Diesel engines are extensively used in passenger and cargo transportation vehicles and military and engineering machines. The dark smoke emitted is not only a discomfort to see, but also very harmful to human health. For better control, the key to improve air quality is to promote proper inspection and maintenance practice on vehicles in use in addition to stricter inspection regulations on new vehicles.
For this program, vehicles suspended of producing pollution were filtered out by visual inspections and reporting of good citizens, and tested for emission using dynamometer. Vehicles that failed the test were punished and asked for a second test as part of the efforts for unification of inspection and maintenance. Also, tests were carried out on gas stations, fuel reservoirs and vehicles going thorough emission test for sulfur content in fuel in order to determine whether illegal fuel was used.
Besides, in the vehicles operating in-situ noise gauging part, apart from following EPA’s (Environmental Protection Administration) Noise Enforcement project, we also cooperate with regional policemen to perform nighttime anti-racing mission; in this year, idling-stop audit/patrol operation is included into our jobs in line with Motor Vehicle Parking and Idling Management Regulations EPA announced. We patrol and promote the ideas to idling-stop vehicles under the area we control.
From 2013/Feb./22nd to 2013/Dec./16th, the diesel vehicle dynamometer testing project had been testing 2,674 vehicles. There were 42 vehicles, taking 1.6%, failed to pass exhaust test. As for the diesel sampling, among the 180 samples, 3 items failed to pass the examination, also taking 1.7%. Among the 515 vehicles stopped to get roadside pull-over emission inspection, 158 failed to pass the inspection, taking 30.7%. In addition, to the emission visual identification for smoky diesel vehicle, currently, among the 1,029 receiving information, up to 977 completed inspection. For the motor vehicle noise detection, 31 of the 299 vehicles failed to pass detection, taking 10.4%. As for the 29 cases from civil reporters we accepted, 17 vehicles were informed to undertake inspection; until Dec. 16th, 16 of them completed inspection. We also replied this result to reporters. For the promotion of diesel vehicle self-management certification mark, there were 1,760 vehicles in total attended self-management vehicle inspection of this city in this year. After inspection, 353 certificates were issued to the standard vehicle getting the 5th level in national self-management classification until now. Besides, 1,063 vehicles were stopped during idling-stop audit/patrol operation, among which, 215 vehicles were billed (inc. 159 vehicles and 56 diesel vehicles).
A diesel vehicles promotion briefing was held on this May 24th; also, another inspection/maintenance forum was held in EPA’s 1st conference room on Sep. 24th; other types of brochures, promotional leaflets and idling-stop billboards were produced and erected; the relative coordination and promotion of Air Quality Management District in Chiayi Bus Station was also carried out according to every stage’s job content planned in advance. 100% of the 303 buses belonging to a variety of owners, which drives in and out of the station, completed their inspection and acquired self-management marks.
In this August, the diesel vehicle exhaust inspection stations in our city accepted EPA’s annual inspection station examination and got grade A honor, which represented praise from committee members.
