Impacts of Extreme Ambient Temperatures and Road Gradient on Energy Consumption and CO 2 Emissions of a Euro 6d-Temp Gasoline Vehicle

The EU aims to substantially reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in the following decades and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Better CO 2 estimates, particularly in urban conditions, are necessary for assessing the effectiveness of various regional policy strategies. In this study, we measured the CO 2 emissions of a Euro 6d-temp gasoline direct injection (GDI) vehicle with a three-way catalyst (TWC) and a gasoline particulate filter (GPF) at ambient temperatures from −30 °C up to 50 °C with the air-conditioning on. The tests took place both on the road and in the laboratory, over cycles simulating congested urban traffic, dynamic driving, and uphill driving towing a trailer at 85% of the maximum payloads of both the car and the trailer. The CO 2 values varied over a wide range depending on the temperature and driving conditions. Vehicle simulation was used to quantify the effect of ambient temperature, vehicle weight and road grade on the CO 2 emissions. The results showed that vehicle energy demand was significantly increased under the test conditions. In urban trips, compared to the baseline at 23 °C, the CO 2 emissions were 9–20% higher at −10 °C, 30–44% higher at −30 °C, and 37–43% higher at 50 °C. Uphill driving with a trailer had 2–3 times higher CO 2 emissions. In motorway trips at 50 °C, CO 2 emissions increased by 13–19%. The results of this study can help in better quantification of CO 2 and fuel consumption under extreme conditions. Additional analysis on the occurrence of such conditions in real-world operation is advisable.