Chile: Heavy-duty: Emissions

Overview

 * Standard type: Conventional pollutant emission limits
 * Regulatory bodies: Ministerio de Transportes y Telecomunicaciones (MTT) in cooperation with the Ministerio del Medio Ambiente (MMA)
 * Current Standard: Euro IV
 * Future Standard: Euro V
 * Applicability: Heavy-Duty Engines, GVW &ge; 3860 kg

History
Emission standards for highway vehicles, light- and heavy-duty, have been in place since the early 1990s. While the standards are based on US and EU emission regulations, they are not necessarily equivalent. Dual standards often exist, allowing new engines to meet either US or EU standards. No durability or on-board diagnostic (OBD) requirements are indicated in Chile’s emission standards.

The emission limits are based on the date that application is first made to register the vehicle in the national vehicle registry and the geographic region in which it operates. Application date for registration as opposed to vehicle model year is used presumably to control emissions from imported used vehicles. To legally operate an on-road vehicle in Chile, a colored sticker must be attached to the vehicle. The color of the sticker determines what region of the country a vehicle may operate in. Rules for issuing stickers depend on the vehicle class.

Due to more severe pollution problems, many vehicle emission standards for the Santiago Metropolitan Region (RM) are more stringent and/or introduced earlier that those for the rest of the country. A decree issued in 2010 (D.S. N° 66/10) required a number of programs to be established in the Santiago Metropolitan Region by 2011 to accelerate the uptake of cleaner vehicles. These programs include the implementation of a Low Emission Zone for heavy vehicles and a voluntary truck scrappage program.

Technical Standards
Emission standards for heavy-duty truck and bus engines are listed below. Early standards applied to vehicles operating in the Santiago Metropolitan Region (RM) and Region IV to X. Nationwide standards took effect in 2006. In cases where dual standards exist—EU-based and US-based—engines are tested on the respective EU or US test cycles, as indicated.

Starting with heavy-duty vehicles first registered January 2012 and later and operating in the Metropolitan Region, PM emissions are limited to Euro IV/US 2007 levels while NOx limits for these vehicles remain at Euro III/US 1998 levels. In addition to OEM vehicles produced to meet the 2012 PM requirements, the limit can also be met by engines originally certified to PM emissions higher than the levels shown if they have been fitted with a diesel particulate filter carrying an approval by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) or California ARB Level 3 verification and if the engine’s certification PM emissions multiplied by (1 - filter efficiency/100) does not exceed the limits shown. It should be noted that this is not a retrofit requirement for vehicles first registered prior to 2012 but a compliance option for those first registered after January 2012.

The table below shows emission limits for heavy-duty engines through 2015.

Emission standards for urban buses operating in certain parts of the Santiago Metropolitan Region (Santiago Province and the municipalities of San Bernardo and Puente Alto) are governed by D.S. N° 130/01. These standards are typically more stringent and are implemented sooner than national standards. Urban buses first registered in September 2012 or later for use in this region must be equipped with a factory installed OEM diesel particulate filter to ensure emissions do not exceed the limits equivalent to Euro IV or US 2004 NMHC+NOx/US 2007 PM (D.S. N° 66/10). Gasoline and gas-fueled trucks and buses also have an evaporative emission limit of 4 g/per test.

Regulatory documents
National
 * Decreto Nº 55, De 1994 Decree No. 55 Heavy-duty emissions regulation 1994
 * Decreto 4 Decreto Nº 55, De 1994, Amending Decreto Nº 55 de 1994, 16 May 2012
 * Amendments

Metropolitan Regions
 * D.S. N° 130/01, 13 March 2002
 * D.S. N° 66/10, 16 April 2010

Regulatory agencies

Ministerio de Transportes y Telecomunicaciones (MTT)

Ministerio del Medio Ambiente (MMA)