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The influence of fuel sulphur content on the exhaust emissions of sixteen European vehicles was assessed as part of the EUROPEAN PROGRAMME on EMISSIONS, FUELS and ENGINE TECHNOLOGIES (EPEFE). This programme was jointly carried out by the European automotive (ACEA) and the oil (EUROPIA) industries. By reducing fuel sulphur content from the highest to the lowest sulphur levels tested, 382 ppm to 18 ppm, fleet average emissions in term of CO, HC, and NOx were reduced by approximately 10%. The response was generally linear, allowing good predictive models to be developed. The magnitude of the sulphur effects depended strongly on vehicle technology used. In particular, palladium (Pd) based catalyst vehicles were found to be more sensitive than vehicles fitted with platinum/rhodium (Pt/Rh) only based catalysts.

The European Programme on EMISSIONS, FUELS and ENGINE TECHNOLOGIES (EPEFE) was conceived to investigate the impact on emissions of changing fuel composition for the use in future engines/vehicles meeting at least the 1996 European Emission Limits. Participating members of the European car constructors association, ACEA provided the largest vehicle/engine fleet ever tested in an European emissions programme. The most important criteria was to provide vehicles which would span the emission range within the new EC limits to ensure that representative emissions of the future car parc are provided for use in the Auto Oil Air Quality model. In this paper the broad range of 16 gasoline- and 19 diesel vehicles as well as five heavy duty engines their technology and their exhaust emission control devices are introduced and discussed.