Startup and Idle Emissions Analysis of a 2009 VW Jetta Using PEMS SemtechD

A 2009 Volkswagen Jetta was tested using a Portable Emissions Measurement System (PEMS) SemtechD emissions analyzer to determine when the emissions and fuel consumption will be the smallest in regards to startup vs. idle emissions. An idle time equivalent was calculated to determine when idle emissions became equal to startup emissions at four different ambient temperatures for a cold start. The mass of Total Hydrocarbons (THC) emitted limited the idle time equivalent to less than the startup time for all ambient temperatures. The temperature of the Catalytic Converter (CC) was monitored to determine how quickly the car cools down and therefore, how beneficial it is to turn the car off after a certain time period. For the temperature range tested, it was more beneficial for reduced emissions to turn off the car compared to idling by a factor of at least four. The data suggests a trend that idling would never be the best option; however, more testing needs to be done with a greater range of CC cool down temperatures to confirm this initial assessment.