Freight Facts and Figures 2012

Table 5-12. Estimated National Average Vehicle Emissions Rates of Heavy-Duty and Light-Duty Vehicles: 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2011

Air quality is affected by freight vehicle emissions. Compared with gasoline-fueled cars and trucks, diesel-fueled heavy trucks emit small amounts of carbon monoxide (CO) but large amounts of nitrogen oxides (NO_x). However, since 2000 heavy-duty truck emissions of NO_x have declined by 58 percent.

Table in Excel format | Historical data

Grams per mile

	2000	2005	2010	2011
Gasoline
Cars
Exhaust HC	0.88	0.49	0.29	0.26
Nonexhaust HC	0.61	0.38	0.22	0.19
Total HC	1.49	0.87	0.51	0.45
Exhaust CO	15.21	8.44	5.17	4.75
Exhaust NOx	1.98	1.24	0.77	0.69
Light trucks
Exhaust HC	1.31	0.98	0.74	0.69
Nonexhaust HC	0.63	0.44	0.33	0.31
Total HC	1.94	1.43	1.08	1.00
Exhaust CO	23.44	16.08	11.77	11.06
Exhaust NOx	2.85	2.04	1.59	1.50
Heavy trucks
Exhaust HC	2.75	1.87	1.30	1.19
Nonexhaust HC	1.22	0.94	0.76	0.70
Total HC	3.96	2.81	2.06	1.89
Exhaust CO	62.89	47.27	35.27	32.95
Exhaust NOx	5.84	4.50	3.56	3.45
Diesel
Cars
Exhaust HC	0.26	0.16	0.08	0.07
Exhaust CO	1.14	0.57	0.54	0.63
Exhaust NOx	1.36	1.96	1.23	1.09
Light trucks
Exhaust HC	0.65	0.66	0.60	0.55
Exhaust CO	3.51	3.74	3.40	3.15
Exhaust NOx	6.04	5.83	4.62	4.26
Heavy trucks
Exhaust HC	1.06	1.10	0.92	0.86
Exhaust CO	4.59	4.64	3.57	3.28
Exhaust NOx	23.20	16.84	10.97	9.84

Key: CO = carbon monoxide; HC = hydrocarbon; NO_x = nitrogen oxides

Notes: This table is based on MOVES, the latest U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) highway vehicle emissions factor model. Tables in previous editions of Freight Facts and Figures were based on the MOBILE6 model. Thus, the data in this table should not be compared to those in pre-2011 editions. Data are for July of each year.

Source:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory, personal communication, September 19, 2011.

 

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