Emissions and Emission Controls
In conjunction with the research efforts at FEERC to improve fuel efficiency and reduce petroleum use, research on emissions is conducted with two primary objectives:
- to understand the effect of new combustion and fuel technologies on emissions and
- to advance catalyst technologies for control of the emissions to regulated levels.
After all, vehicles with improved fuel efficiency will only be able to make a difference if they are sold to consumers, and in order to be sold commercially, a vehicle must meet the U.S. EPA emission regulations.
Thus, emission control technologies that support the introduction of fuel efficient vehicles are often called "enabling technologies". Research activities at FEERC focused on enabling environmental compliance include: