Technical Standards

2009-2016

The GHG standards are incorporated into low emission vehicle (LEV) regulation, and there are two fleet average GHG requirements: (1) for passenger car/light-duty truck 1 (PC/LDT1) category, which includes all passenger cars and light-duty trucks below 3,750 lbs equivalent test weight (ETW); and (2) for light-duty truck 2 (LDT2) category, including light trucks between 3,751 lbs ETW and 8,500 lbs gross vehicle weight (GVW). In addition, medium-duty passenger vehicles (MDPVs) from 8,500 to 10,000 lbs GVW are included in the LDT2 category for GHG emission standards.

The standards phase-in over the period of 2009 to 2016. The average gram-per-mile reduction of GHG emissions from new California cars and light trucks will be about 30% in 2016, compared to model year 2004 vehicles.

The GHG emission standards are defined in grams per mile of CO₂-equivalent emissions, calculated from the following formula:

A manufacturer may use N₂O = 0.006 g/mi in lieu of measuring N₂O exhaust emissions. The AC emission allowances are determined based on the design of the air conditioning system (i.e., with higher allowances for more leak-resistant systems, lower global warming potential refrigerants, and more energy-efficient systems).

The sets of CO₂ emissions are based on the vehicle laboratory measurements from the FTP “city” test cycle and the HWFET “highway” test cycle. The city values are taken with a weight factor of 55%, and the highway values with a weight of 45%, before manufacturers calculate the sales-weighted average emission levels from all their vehicles manufactured for sale in California. Additional adjustment factors are used for calculation in vehicles fueled by alternative fuels and zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) according to their relative lifecycle emissions of electricity or hydrogen use.

The regulation also includes GHG emission credits for manufacturers who have emissions below the standards. Credits can be earned for reductions in GHG emissions achieved in model years 2000-2008 (i.e., prior to the date the regulation became effective) and during the phase-in period. Accumulated credits can be used to offset compliance shortfalls up to one year after the end of the phase-in at full value, or in the second and third years after the end of the phase-in at a discounted rate.

2017-2025

GHG emission limits, as part of LEV III standards, for new 2017 and subsequent model years apply to passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles. Light-duty trucks from 3751 lbs. ETW (equivalent test weight) – 8500 lbs. GVW that are certified to the Option 1 LEV II NOx Standard are exempt from these GHG requirements, however, passenger cars, light-duty trucks 0-3750 lbs. LVW, and medium-duty passenger vehicles are not eligible for this exemption.

Credit Provisions

Emission reduction compliance credits include air-conditioning system technology, flexible fuel vehicle deployment, off-cycle technologies, incentives for electric vehicles, and “game-changing” technologies installed on pickup trucks.

Regulatory design

The California 2017-2025 regulations introduce vehicle size-based standards for the two vehicle categories, following the current federal 2012–2016 standard framework. Separate numerical standards for vehicle size or “footprint” are used for passenger cars and for light trucks. Because there are two categories, car and truck, and the standards are based on the footprint attributes of future year vehicle sales, the exact GHG emission outcome from the program is somewhat unknown and subject to the sales mix of vehicles sold in the future. Each auto manufacturer will ultimately have a different footprint-based standard based on its sales mix of vehicles at each vehicle size and its car and light truck sales mix.

Standards

The fleet average CO₂ exhaust mass emission target values (indexed by vehicle footprint) for passenger cars, light-duty trucks that are produced and delivered for sale in California would be reduced by about 34% from model year 2016 through 2025. The LEV III GHG rule-making would reduce the CO₂ emissions of cars by about 4.9% per year and light trucks by about 4.5% per year from 2016-2025 to achieve a combined emission rate of 166 g CO₂/mi.

Since the adoption of the 2017-2025 California LEV III GHG standards, the substantially similar federal 2017-2025 standards have been adopted, and the state of California has agreed to deem compliance with the federal standards as sufficient for compliance with the LEV III standards.