Real-world driving speciated VOC hot start emissions of the 2001 French passenger car fleet

A 25 passenger cars sample was selected on the basis of a 2001 year French fleet prediction. Various types of vehicle technologies, i.e. diesel and petrol cars both equipped with or without catalyst, were tested on a chassis dynamometer with constant volume sampling for regulated emissions and individual Volatile Organic Compounds determination. A particular emphasis has been placed on toxic and/or photochemically reactive compounds such as benzene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and 1,3-butadiene. Driving cycles do not seem to influence volatile organic compounds composition for a specific non-catalyst car either petrol or diesel. On the other hand, strong variations were observed for catalyst cars. Carbonyl compounds represent the major part of diesel hydrocarbon emissions (approximately 30% w/w) but only a minor portion for petrol cars (approximately 5% w/w). Catalyst diesel and three-way-catalyst petrol cars total hydrocarbons mass emissions were the lowest and about 40 times lower than conventional petrol cars.