CHINA’S FIGHT AGAINST

DIESEL EMISSIONS
Past, present, and future

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 1 INTRODUCTION 3 APPROACH

Diesel vehicles are only about 9 % of the on-road fleet in China but
are estimated to be the country’s largest on-road source of
nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions. Indeed,
in 2021, diesel vehicles were responsible for 88.3 % of vehicle NOx
emissions and 99 % of vehicle PM emissions in China. This brochure is
a synopsis of ICCT’s work on diesel emission control in China. Please
visit our website for more details: https://theicct.org/region/china.
There are eight key components in China’s diesel pollution strategies:
laws and legislation, new vehicle and engine standards, vehicle
emission compliance and enforcement, in-use vehicle and engine
programs, diesel fuel programs, advanced technology programs,
greenhouse gas (GHG) regulations, and transportation management.

New vehicle and engine standards

– Heavy-duty diesel engine and
vehicle emissions standards
– Off-road machinery diesel engine
emissions standards

2 ACHIEVEMENTS
– Marine engine emissions standards

Laws and legislations In-use vehicle and engine programs

– Clean Air Law – In-use diesel fleet regulations
– Environmental protection FYP – In-use emission inspection
– National actions plans – In-use diesel engine programs
In winter 2013, severe smoggy haze swept across China. It became
known as the “airpocolypse” and triggered widespread attention
on air pollution. In response, the China State Council issued the Air
Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan. Additionally, in 2019, Transportation management Diesel fuel programs
the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and nine other agencies – Freight modal shift Clean Diesel – Diesel fuel standards
– Low / zero-emission zone
published the Action Plan for the Battle Against Diesel Truck
– Green freight zone Strategies – Non-road diesel standards
– Alternative diesel fuel program
Pollution and it contained a specific target of controlling emissions – Marine diesel
from diesel vehicles and engines. – Fuel quality compliance program

GHG regulation and programs

-43 μg/m 3
The national average PM2.5 concentra-
tion more than halved from 72 μg/m3
in 2013 to 29 μg/m3 in 2022.
3.5 M – New vehicle and engine
fuel consumption standards
– In-use GHG programs
Vehicle emission compliance
and enforcement
– In-use PEMS testing since China V
– Conformity of production
A total of 3.5 million pre-China IV Advanced technology programs – In-use compliance testing
– Natural gas vehicles – Emission warranty
diesel vehicles have been promotion policy – Recall and enforcement
phased out. – New energy vehicles
– Zero-emission non-road
machinery

NOx PM2.5
Figure 1

470,000 -14 % -23 % Key components

470,000 new energy heavy-duty
vehicles (HDVs) and light trucks
were sold in China from 2018 to 2020.
in China’s diesel
Compared to levels in 2018, the NOx pollution strategies
and PM2.5 from diesel vehicles
and engines were reduced by 14 %
and 23 %, respectively, in 2020.

1 CHINA’S FIGHT AGAINST DIESEL EMISSIONS: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE CHINA’S FIGHT AGAINST DIESEL EMISSIONS: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE 2
 National Environmental New Ministry of New Ministry of
Protection Agency founded Environment Protection Ecology and Environment

Beijing Emission labeling

implemented Yellow label scrappage
Euro I NEV subsidy

New Clean Air Law:

Penalties added;
gave NEPA authority New Clean Air Law:
to establish emission Ten principles Gave MEP clear authority to
First Clean Air Law standards for Clean Air enforce emission standards

Inspection and New I/M standards

maintenance program for vehicles

Fuel consumption standard

Stage I Stage II Stage III

2000

2009
2008
2005

2014

2016
1999

2018
1988

2012

2021
2013
1987

Taking off Rapid Focus on key issues Innovation

development
1983

2001

2002

2004

2008

2010

2011

2013

2014

2015

2017

2018

2019

2021

2022
HDV First diesel vehicle China I China II China III China IV China V China VI
emission standard

Diesel fuel China I China III China IV China V China VI

Non-road China I China II China III China IV

Figure 2 In-use vehicle standards:

OBD, PEMS and remote
Historical evolution
sensing
of China’s actions to
address pollution
from diesel vehicles / First in-use non-road
engines emission standard

Marine engine
China I

3 CHINA’S FIGHT AGAINST DIESEL EMISSIONS: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE CHINA’S FIGHT AGAINST DIESEL EMISSIONS: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE 4
 China recently launched world-leading Emissions from high polluting in-use vehicles
vehicle emission standards have been significantly reduced

For heavy-duty diesel vehicles, China VI-a has been implemented Old vehicles are a small share of the HDV fleet but are responsible
nationwide since July 2021 and China VI-b will be implemented for a significant share of vehicle emissions. From 2018 to 2020,
starting in July 2023. China VI-a is largely equivalent to Euro VI, and a total of 3.5 million pre-China IV diesel HDVs were phased out.
China VI-b introduces slightly more stringent testing requirements In 2013, pre China-IV HDVs were responsible for 71 % of the PM
and a remote emission monitoring system. Specifically, the NOx limit emissions from all HDVs. In 2020, this number was much lower, 39 %.
in China VI for laboratory tests is reduced by 77 % compared to the
China V HDV standard; full vehicle portable emission measurement
system testing is adopted; and on-board diagnostic system and China V
4 %
anti-tampering provisions are improved based on U.S. requirements. Pre-China IV China V Pre-China IV
71 % 13 % 39 %
The China VI emission standard requires a number of regulatory China IV
25 %
tests, some run by regulatory agencies and some run by manufac­ PM PM
turers. Tests apply both to vehicle prototypes and throughout 2018 2020
a vehicle’s useful life. Manufacturers are also required to provide a
warranty for a number of emission control components in their
new vehicles for a minimum distance driven or minimum time after China IV
sale. For the first time in any HDV regulation in the world, China VI 48 %
requires HDVs to be equipped with an on-board remote emissions
Figure 4
monitoring system. This system is valuable for improving in-use
compliance and improving the effectiveness of future inspection and PM emissions from
maintenance programs. HDVs in China by
emission standard in
For non-road machinery, China is implementing the China IV non- 2018 and 2020
road mobile machinery emission standard. The standard follows
the path of the latest regulations in Europe, Stage V, and further
tightens the emission requirements for gaseous pollutants and To identify and mitigate emissions from high-emitting vehicles,
PM from non-road diesel engines. For marine engines, the Phase II China has established a vehicle emissions inspection and mainte-
national emission standard for marine engines used in domestic nance program and a closed-loop information sharing platform.
shipping took effect in July 2021. China is also utilizing remote sensing for identifying high-emitting
vehicles. By 2021, a total of 2,590 remote sensing stations had
been established, connected to the national platform and transfer-
ring data.

Data processing &

video display
Figure 3
NOx emission
limits of China V Video camera & Speed & acceleration Source & detector
license plate reader detector module
and China VI HDV
emission standard

NOx emission limit

2 g/kWh

Lateral transfer
China V 0.46 g/kWh China VI mirror

Figure 5
Vehicle emission
remote sensing
system

5 CHINA’S FIGHT AGAINST DIESEL EMISSIONS: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE CHINA’S FIGHT AGAINST DIESEL EMISSIONS: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE 6
 Use of new energy HDVs is growing because
of environmental policies
The Action Plan for the Battle Against Diesel Truck Pollution re-
quires using the cleanest trucks available in the market, including
new energy trucks in heavy-polluting industrial sectors. This
has primarily driven the development of the market for new energy
heavy trucks such as tractors and dump trucks in regions where
such heavy-polluting industries are presented. For example, areas
in and around the Jing-Jin-Ji region (Hebei, Henan, Shanxi,
and Shandong provinces, Beijing and Tianjin) deployed the highest
number of new energy dump trucks and tractor trucks in 2021.
Notably, Hebei province, China's leading steel province, had a wide
lead over the other subnational markets by deploying almost
52% of the total national sales of these two types of new energy
trucks in 2021.
Now, China also encourages the application of new energy technolo-
gies such as battery electric power and fuel cells in non-road mobile
machinery and marine ships.
91.6 %
China is leading the world in the
production and application of battery
electric and fuel cell electric buses
and trucks, with 91.6 % of the world’s
total electric HDVs sold in China
in 2021.
4 PROPOSED NEXT STEPS
Today’s China is still facing challenges. The air quality improvement
in key areas remains unstable, and heavy-polluted days in autumn
and winter are still frequent. In recent years, ozone pollution has also
become a problem in major Chinese cities. In addition, the CO2
emissions of diesel vehicles is currently controlled indirectly and
through an independent standard. Because of this, GHG emissions
from the transportation sector are not regulated in coordination
with pollutant emissions. To help address these issues, we propose
the following set of policies.
7 CHINA’S FIGHT AGAINST DIESEL EMISSIONS: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE
NEW DIESEL VEHICLES
Tighten emission standards for new diesel vehicles /engines
Reduce the NOx emission limit in China’s next phase of the diesel
vehicle emission standard by 90 % and reduce the PM emission
limit by 50 %.
COMPLIANCE
Strengthen compliance supervision
The China VI emission standard and the I/M regulation have been
adopted nationwide, and the key step now is to implement
them effectively such that the nationwide compliance rate is high.
The application of a variety of new technologies including remote
sensing monitoring and remote OBD should be strengthened
to identify emission tampering and improve the effectiveness of
emission standard compliance supervision.
OLD VEHICLES
Accelerate the phase-out of old motor vehicles, non-road
machinery, and ships
Continue to accelerate the phase-out of China III and IV diesel
trucks. Phase out China IV and earlier diesel trucks in key regions by
2025, and completely phase out China III diesel trucks in other
regions. Phase out all China I and earlier non-road machinery by
2025.
GREENHOUSE GAS
Integrate control of greenhouse gas and criteria air pollutant
emissions
Formulate vehicle GHG emission limits and then incorporate GHG
emission standards into the next stage of HDV emission standards
and include them in the scope of vehicle emission compliance
supervision.
ZERO-EMISSION VEHICLES
Develop targets and incentive policies to promote zero-emission
vehicles/engines
Key regions should research and develop innovative policy tools to
help achieve the goal of electrification of HDVs and non-road
machineries, such as pilots of zero-emission logistics parks, urban
vehicle zero-emission zones, and non-road zero-emission zones.
Also, key regions should consider promoting the development of
hydrogen fuel cell HDVs. In terms of zero-emission of ships, it is
recommended to formulate zero-emission targets for specific ship
types that are the easiest to electrify, including tugboats, govern-
ment law enforcement ships, and small passenger ships, and develop
incentives for electrification of vessels.
CHINA’S FIGHT AGAINST DIESEL EMISSIONS: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE 8
 5 EMISSIONS REDUCTION
POTENTIAL OF THE PROPOSED
NEXT STEPS
According to ICCT’s modeling, the proposed policies can bring
significant emissions reduction benefits that will improve local air
quality and public health. Compared to 2020, the proposed
policies are expected to bring a 77 % reduction in NOx emissions,
73 % reduction in PM emissions, and 36 % reduction in tank-to-
wheel (TTW) GHG emissions in 2035.
ABOUT ICCT
Founded in 2001, the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT)
is an award-winning, independent, global, non-profit research organization
that provides data-driven research to advance policies that reduce the
health and environmental impacts of the transportation sector. ICCT pro-
vides first-rate, unbiased research and technical and scientific analysis
to environmental regulators.
We have more than 100 talented researchers and operations staff with
offices in Washington D. C ., San Francisco, Berlin, Beijing, and São Paulo.

In the last five years alone, we have worked successfully with regulators
and lawmakers around the world and have played a significant role in
48 distinct regulations and policies. Together, these efforts are projected
12% to result in billions of tons of carbon dioxide reductions and prevent
TTW CO2eq thousands of premature deaths over the next decade and beyond.
NOx emission PM emission emission
The ICCT has supported clean transportation policies in China for over
2020 2020 2020
a decade. Since the mid-2000s, the ICCT has led and implemented
numerous independent studies aiming at phasing in ultra-low sulfur fuel
and cleanest emissions and efficiency standards for cars, trucks and
other mobile equipment. Our recent research work provided strong sup-
17%
port in the development of the China VI vehicle emission standard,
22% making China one of the leading regions in new-vehicle emission control.
Adopted policies
in 2035

36%

Berlin

73%
Beijing
San Francisco Washington, DC

77%
(headquarters)
India
Mexico Vietnam

Figure 6 Colombia
Proposed policies
in 2035 NOx, PM, and TTW Indonesia
CO2eq emission
reduction under the
São Paulo
adopted policies
Proposed policies scenario and
Adopted policies proposed policies
scenario by policy
category
= consultant locations
(2020–2035)

9 CHINA’S FIGHT AGAINST DIESEL EMISSIONS: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE CHINA’S FIGHT AGAINST DIESEL EMISSIONS: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE 10