Deterioration of Exhaust Emissions in Ageing Gasoline Vehicles Assessed by RDE Testing

The paper assesses the change in air pollutant emissions from a petrol passenger vehicle with changing mileage. The search for solutions enabling the assessment of the change in air pollutant emissions, considering the phenomenon of vehicle ageing, justifies the need to verify the actual air pollutant emissions from used vehicles. The fleet of vehicles used in Poland has an operational age exceeding 12 years, and the number of vehicles imported from Western Europe each year reaches almost 1 million. The research method used in the paper included conducting road tests, known as real driving emissions (RDE) tests of air pollutant emissions for a single vehicle, at different times and with various mileages. The petrol vehicle was operated by one driver whose driving style and routes were comparable and constant throughout the year. The RDE results were compared with data specifying the vehicle’s operating age and mileage to verify the research hypothesis, assuming increased emissions with increasing vehicle mileage. The emissions of basic air pollutants were determined as part of the research conducted using specialist equipment. The research results were obtained for one vehicle, and the experiment was carried out over several years. The results show differences in the emissions of selected chemical compounds depending on the petrol vehicle’s mileage and operating age while ensuring comparable driving technique and operation of one vehicle over a longer time period of 8 years. The vehicle’s age and mileage influence air pollutant emissions. The obtained results show a change in the emission of selected chemical compounds depending on the mileage, thereby confirming the validity of the adopted hypothesis.