Krakow remote emission sensing measurement campaign successfully completed

CARES researchers recently completed a remote emission sensing campaign in Krakow, Poland. The three-week campaign successfully measured various pollutant emissions from more than 100,000 vehicles, while collecting such data as vehicle age and euro standards to measure the impact specific vehicle groups have on the air quality in the city. The campaign was led by CARES partner Krakowski Alarm Smogowy and the Krakow Public Transport Authority, with support from the ICCT and IVL. The testing was carried out by Graz University of Technology, Technical University of Prague, OPUS RSE, and Turbospec, supported by additional instruments from Airyx and TNO.

Within the scope of the measurement campaign, researchers tested newly developed low-cost remote emission sensors. These were collocated with commercial remote-sensing systems to evaluate the benefits of combining various remote emission sensing techniques.

Analysis of the data, which will be performed next year, will allow for the assessment of real-world vehicle emissions, considering different fuels (e.g., diesel and petrol), emission standards, vehicle age, vehicle makes and models, etc. In addition, the analysis will aim at differentiating emissions by use profiles, such as buses, taxis, and private cars. Finally, the data will be compared to a previous remote sensing campaign carried out in the city in 2019 to assess if there has been an improvement in vehicle emission reductions over the past several years.

The findings of the remote emissions sensing campaign can be used to inform the design of a new Clean Transport Zone in the city, the establishment of which is required by the Polish Air Protection Program. By identifying high-emitting groups of vehicles, the research can help policymakers to set measures which maximize improvements in air quality.