The California Air Resources Board has adopted a new emissions tracking program that would help regulators identify vehicles with excess smog-related and greenhouse gas emissions.

REAL: The New Way to Measure

Real Emissions Assessment Logging (REAL) now requires an On-Board Diagnostic system. This is part of new amendments to the On-Board Diagnostic Regulations that CARB recently approved. This system will collect and store emissions data from NOx on medium- and heavy-duty diesel trucks. The REAL amendment would also require OBD systems to collect and store fuel consumption data. That data is useful to track CO2 emission on all heavy-duty vehicles in use.

Currently OBD systems notify drivers when emissions components of malfunctioning. By having access to a log of a vehicle’s emissions output in everyday use, CARB believes it would be able to spot widespread issues more easily.

“REAL will provide the ability to monitor all vehicles for emissions performance, and allow us to spot trouble faster. Had this program been available sooner, we would likely have recognized widespread, serious problems with manufacturers such as Volkswagen and Cummins much earlier,” said Richard Corey, CARB executive officer. “California’s vehicle fleet is getting cleaner every year but we still have a lot of work to do to reach our air quality and climate change goals. The REAL program is yet another way to utilize the OBD system and help ensure that engines and vehicles maintain low emissions throughout their full lives.”

How REAL Simplifies

Storage of similar emissions data is already required for light-duty and medium-duty vehicles starting in model year 2019. Plugging a data reader into the vehicle allows retrieval of REAL data.

No new technology will be required for the REAL program. It will take advantage of existing sensors to track the necessary data. Older vehicles will not be a part of the REAL program and will not require any new equipment.

A version of this article was originally published on the Heavy Duty Trucking website on November 15, 2018. Read the original here.

How Waller Helps

Waller Truck Co., Inc. is an EPA certified SmartWay® Transport Partner. SmartWay Transport is an innovative collaboration between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the freight sector. It improves energy efficiency, reduces greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions and improves energy security.

Waller Truck Co., Inc. has earned a high EPA SmartWay score for outstanding environmental performance.

To learn more about how Waller contributes to the fight against carbon emissions, read our certificates and accomplishments here.