Note: As of June 28, 2021, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is finalizing technical work to support the adoption of their heavy-duty (HD) Low NOx Omnibus Regulation. California’s proposal, which was presented for consideration in the summer 2020, aims to achieve a 90% reduction from current NOx emissions limits by 2027 and to establish a more robust certification method that includes better in-use testing protocols. CARB is also proposing to effectively double current equipment useful life and warranty requirements for heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs). It is unclear whether Environment and Climate Change Canada will harmonize federal emissions standards for HDVs with CARB’s standards.
Overview
The current emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles and engines in Canada are essentially identical to the U.S. 2010 standards. The main difference is that while U.S. standards are phased in over a period of years, they come into effect in Canada all at the same time, during the first year of the U.S. final standards phase-in.
Standard type
Conventional pollutant emission limits
Regulating Body
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Applicability
All on-road vehicles with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) rating ≥ 3,856kg (8,500 lbs.)
History
Canadian federal regulations establishing exhaust emission limits for on-road vehicles were first promulgated in 1971 under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, administered by Transport Canada. In 2000, legislative authority for controlling on-road vehicle emissions was transferred to Environment Canada under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999 (CEPA 1999). Under CEPA 1999, the On-Road Vehicle and Engine Emission Regulations were promulgated in 2003 and came into effect in 2004. These regulations replaced the previous regulations adopted under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. The new regulations adopted under CEPA 1999 continued the approach of aligning with the federal emission standards of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Harmonization with the United States
Increasingly, the general approach to setting vehicle emissions standards in Canada has been to harmonize them with the EPA federal standards for light-duty vehicles and for heavy-duty vehicles as much as possible.
In 1988, on-road vehicle emission standards were first aligned with the U.S. federal standards. In 2001, the Minister of the Environment in the Federal Agenda on Cleaner Vehicles, Engines and Fuels set out a number of policy measures that would continue the harmonization of on-road emissions standards as well as to expand this harmonization by developing emission standards for off-road engines and standards for fuels that are aligned with those of the federal U.S. EPA requirements.
Technical standards
The On-Road Vehicle and Engine Emission Regulations include standards for light- and heavy-duty vehicles and motorcycles. For heavy-duty vehicles, the On-Road Vehicle and Engine Emission Regulations aligned vehicle and engine certification requirements with the U.S. 2010 standards in place for new heavy-duty vehicles and engines.
The Regulations set out technical standards for vehicles and engines for exhaust, evaporative, and crankcase emissions, in addition to on-board diagnostic systems and other specifications related to emission control systems. The intention of the regulation was to ensure that vehicles and engines meeting more stringent exhaust emission standards would begin entering the Canadian market in model year (MY) 2004 and be phased-in over MYs 2004 to 2010. The phase-in schedules varied by standard and by vehicle class and can be summarized as follows: 2005 and 2008–2009 standards for complete heavy-duty vehicles, and 2004–2006 and 2007–2010 standards for heavy-duty engines.
During any phase-in period, every model of vehicle or engine that is certified by the EPA and that is sold concurrently in Canada and the United States is required to meet the same emission standards in Canada as in the United States. Canadian vehicles will therefore have progressively improved emission performance without specifying interim phase-in percentages in the regulation. The final phased-in standards apply to all vehicles and engines sold in Canada, in the model year that they apply to 100% of a class of vehicles or engines in the United States.
2004–2006
Diesel engines
Phase 1 standards for heavy-duty diesel truck and bus engines apply starting with MY 2004. These emissions standards are identical to the U.S. EPA standards for MY 2004 and later HD-diesel engines.
Otto engines
An Otto-cycle engine is a type of engine that has operating characteristics significantly similar to those of the theoretical Otto combustion cycle. The use of a throttle during normal operation is indicative of an Otto-cycle engine. The standards for heavy-duty Otto cycle engines for 2005 are outlined below.
| GVWR kg (lb) | NOx | NMHC | NOx + NMHC | CO | PM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-2005 | ≤ 6,350 (14,000) | 4.0 | 1.1 | – | 14.4 | – |
| > 6,350 (14,000) | 4.0 | 1.9 | – | 37.1 | – | |
| 2005 | ≤ 6,350 (14,000) | – | – | 1.0 | 14.4 | – |
| > 6,350 (14,000) | – | – | 1.0 | 37.1 | – |
Complete heavy-duty vehicles
A complete heavy-duty vehicle is one with a gross vehicle weight rating of 6350 kg (14,000 pounds) or less and is powered by an Otto-cycle engine with the load carrying device or container attached after it leaves the control of the manufacturer. As with the EPA requirements, standards apply starting in MY 2005. The standards for these vehicles are outlined in the following table:
| GVWR kg (lb) | NOx | NMHC | HCHO | CO | PM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 3,856–4,536 (8,500–10,000) |
0.9 | 0.28 | – | 7.3 | – |
| 4,536–6,350 (10,000–14,000) |
1 | 0.33 | – | 8.1 | – |
2007 AND LATER
The current standard for conventional pollutant emissions from heavy-duty vehicles in Canada is modeled after the 2010 U.S. heavy-duty vehicle emissions standards.
Diesel engines
Current standards apply to diesel engines starting with MY 2007. In the United States, the current NMHC, CO, and PM standards were applied in 2007 and the NOx standard was phased in from 2007–2010. Canada adopted these standards in a slightly modified way. For a standard in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to be phased in over a period of time, the standard comes into effect in Canada in the model year for which the CFR specifies that the standard applies to 100% of that class and continues to apply until another standard comes into effect that also applies to 100% of that class. This creates a difference in Canadian and U.S. standards during this phase-in period. However, because every engine that is covered by an EPA certificate and that is sold concurrently in Canada and the U.S. must conform to the EPA certification and in-use standards, the differences in emission profiles of engines sold during this period are expected to be small.
There are no emissions averaging, banking, or trading options for heavy-duty engines in Canada.
Otto engines
The standards for heavy-duty Otto cycle engines are outlined below. 2008–2010 standards are the same as those for heavy-duty diesel engines and were applied in 2008. As with the heavy-duty diesel engine standards, the NOxstandards in the US were phased in and apply to 100% of engines in 2010, meaning the standard came into effect for MY 2010 engines in Canada.
| GVWR kg (lb) | NOx | NMHC | NOx + NMHC | CO | PM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-2005 | ≤ 6,350 (14,000) | 4.0 | 1.1 | – | 14.4 | – |
| > 6,350 (14,000) | 4.0 | 1.9 | – | 37.1 | – | |
| 2005 | ≤ 6,350 (14,000) | – | – | 1.0 | 14.4 | – |
| > 6,350 (14,000) | – | – | 1.0 | 37.1 | – | |
| 2008–2010 | ≥ 3,856 (8,500) | 0.2 | 0.14 | – | 14.4 | 0.01 |
Complete heavy-duty vehicles
Because the current standards were phased in during 2008 in the U.S. and apply to 100% of U.S. vehicles only in 2009, the standards apply to heavy-duty vehicles starting in MY 2009 in Canada. The standards for these vehicles are outlined in the following table:
| GVWR kg (lb) | NOx | NMHC | HCHO | CO | PM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 3,856–4,536 (8,500–10,000) |
0.9 | 0.28 | – | 7.3 | – |
| 4,536–6,350 (10,000–14,000) |
1 | 0.33 | – | 8.1 | – | |
| 2008–2009) | 3,856–4,536 (8,500–10,000) |
0.2 | 0.195 | 0.032 | 7.3 | 0.02 |
| 4,536–6,350 (10,000–14,000) |
0.4 | 0.23 | 0.04 | 8.1 | 0.02 |
Other heavy-duty vehicles
On-road heavy-duty vehicles other than complete heavy-duty vehicles must meet the heavy-duty engine requirements for the particular engine installed in that vehicle. Alternatively, heavy-duty diesel vehicles of < 6,350 kg (14,000 lbs.) GVWR can conform to the standards for complete heavy-duty vehicles.
There are no emissions averaging, banking, or trading options for heavy-duty vehicles or complete heavy-duty vehicles in Canada.
Other provisions
Manufacturers may sell a heavy-duty vehicle or engine of a given model year in Canada if it is covered by an EPA certificate.
Links
Regulatory Documents
Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999 (CEPA 1999)
Sulphur in Gasoline Regulations – 1999
On-Road Vehicle and Engine Emission Regulations – 2003
Regulatory Agencies
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Additional Resources
