(a) General test vehicle requirements.

(1) All test vehicles shall be tested in the proper configurations as specified in §86.1822-01, §86.1828-01, or §86.1842-01, as applicable for the type of test conducted.

(2) Components affecting emissions which are used to build test vehicles shall either be randomly selected production parts or parts verified to be in the middle 50 percent of the tolerance range. The manufacturer will determine which components affect emissions using good engineering judgment.

(3) Test vehicles must have air conditioning installed and operational if that configuration is available with air conditioning. Optional equipment must be installed or represented on test vehicles according to the provisions of §86.1832-01.

(4) Test vehicles must receive proper scheduled maintenance as established by the manufacturer according to the provisions of §86.1834-01(b) or (c). Unscheduled maintenance must be approved under the provisions of §86.1834-01(d).

(5) Vehicle mileage shall be accumulated in accordance with §86.1831-01.

(6) The road load forces and equivalent test weight used during testing will be determined according to the provisions of §86.129-00.

(7) Test vehicles shall have the appropriate emission testing hardware installed (e.g., exhaust pipe testing flange, fuel tank drain, access ports to evaporative canisters, and fuel tank heat blanket) and shall have tires with appropriate tire wear.

(b) Special provisions for durability data vehicles.

(1) For DDV's, the mileage at all test points shall be within 250 miles of the scheduled mileage point as required under §86.1823-08(c)(3). Manufacturers may exceed the 250 mile upper limit if there are logistical reasons for the deviation and the manufacturer determines that the deviation will not affect the representativeness of the durability demonstration.

(2) For DDV's aged using the standard or a customized/alternative whole-vehicle cycle, all emission-related hardware and software must be installed and operational during all mileage accumulation after the 5000-mile test point.

(3) DDV's may be reconfigured before the 5000-mile test point providing that the representativeness of the emission results will not be affected. Manufacturers shall use good engineering judgment in making such determinations.

(c) Special provisions for emission data vehicles.

(1) All EDV's shall have at least the minimum number of miles accumulated to achieve stabilized emission results according to the provisions of §86.1831-01(c).

(2) Within a durability group, the manufacturer may alter any emission data vehicle (or other vehicles such as current or previous model year emission data vehicles, running change vehicles, fuel economy data vehicles, and development vehicles) in lieu of building a new test vehicle providing that the modification will not impact the representativeness of the vehicle's test results. Manufacturers shall use good engineering judgment in making such determinations. Development vehicles which were used to develop the calibration selected for emission data testing may not be used as the EDV for that configuration. Vehicles from outside the durability group may be altered with advance approval of the Administrator.

(3) Components used to reconfigure EDV's under the provisions of paragraph (c)(2) of this section must be appropriately aged if necessary to achieve representative emission results. Manufacturers must determine the need for component aging and the type and amount of aging required using good engineering judgment.

(4) Bench-aged hardware may be installed on an EDV for emission testing as a method of determining certification levels (projected emission levels at full or intermediate useful life) using bench aging procedures under the provisions of §86.1823.

[64 FR 23925, May 4, 1999, as amended at 71 FR 2836, Jan. 17, 2006]