Overview
In 2022, Colombia’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MoE) passed Resolution 0762, which mandates that all newly produced or imported heavy-duty vehicles with diesel-cycle, liquid natural gas, or liquid petroleum gas engines must, at minimum, comply with Euro VI or equivalent emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles by 2023. Law 1972 of 2019 mandates compliance with Euro VI-equivalent standards for all heavy-duty diesel vehicles circulating within the country by 2035.
Standard type
Conventional pollutant emission limits
Regulating Body
The Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), responsible for the provision of Euro VI complying fuels, and The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MoE), responsible for standard implementation, compliance, and onboard self-diagnostics (OBD) inspection
Current Standard
Euro IV for diesel, natural gas, and liquid petroleum gas engines (Resolution 1111 of 2013). U.S. EPA 1998 standards for gasoline-powered engines (Resolution 0910 of 2008).
Future Standard
Euro VI for diesel, natural gas, and liquid petroleum gas engines in 2023 (Resolution 0762 of 2022)
Applicability
Applies to new heavy-duty vehicles with gross vehicle weight (GVW) ≥ 3.5 tons produced after 2023 and for all such vehicles in circulation in 2035
Colombia, South America Heavy-duty vehicles Emissions standards
History
In 2008, Colombia passed Resolution 0910, which regulated emissions from all heavy-duty vehicles produced in 2010 and later. The regulation set separate pollutant limits for diesel and gasoline engines, with the former requiring manufacturers to comply with either U.S. EPA 1996 standards or Euro II standards and the latter mandating compliance with U.S. EPA 1998 standards. Resolution 1111 of 2013 modified the 2008 Resolution by introducing Euro IV and U.S. EPA Tier 2 standards for diesel and gasoline engines and imposing new limits for natural gas and liquid petroleum gas engines, equivalent to U.S. EPA 2005 or Euro IV limits. In July 2019, Colombia passed Law 1972, which implements Euro VI standards for new diesel heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) with diesel engines starting in 2023. The law also sets a 100% compliance target for all heavy-duty diesel vehicles in circulation by 2035, effectively banning all HDVs that do not meet Euro VI requirements by that year. In July 2022, the MoE passed Resolution 0762, which amends Law 1972, introducing Euro VI emissions limits for liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and liquid natural gas (LNG) HDVs.
| Regulation | Applicability Date | Application | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resolution 910 of 2008 | 01/2010 | Gasoline heavy duty engines | U.S. EPA 1998 |
| Diesel heavy-duty engines | U.S. EPA 1996 or Euro II | ||
| Resolution 1111 of 2013 | 01/2015 | CNG and LPG heavy-duty engines | U.S. EPA 2005 or Euro IV |
| Diesel heavy-duty engines | Euro IV/Euro V with OBD/U.S. EPA 2010 with HD OBD | ||
| Resolution 0762 of 2022 | 01/2023 | Diesel heavy-duty engines | Euro VI or equivalent |
| CNG and LPG Heavy-duty engines | Euro VI or equivalent |
Technical Standards
Resolution 0762 requires that all newly manufactured, assembled, or imported heavy-duty vehicles with either a compression (diesel) or spark ignition (LGP or LNG) engine comply with Euro VI standards by January 2023 and that all HDVs within circulation comply with the standards by January 2035. U.S.-based engines are tested on the respective EU or U.S. test cycles. Euro VI standard specifications used in Colombia for Diesel HDVs can be seen in Table 2 below, while Table 3 covers heavy-duty vehicles with other engine types.
| Reference Standard | Effective Date | Test | CO | HC | NMHC | NOx | PM | PN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| g/kWh | 1/kWh | |||||||
| Euro II | 01/2010 | ECE R-49 | 4 | 1.1 | – | 7 | 0.15 | – |
| Euro IV(a) | 01/2015 | ETC/ESC | 1.5 | 4(b) | 0.46(b) | – | ||
| Euro VI(e) | 01/2023 | World Harmonized Test Cycle (WHTC)(e) | 4 | – | 0.16(c) | 0.46 | 0.01 | 6×1011 |
| World Harmonized Stationary Cycle (WHSC) | 1.5 | 0.13 | – | 0.4 | 0.01 | 8×1011 | ||
| Notes: a. Under Resolution 1111, Colombia did not adopt Euro IV NOx limits, which remain unchanged from their Euro II limits. Under Resolution 1111, NOx emissions are measured using the ETC cycle while PM is measured using ESC. b. As a substitute for measuring NMHC, the laboratory may choose to measure HC using the ETC test in which case the limit is still 0.46 g/kwh. c. Measured as THC for diesel (compression-ignition) engines. d. Resolution 0762 adds the WHSC as a requirement for compliance. e. The WHTC also includes a 10-ppm NH3 limit. |
||||||||
| Engine type | Reference Standard | Effective Date | Test | CO | HC | CH4 | NMHC | NOx | PM | Unit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline | U.S. EPA 1998 |
01/2010 | US HDTC LHDGE(a) | 14.4 | 1.1 | – | – | 4 | – | g/BHP-h | |
| US HDTC HHDGE(a) | 37.1 | 1.9 | – | ||||||||
| Liquid natural gas (LNG) and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) | Euro IV | 01/2015 | ETC/ESC | 4 | – | 1.1 | 0.55 | 3.5 | g/kW-h | ||
| U.S. EPA 2005 |
US HDTC LHDGE(a) | 14.4 | – | – | 1(b) | – | g/BHP-h | ||||
| US HDTC HHDGE(a) | 37.1 | – | |||||||||
| Euro VI(c) | 01/2023 | World Harmonized Test Cycle (WHTC) | 4 | – | 0.5 | 0.16 | 0.46 | 0.01 | g/kW-h | ||
| Notes a. U.S. EPA regulations set separate carbon monoxide limits for light heavy-duty gas engines (LHDGE) and heavy heavy-duty gas engines (HHDGE). b. Under U.S. EPA 2005 standards, for NG and LPG-powered vehicles, NMHC and NOx are regulated as one limit. c. Euro VI emissions standards also establish a 10-ppm NH3 limit. |
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In 2013, Resolution 1111 established a 50-ppm limit on diesel fuel sulfur concentration to satisfy Euro IV engine requirements. Similarly, Law 1972 of 2019 mandates diesel sulfur content not to exceed 15 ppm starting in January 2023 and 10 ppm by January 2025. Article 11 of this Law gives the MoE the authority to increase future emissions control limits more stringent than Euro VI.
Testing and Compliance
Under Law 1972, Colombia’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development is charged with establishing compliance verification measures and a system for regulating and inspecting onboard self-diagnostics systems (OBD) within two years of the law’s passing. The MoE is still drafting these regulations but plans to publish them before Euro VI standards are enacted in 2023. Law 1972 also requires using the World Harmonized Test Cycle (WHTC) to verify compliance.
Links
Regulatory documents
Resolution 0910 of 2008
Resolution 1111 of 2013
Law 1972 of 2019
Resolution 0762 of 2022
Other documents
¿Puede Colombia Convertirse en el Líder de transporte limpio de Ameríca Latína? – ICCT Blog Post
