§ 86.1828-01 — Emission data vehicle selection.

§ 86.1828-01 Emission data vehicle selection.

(a) Criteria exhaust testing. Within each test group, the vehicle configuration shall be selected which is expected to be worst-case for exhaust emission compliance on candidate in-use vehicles, considering all criteria exhaust emission constituents, all exhaust test procedures, and the potential impact of air conditioning on test results. For vehicles meeting Tier 4 standards, include consideration of cold temperature testing. See paragraph (c) of this section for cold temperature testing with vehicles not yet subject to Tier 4 standards. The selected vehicle will include an air conditioning engine code unless the worst-case vehicle configuration selected is not available with air conditioning. This vehicle configuration will be used as the EDV calibration.

(b) Evaporative/Refueling testing. Vehicles of each evaporative/refueling family will be divided into evaporative/refueling emission control systems.

(1) The vehicle configuration expected to exhibit the highest evaporative and/or refueling emission on candidate in-use vehicles shall be selected for each evaporative/refueling family and evaporative refueling emission system combination from among the corresponding vehicles selected for testing under paragraph (a) of this section. Separate vehicles may be selected to be tested for evaporative and refueling testing.

(2) Each test group must be represented by both evaporative and refueling testing (provided that the refueling standards are applicable) before it may be certified. That required testing may have been conducted on a vehicle in another test group provided the tested vehicle is a member of the same evaporative/refueling family and evaporative/refueling emission system combination and it was selected for testing in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (b)(1) of this section.

(3) For evaporative/refueling emission testing, the vehicle(s) selected shall be equipped with the worst-case evaporative/refueling emission hardware available on that vehicle considering such items as canister size and material, fuel tank size and material, purge strategy and flow rates, refueling characteristics, and amount of vapor generation.

(c) Cold temperature testing—Tier 3. For vehicles subject to Tier 3 standards, select test vehicles for cold temperature testing as follows:

(1) For cold temperature CO exhaust emission compliance for each durability group, the vehicle expected to emit the highest CO emissions at 20 degrees F on candidate in-use vehicles shall be selected from the test vehicles selected in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section.

(2) For cold temperature NMHC exhaust emission compliance for each durability group, the manufacturer must select the vehicle expected to emit the highest NMHC emissions at 20 °F on candidate in-use vehicles from the test vehicles specified in paragraph (a) of this section. When the expected worst-case cold temperature NMHC vehicle is also the expected worst-case cold temperature CO vehicle as selected in paragraph (c)(1) of this section, then cold temperature testing is required only for that vehicle; otherwise, testing is required for both the worst-case cold temperature CO vehicle and the worst-case cold temperature NMHC vehicle.

(d) [Reserved]

(e) Alternative vehicle configurations. The manufacturer may use good engineering judgment to select an equivalent or worst-case vehicle configuration in lieu of testing the vehicle selected in paragraphs (a) through (c) of this section. Carryover data satisfying the provisions of § 86.1839 may also be used in lieu of testing the vehicle configuration selected in paragraphs (a) through (c) of this section.

(f) Good engineering judgment. The manufacturer shall use good engineering judgment in making selections of vehicles under this section.

[89 FR 28177, Apr. 18, 2024, as amended at 91 FR 7762, Feb. 18, 2026]