Due to insufficient funding, testing equipment, and human resources, the regular inspection system for diesel vehicles has not been implemented, and it is not possible to comprehensively manage all diesel vehicles. At present, irregular inspections are carried out through visual smoke judgment, handling public reports, notifying diesel vehicles with potential pollution to undergo inspections, and conducting roadside inspections and investigations. It has been found that implementing vehicle maintenance and repairs is necessary to effectively improve vehicle pollution emissions.
As the city has the highest number of diesel vehicles in the country, indicating the heaviest pollution load from diesel vehicles, the Environmental Protection Bureau has selected 13 credible original equipment manufacturers or passenger fleet maintenance facilities since 2011. Since 2020, the accredited maintenance facilities have implemented a trial operation of regular diesel vehicle inspections and established a demonstration station for smoke emission testing, with vehicle maintenance as the main focus and inspection as a complementary work. In addition, car owners are guided to join the ranks of voluntary management. This project not only continues to support four demonstration stations for regular inspections but also adds one more (Xin Yong Automotive Enterprise Co., Ltd.) during the project execution period to promote the effective implementation of source reduction by enforcing the concept of regular inspections every year.
The implementation period of this project began on August 6, 2022, and ended on December 31, 2022. All work has been completed in accordance with the schedule. In terms of the quantified objectives of the project, the regular inspection demonstration operation plan was submitted on August 25, 2022; three sets of inspection equipment were leased and provided in rotation according to the contract; a total of 1,285 diesel vehicles underwent regular inspections, of which 1,000 were eligible for subsidies, and the inspection fees totaling NT$300,000 were subsidized. A total of 4,219 diesel vehicle regular inspection notices were sent out. Two management systems, including a license plate recognition information management system and a diesel vehicle smoke emission regular inspection management information system, were maintained and updated. At least one visit was made to each regular inspection demonstration station every month to check the inspection site, inspectors, smoke emission testing procedures, equipment calibration records, issuance of voluntary management stickers, and follow-up.
According to the statistical analysis of the various inspection demonstration stations, a total of 1,285 vehicles were inspected, with commercial towing trucks and self-use large trucks being the main types of vehicles inspected. The majority of the inspected vehicles, at 42.8%, were in their fifth inspection cycle. Furthermore, based on the tracking of this year's inspection targets and their previous emission testing records, it was found that nearly 30% of the vehicles had no inspection records. On the other hand, among the 917 vehicles that had previous inspection records, the light obscuration coefficient values measured during the execution of this project were lower than the values measured in previous years, indicating that encouraging diesel vehicles to participate in regular inspections through demonstration stations can effectively reduce diesel vehicle emissions.
The return rate of the periodic inspection notices sent was about 38.0%. Of these, 407 vehicles were inspected through the periodic inspection demonstration stations, and 1,197 vehicles were inspected at emission testing stations in this city or other counties/cities. Another 170 vehicles had undergone changes in status such as scrapping, surrendering, deregistration, or suspension of use. The questionnaire survey followed the same method as in 2021. For vehicles inspected at the periodic inspection demonstration stations, an electronic questionnaire survey with a QR code was provided after the inspection was completed. The staff at the demonstration stations assisted in scanning the QR code for the participants of the periodic inspection, and a total of 106 questionnaires on satisfaction and support for the implementation of the periodic inspection were collected. Most of the inspected subjects were satisfied with the inspection process and also support the cooperation between the Environmental Protection Bureau and maintenance stations to set up diesel vehicle inspection stations and promote the diesel vehicle inspection system. Most of them believe that "private authorized maintenance stations authorized by the Environmental Protection Bureau" should be the preferred choice for inspection locations in the future diesel vehicle inspection system, and they can accept a fee range of "NT$200-NT$400". Most of the inspected subjects suggested using "administrative document notification" as the method of notification for the inspection.
To comply with the Environmental Protection Administration's control strategy, our city officially implemented the "Phase One Air Quality Maintenance Zone" on February 5, 2022. Diesel buses and gasoline motorcycles that have been in use for over 5 years are subject to emissions inspections each year. According to the license plate recognition system analysis, the compliance rate for diesel buses has increased to 89.3% from the date of the official implementation on February 5, 2022, until December 31, 2022, while the compliance rate for motorcycles has reached 92.1%. To expand control over four scenic areas, a negotiating meeting was held on December 27th, 2022. The "Second Phase Air Quality Maintenance Zone" was designated in the Kaohsiung Port area and officially announced on October 20th, 2022. Diesel trucks and trailers that have been in service for more than five years must have a record of passing emission inspections within two years. According to the analysis of the license plate recognition system, vehicles from Phases 1-3 account for about 25.7%, with Phase 1-2 vehicles accounting for only 7.6%. Vehicles from Phase 4 and later make up the majority at 74.3%, with about 60% of those being from Phases 5-6, indicating that newer vehicle models with lower emissions are gradually increasing.
