Fleet average NOx standards and reporting requirements for light-duty vehicles: chapter 2

Chapter 2: General Scope of Fleet Average Nox Requirements

• 2.1 In brief, what are the main elements of the fleet average NO_x requirements?
• 2.2 Who is required to comply with the fleet average NO_x requirements of the Regulations, including the requirements for end-of-model-year reporting?
• 2.3 Do the fleet average NO_x requirements apply to all classes of on-road vehicles manufactured or imported by a company?

2.1 In brief, what are the main elements of the fleet average NO_x requirements?

Emission standards based on fleet averaging give companies the flexibility of certifying models of vehicles of a given class to different standards within a given model year provided that, based on the actual number of vehicles in the fleet, the average emissions of the fleet of vehicles meet specified limits. The On-Road Vehicle and Engine Emission Regulations contain fleet average NO_x standards for certain classes of vehicles.

The main elements of the Regulations associated with the fleet average NO_x requirements include:

• the fleet average NO_x standards;
• the calculation of the fleet average NO_x values;
• the generation of NO_x emission credits and deficits;
• the election, by the company, to exclude certain vehicles from the fleet average NO_x standards;
• the submission, by the company, of end-of-model-year reports; and
• the retention, by the company, of various associated records.

2.2 Who is required to comply with the fleet average NO_x requirements of the Regulations, including the requirements for end-of-model-year reporting?

The fleet average NO_x requirements apply to companies in respect of their fleets of light-duty vehicles, light-duty trucks and medium-duty passenger vehicles.

Pursuant to the definition in section 149 of CEPA 1999, a "company" means "a person who:

1. is engaged in the business of manufacturing vehicles, engines or equipment in Canada;
2. is engaged in the business of selling to other persons, for the purpose of resale by those persons, vehicles, engines or equipment obtained directly from a person described in paragraph (a) or the agent of such person; or
3. imports any vehicle, engine or equipment into Canada for the purpose of sale."

As indicated in section 20 of the On-Road Vehicle and Engine Emission Regulations, "fleet" refers only to "vehicles of a specific model year that a company manufactures in Canada, or imports into Canada, for the purpose of sale of those vehicles to the first retail purchaser."

2.3 Do the fleet average NO_x requirements apply to all classes of on-road vehicles manufactured or imported by a company?

No. Pursuant to sections 22 and 23 of the Regulations, the fleet average NO_x requirements apply only to a company's fleets of light-duty vehicles, light-duty trucks and medium-duty passenger vehicles of the 2004 model year and subsequent model years. The terms "light-duty vehicles," "light-duty trucks" and "medium-duty passenger vehicles" are defined in section 1 of the Regulations.