Real-world exhaust emissions of Canadian light duty vehicles
Date
2026
Authors
Dressler, Aislinn
Wang, Daming
Minet, Laura
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Victoria
Abstract
The transportation sector contributes significantly to the emission of air pollutants and technological improvements have led to changes in the amount and chemical composition of on-road vehicle emissions. These on-road vehicle emissions negatively impact local air quality, which in turn impacts the health of community members. Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) results in approximately 1,200 premature deaths in Canada per year and an additional $9.5 billion in annual monetary health burden.
This research aims to understand the emission factors of light-duty on-road vehicles using real-world data. Vehicle exhaust emission data was collected using remote sensing technology in Victoria, BC. This non-intrusive measurement technique uses an ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy system that measures air pollutant concentrations (i.e., carbon
dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter,
hydrocarbons) at the exhaust pipe level and translates them into instantaneous exhaust
emission factors for each passing vehicle. The spectroscope is integrated with
speed/acceleration sensors and a camera to capture images of the passing vehicles.
The collected data was compared against NRCan emission factors and analyzed for patterns.
Description
Keywords
emissions, traffic, pollution