Comparison of vehicle emissions by EMFAC-HK model and tunnel measurement in Hong Kong

On-road vehicular emissions were measured in a Hong Kong roadway tunnel and compared to those from a mobile emission model (EMFAC-HK) for the 2003 and 2015 fleets to assess emission changes and effectiveness of emission controls. EMFAC-HK results compared well with tunnel measurement for the 2015 fleet with differences ≤50% for most pollutants. Both measurement and modeled estimates show that non-methane hydrocarbon (NMHC) and PM2.5 decreased by over 40% from 2003 to 2015. Tunnel measurements also show that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) -related NMHC emissions increased due to expanded installation of diesel oxidation catalysts and LPG fueling. Motorcycles and LPG-fueled public light buses (3.7% of the fleet) contributed disproportionally high fractions of carbon monoxide (CO; 27%) and NMHC (49%) and deserve additional emission controls. Fuel economy improvements did not result in expected carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reductions, indicating that more aggressive CO2 reductions, particularly from heavy-duty vehicles, are needed.