figures used in the publication.EPSRC [EP/K00915X/1, EP/F034350/1