European Commissioner for Science and Research, Janez Potocnik, opened recently a new facility for testing fuel consumption and emissions of trucks and buses. The new installation, "VELA 7" at the Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra (Northern Italy), realistically simulates wind drag, tyre/road friction and full drive cycles for real-life articulated lorries of up to 40 tonnes or 12m long buses. It comes at a crucial time since implementation guidelines for new emission standards, notably the Euro VI regarding heavy duty vehicles, must be defined by 1st April 2010.
VELA-7 is one of the most advanced set-ups of its kind in the world and will provide independent, accurate and unbiased test results. With measurements going clearly far beyond those achievable on simple engine test stands, VELA 7 can test a whole range of alternative fuels and exhaust gas after-treatment systems in existing and future truck configurations. It can produce a broad picture – quantitatively and qualitatively – of the emissions of the whole range of heavy vehicles in the EU, which is the necessary step to then reducing those emissions effectively. Modern spectroscopy and other technologies allow detailed analysis of the most relevant gaseous components as well as the particulate matter in the exhaust.
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