The ERMES Group coordinates research on mobile emission sources in Europe. It brings together transport emission modellers, researchers, funding agencies, and industry representatives. ERMES aims to become a permanent network that coordinates research programs to improve transport emission inventories in Europe. Key activities include harmonizing emission measurement procedures, sharing emission data, overseeing leading vehicle emission models like COPERT and HBEFA, and prioritizing future research issues.

1. Overview of the European
Research Group on Mobile
Emission Sources (ERMES)
European Commission
DG Joint Research Centre
Institute for Energy and Transport

2. The ERMES Group
“European Research group on Mobile Emission Sources”
• European network that brings together transport emission
modellers and researchers, funding agencies, industry
representatives and other stakeholders
• Coordinated and partly funded by JRC
• Primary interface between modellers and EC
• First focus on road transport, others to follow

3. Aims of ERMES
• to become a permanent network of mobile emission
modellers and model users
• to coordinate research and measurement
programmes for the improvement of transport emission
inventories in Europe
• to become an international reference point for mobile
emissions modelling and related topics in Europe

4. ERMES research coordination
ERMES laboratories
Research
issues
list
•
•
•
•
1
2
3
(...)
Prioritized
Issues
•
•
•
•
Proposal
ERMES exec. board
2= High
1=
Medium
3= Low
(...)
Adjusted test
programmes
Do 2 (High
priority),
then 1
(Medium)...
Open discussion
(ERMES plenary)
ERMES contact group
Modellers
Emissions
data pool
Stakeholder needs

5. Structure of ERMES
Who...
Relevant DGs of
EC, Industry,
EEA, others
(annual plenary
meeting)
JRC, Member
States,
laboratories and
national experts
(periodic
meetings)
Reduced number
of experts
(frequent
contacts)
... does what
Contact
Group
WG on
models and
emission
factors
Review of emission factors,
demands/funding for future
research, reports on special
topics
Development of
models, emission
factors update
Executive
Board
Proposal of work
programme, progress
monitoring

6. ERMES executive board
M. Cristina Galassi
maria-cristina.galassi@ec.europa.eu
Stefan Hausberger
Mario Keller
- mario.keller@infras.ch
Leon Ntziachristos
Ake Sjodin
- Hausberger@ivt.tugraz.at
- leon@auth.gr
- ake.sjodin@ivl.se)
Norbert Ligterink
Heinz Steven
- norbert.ligterink (at) tno.nl
- Heinz.Steven@t-online.de

7. ERMES main focus
ERMES coordinates the research work and emissions
measurement programmes needed for the update of vehicle
emission models
•
Maintenance updates: needed to improve the coverage of newer vehicle
technologies (e.g. EURO 5/6 V/VI)
•
Methodological improvements: models are subject to periodic reviews
(e.g. evaporative emissions estimation methodology)
•
Long-term technological changes and environmental target monitoring
(e.g. alternative fuels, real-world CO2 emissions)

8. ERMES activity example
Harmonization and data sharing
Passenger car
Trucks
(Additional)
Roller
test bench
Engine
test bed
On-Board
measurement
s
(Real world)
driving cycles
ERMES work aims at
harmonizing the measurement
procedure across labs and
sharing data in a common format
NOx
Engine
power
Engine speed
Engine
maps
Source: INFRAS

9. ERMES activity example
Emission factors from LDV

10. ERMES activity example
Emission factors from HDV
Source: Technical University of Graz

11. ERMES activity example
Emission factors from busses
Source: Technical University of Graz

12. ERMES activity example
ESTO signal tool
•
creates engine emission
maps from transient chassis
dynamometer test data
•
compares the diluted mass
CO2 signal to instantaneous
FC and correction is applied
to other pollutants
•
Does not require ad hoc
experiments or periodical
calibration
•
Does not require a common
clock signal, flow measurements
or a temperature model
•
It is insensitive to changes in the
measurement setup
High
instantaneous
error
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

13. ERMES activity example
ERMES test cycle: a modelling cycle
•
Produces instantaneous engine data useful for engine mapping (better coverage of
operating points than NEDC)
•
Allows flexible planning for laboratories thanks to its short duration (~24 mins.)

14. Vehicle emission models
ERMES oversees the development of the leading vehicle
emission models in Europe such as:
• COPERT: main road transport emissions model of the
EMEP/EEA Atmospheric Emissions Inventory Guidebook,
used by several MS in official reporting of national emission
inventories
• HBEFA: Model of choice in DACH-S group of countries.
Developed by TU Graz and Infras
• VERSIT+: Model of choice in NL
Developed by TNO

15. Vehicle emission models usage in Europe
COPERT
HBEFA
Own model
COPERT-based

16. Model Characteristics
COPERT 4
HBEFA 3.1
VERSIT +
NEMO
PHEM
Geographical
scale
Broad
From street level up
From street level
up
From street level up
Single vehicle
to street level
Emission
factors
Based on
average speed
Based on traffic
situations
Based on traffic
situations (road
types, speed
limits, degrees of
congestion)
Based on
calculation of
driving resistance
for avg. traffic
situations
Based on
instantaneous
vehicle speed
trajectories and
engine emission
maps
Pollutants
Regulated +
Regulated + CO2,
FC, NO2, CH4, N2O,
NH3, SO2 and PN
Regulated, CO2,
NO2, PM2.5, EC,
PAH, PM wear
(tyre, brake,
road surface)
Regulated + CO2,
FC, NO2, CO2 and
PN
Regulated +
CO2, FC, NO2,
CO2 and PN
Inventories,
assessment of
measures (large
and medium
scale)
Inventories,
assessment of
measures (large
and medium
scale)
Inventories,
assessment of
measures (based
on road networks)
Calculation of
emission factors
for various
traffic
situations,
driving styles,
and vehicle
technologies
CO2, FC, CH4,
N2O, NH3, SO2,
heavy metals,
PAHs, POPs,
NMVOC
speciation
Typical
applications
Large scale
inventories
and
assessment
of measures

17. COPERT Approach
Emission factors from interpolation
of measurements as a function of
average speed
•
•
•
•
Straightforward and easy to
obtain at national level
Lacks sensitivity as
temporal/spatial resolution
increase
The methodology is describe in
the EEA emission guidebook
A single free software package
is available at www.emisia.com
Source: LAT

18. HBEFA Approach
•
•
•
Emission factors are the weighted
average of the PHEM model results
PHEM is calibrated on vehicle
measurements
PHEM runs for 276 individual traffic
situations classified by: road type;
Engine maps
PHEM model
Traffic situations
Emission factors
Engine map
Fuel
level of service; speed limit.
Engine
power
Engine
speed
• The Software is available at
www.hbefa.net
• Software database allows
selection of emission factors
Source:
INFRAS

19. VERSIT+ Approach
•
Velocity-and-acceleration based
•
Statistical analyses:
• sufficient data per vehicle
• sufficient vehicles per category
• no reliance on engine maps, etc.: data focussed
•
Shift towards on-road testing (PEMS) is in progress
• Euro-V HD emission factors based on PEMS since 2010
•
10+1 parameters per vehicle category (1 for cold start)
• 20 parameters for heavy duty (to cover payload)
•
Emission factors published for national usage, changes reported

20. Share your activities
Join the ERMES group
www.ermes-group.eu