Diesel engines are widely used in passenger and cargo transportation vehicles, as well as in military, engineering and mechanical applications. The dark exhausts emitted, however, not only creates discomfort visually, but also is extremely harmful to human health. As a control measure, the inspection on new vehicles is increasingly stricter, and the key to air quality improvement is to enforce the inspection on the maintenance of vehicles in use.
Exhaust emission examination by dynamometer is carried out on vehicles of pollution screened by visual inspections or reporting of the public. Failure to pass the examination results in punishment and further examination for the embodiment of combination of maintenance and inspection. In addition, the sulfur content of the fuels sold at gas stations, stored in fuel depots and used by vehicles under test is examined for detection of illegal fuels.
The project started from Mar 1 to Dec 31 2010. In total, 2,215 diesel-fueled vehicles were examined, and 69 failed, accounting for a failure rate of 3.1%. 180 fuel samples were collected and tested, and 2 failed the test, accounting for a failure rate of 1.1%. Roadside examination was carried out on 501 vehicles and 167 were found incompliant, making up a failure rate of 33.3%. Furthermore, 1,536 vehicles were called for examinations as a result of visual screening, and 57 were summoned due to public reporting, 49 of which required examinations. As of Dec 31, 45 vehicles had gone through the required examination, and the reporting parties were responded. The performance of this project allows the effects of vehicle inspection encouragement, proper maintenance and further inspection, and scraping of old, obsolete vehicles. It is estimated that the emissions of TSP and PM10 were both reduced by 46.8 tons.
The effective control measures of Chiayi City over the diesel-fueled vehicles, including roadside examinations, allows the increased number of vehicles of high pollution potential being examined within a limited number of pulled-over vehicles for examinations over the years. Also, an array of electronic detection/examination equipment is added to improve the performance of diesel-fueled vehicle inspections, leaving vehicles of pollution no place to hide. As shown in the analysis data over the years, the examinations by pulling over vehicles at roadside provide the best result, and future focus will be on this practice. The execution of the project facilitated the gradual drop of pollutant emission, producing a negative net growth of pollution.
