10120804Evaporative emissions testing for tyres, and modelling effects on local air qualityClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKTyre emissions are an under-estimated and increasing source of pollution from vehicles. Emissions Analytics has built international expertise in the area, and continues to innovate and build a long-term competitive position. Studies of tyre emissions mostly focus on the release of particles through abrasion with the road surface - but that is not the only pollutant from tyres. This project aims to link chemicals 'evaporating' from tyres to air pollution formation, which should enable the development of commercial tools for the industry to engineer less polluting tyres, and contribute to wider social and healthcare benefits. Currently, there is no standard method explicitly to measure this 'off-gassing' of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from tyres. Petrol/gasoline-powered vehicles are subject to an 'evaporative emissions' test in a climatic chamber as part of certification, but this focuses on evaporation from the fuel tank. As there is no standardised measure, the contribution of VOCs released from tyres is not generally factored into existing air quality models. This modelling gap is becoming an increasing problem because it may be leading to persistent air quality problems being incorrectly attributed to, for example, high nitrogen dioxide concentrations. At the same time, as vehicles are becoming bigger and heavier, so too are the tyres, and bigger tyres have a greater surface area and off-gas more VOCs. Therefore, there is a gap in knowledge and the available tools for industry and regulators to develop low-emitting tyre products. Emissions Analytics aims to fill this gap and further build its position in the market. If this challenge is successfully solved, two services would be launched. First, a standardised test methodology would be codified to allow validation of tyre products and benchmark competitive performance. It would also give a tool to manage reputational risk. Second, a software product would be developed to forecast ozone and aerosol formation at the fleet level, by modelling traffic flow and combining with the derived tyre emissions factors. Longer-term, by improving emissions inventories and developing a set of tools around tyre emissions, it would help authorities develop the best approaches to future regulation. This could lead to quality of life benefits, especially in cities, and mitigate the reduced life expectancy caused by pollution. Therefore, this project offers a combination of private profit opportunity and social benefit.