Overview

Assistance to Air Pollution Control Agencies

Regulatory and Strategic Analysis

Public Health Analysis

Energy Facility Licensing

Permitting Support

Compliance Support

Litigation Support

Vehicle & Engine Certification Assistance

Greenhouse Gas Assistance

  - Mobile Source Emissions

  - Stationary Source Emissions

Emission Testing Facilities

I/M Support Services

Modeling Capabilities & Data Analysis

Questions regarding Greenhouse Gas Assistance?

• Analysis of vehicle fuel economy technology and the development of fuel economy test procedures since before the inception of the federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program in model year 1977.

• Evaluation of driving patterns in customer service obtained through the operation of specially instrumented vehicles equipped to record the speed-time profile of other vehicles using laser technology.

• Development of test procedures, based on customer service driving patterns, for characterizing emissions from passenger cars and light trucks.

• Use of Sierra’s VEHSIM vehicle simulation model to accurately estimate changes in GHG emissions and fuel economy due to changes in traffic congestion or speed limits.  The VEHSIM model is also capable of accurately estimating the effect of a wide range of vehicle design changes on the fuel economy and GHG emissions of cars and trucks.

• Engine and motor vehicle certification assistance to manufacturers who must certify their products with the USEPA and CARB.

• Emission control measure development for mobile sources, including Transportation Control Measures (TCMs) and vehicle inspection and maintenance (I/M) programs.

• Development of vehicle instrumentation packages for on-road testing, including computerized systems for measuring and recording exhaust emissions, roadway speed, and roadway grade.  A vehicle-mounted laser rangefinder system is available for recording the speed of other vehicles traveling on the same roadway.

• Vehicle emissions testing using Sierra’s chassis dynamometer test facility.  In addition to the Federal Test Procedure (FTP) for light-duty vehicles, the facility is used for measuring emissions using a wide range of I/M test procedures, the "Unified" driving cycle used by CARB for emissions inventory purposes, and custom driving cycles representing specific in-use conditions.  Both modal and bag sampling is performed.

• Lifecycle analysis (LCA) of transportation fuels, including preparation and critical reviews of "well to wheels" assessments.