§ 86.1823-01 Durability demonstration procedures for exhaust emissions.

This section applies to light-duty vehicles, light-duty trucks, complete heavy-duty vehicles, and heavy-duty vehicles certified under the provisions of § 86.1801–01(c). Eligible small volume manufacturers or small volume test groups may optionally meet the requirements of §§ 86.1838–01 and 86.1826–01 in lieu of the requirements of this section. For model years 2001, 2002, and 2003 all manufacturers may elect to meet the provisions of paragraph (c)(2) of this section in lieu of these requirements for light-duty vehicles or light-duty trucks.

(a) The manufacturer shall propose a durability program consisting of the elements discussed in paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(3) of this section for advance approval by the Administrator. The durability process shall be designed to effectively predict the expected deterioration of candidate in-use vehicles over their full and intermediate useful life and shall be consistent with good engineering judgment. The Administrator will approve the program if he/she determines that it is reasonably expected to meet these design requirements.

(1) Service accumulation method. (i) Each durability program shall include a service accumulation method designed to effectively predict the deterioration of emissions in actual use over the full and intermediate useful life of candidate in-use vehicles.

(ii) Manufacturers may propose service accumulation methods based upon whole-vehicle full-mileage accumulation, whole vehicle accelerated mileage accumulation (e.g., where 40,000 miles on a severe mileage accumulation cycle is equivalent to 100,000 miles of normal in-use driving), bench aging of individual components or systems, or other approaches approved by the Administrator.

(A) For whole vehicle mileage accumulation programs, all emission control components and systems (including both hardware and software) must be installed and operating for the entire mileage accumulation period.

(B) Bench procedures shall simulate the aging of components or systems over the applicable useful life and shall simulate driving patterns and vehicle operational environments found in actual use. For this purpose, manufacturers may remove the emission-related components (and other components), in whole or in part, from the durability vehicle itself and deteriorate them independently. Vehicle testing for the purpose of determining deterioration factors may include the testing of durability vehicles that incorporate such bench-aged components.

(2) Vehicle/component selection method. The manufacturer shall propose a vehicle/component selection method for advance approval by the Administrator. The procedure for selecting durability data vehicles and components shall meet the requirements of § 86.1822–01.

(3) Use of deterioration program to determine compliance with the standard. The manufacturer shall propose procedures for the determination of compliance with the standards for advance approval by the Administrator. The calculation of deterioration factors and/or the determination of vehicle compliance shall be according to the procedures approved in advance by the Administrator. The Administrator will allow two methods for using the results of the deterioration program to determine compliance with the standards. Either a deterioration factor (DF) is calculated and applied to the emission data vehicle (EDV) emission results or aged components are installed on the EDV prior to emission testing. Other methods may be approved by the Administrator if they result in an effective prediction of intermediate and full useful life emission levels on candidate in-use vehicles.