There are great opportunities around the globe to reduce conventional pollutant emissions from light-duty vehicles (LDVs), with positive effects on air quality and public health. Even though the benefits of more stringent standards have been demonstrated and the technologies to achieve those benefits are readily available, there are still large differences in the implementation schedules for increasing emission stringency (Figure ES-1). Among the reasons for delaying the implementation of stricter emission levels is the extra cost added to the vehicle by the emission control system.

This report directly addresses the cost to light-duty vehicle manufacturers of deploying technology in order to meet more stringent emission regulations. Costs were assessed by government agencies during the rulemaking process establishing each new standard in the US and Europe. However, some of these standards were established many years ago. There have been substantial improvements in emission control technology since then, which are not reflected in the original cost estimates. This report updates the cost of meeting each emission standard level so that countries considering adoption of more stringent standards can make a more informed decision. The objective of this study is to assess the technology requirements’ costs, in current terms, derived from advancing to more stringent regulatory standards on light-duty vehicles.

Download the report here: Estimated cost of emission reduction technologies for light-duty vehicles