You will find many regulations within the world of alternative fuel and low emission automobiles. Some states have more strict standards than national regulations. This patchwork has created a veritable storm of abbreviations about automobile emissions. Here are the meanings of probably the most popular abbreviations.
Low emission automobile – LEV and NLEV
The LEV or NLEV standard was first instituted by California as the “Low Emission Vehicle” standard, and later was adopted as the required “National Low Emission Vehicle” standard. They must emit less than 3.4 grams per mile of carbon monoxide. This standard is applies through about model year 2003.
Ultra Low Emission – ULEV
Ultra Low Emission Automobile standards apply to autos in model years 2003 to 2010. These ULEV passenger cars are required to emit no more than 1.7 grams per pile of carbon monoxide. Alternately, ULEV vehicles can only emit half of the emissions of comparable model-year vehicles.
SULEV – Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle
Super Ultra Low Emission Autos, otherwise known as SULEV cars, have to emit no a lot more than 10 percent of the average emissions of comparable model-year vehicles. SULEV cars are, most often, ultra-efficient hybrids or alternative-fuel cars.
Partial Zero Emission Car – PZEV
SULEV and PZEV standards are all the same. However, in order to qualify as a PZEV, a vehicle has to have additional controls on gas evaporation and must maintain low emission levels for 150,000 miles. In 2001, there were numerous engines that qualify as PZEV.
ZEV – Zero Emissions Automobile
Used mostly to refer to hydrogen-fueled or electric cars, Zero Emissions Autos aren’t always necessarily totally “zero emissions.” For example, a car that charges off of the power grid can nevertheless be considered ZEV – even though the grid does still put out some pollution.
Standards for fuel economy
Though some states use alphabet soup to describe the efficiency of vehicles, the federal government and EPA use a different system. By 2016, vehicle makers could be required to build cars that have an average fuel economy rating of 35.5 miles per gallon.
