Sustainability-Oriented Assessment of Passenger Car Emissions in Relation to Euro Standards Using the ECE-15 Driving Cycle

Saugirdas Pukalskas (), Dominik Adamaitis, Dainius Paliulis and Šarūnas Mikaliūnas
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Saugirdas Pukalskas: Department of Automobile Engineering, Faculty of Transport Engineering, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Plytinės g. 27A, 10105 Vilnius, Lithuania
Dominik Adamaitis: Department of Automobile Engineering, Faculty of Transport Engineering, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Plytinės g. 27A, 10105 Vilnius, Lithuania
Dainius Paliulis: Department of Environment Protection and Water Engineering, Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Saulėtekio al. 11, 10223 Vilnius, Lithuania
Šarūnas Mikaliūnas: Department of Automobile Engineering, Faculty of Transport Engineering, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Plytinės g. 27A, 10105 Vilnius, Lithuania

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-18

Abstract: This study introduces an original sustainability-oriented methodology for calculating pollutant emissions (g/km) based on the ECE-15 driving cycle, aimed at evaluating passenger car compliance with various Euro emission standards. Four vehicles—two diesel and two gasoline-powered—representing Euro 4 to Euro 6 categories, respectively, were tested under controlled laboratory conditions. CO, HC, NO x , and CO 2 emissions were measured and analyzed using the developed method. The Euro 4 Nissan Qashqai+2 exceeded the CO limit by 2.07 times, while NO x and HC emissions were below the threshold by 1.46 and 50%, respectively. CO 2 exceeded the limit by only 6.2%. The Euro 5 Nissan Qashqai showed extremely low CO and HC levels—33 and 333 times below the limit—but exceeded NO x by 1.32 times, with CO 2 emissions 62.8% above the target. Both Euro 6 vehicles (VW Passat) exhibited undetectable CO emissions, HC levels under 2% of the limit, and NO x reduced by 3.81 to 15 times. However, their CO 2 emissions remained elevated, at 2.9% and 51.4% above the standard, respectively. The results confirm the effectiveness of modern emission control technologies, while also highlighting that CO 2 remains a major challenge, particularly for powerful gasoline vehicles.

Keywords: sustainable mobility; euro emission standards; ECE-15 driving cycle; calculation methodology; passenger car emissions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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