(a) Exhaust standards for light-duty vehicles and certain light-duty trucks
The standards set forth in this subsection shall apply in the case of clean-fuel vehicles which are light-duty trucks of up to 6,000 lbs. gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr) (but not including light-duty trucks of more than 3,750 lbs. loaded vehicle weight (lvw)) or light-duty vehicles:

(1) Phase I
Beginning with model year 1996, for the air pollutants specified in the following table, the clean-fuel vehicle standards under this section shall provide that vehicle exhaust emissions shall not exceed the levels specified in the following table:

Open Table
Phase I Clean Fuel Vehicle Emission Standards for Light-Duty Trucks of up to 3,750 Lbs. LVW and up to 6,000 Lbs. GVWR and Light-Duty Vehicles
Pollutant NMOG CO NOx PM HCHO (formaldehyde)
50,000 mile standard 0.125 3.4 0.4 0.015
100,000 mile standard 0.156 4.2 0.6 0.08* 0.018

Standards are expressed in grams per mile (gpm).

*Standards for particulates (PM) shall apply only to diesel-fueled vehicles.

In the case of the 50,000 mile standards and the 100,000 mile standards, for purposes of certification, the applicable useful life shall be 50,000 miles or 100,000 miles, respectively.

(2) Phase II
Beginning with model year 2001, for air pollutants specified in the following table, the clean-fuel vehicle standards under this section shall provide that vehicle exhaust emissions shall not exceed the levels specified in the following table.

Open Table
Phase II Clean Fuel Vehicle Emission Standards for Light-Duty Trucks of up to 3,750 Lbs. LVW and up to 6,000 Lbs. GVWR and Light-Duty Vehicles
Pollutant NMOG CO NOx PM* HCHO (formaldehyde)
50,000 mile standard 0.075 3.4 0.2 0.015
100,000 mile standard 0.090 4.2 0.3 0.08 0.018

Standards are expressed in grams per mile (gpm).

*Standards for particulates (PM) shall apply only to diesel-fueled vehicles.

In the case of the 50,000 mile standards and the 100,000 mile standards, for purposes of certification, the applicable useful life shall be 50,000 miles or 100,000 miles, respectively.

(b) Exhaust standards for light-duty trucks of more than 3,750 lbs. LVW and up to 5,750 lbs. LVW and up to 6,000 lbs. GVWR
The standards set forth in this paragraph 1 shall apply in the case of clean-fuel vehicles which are light-duty trucks of more than 3,750 lbs. loaded vehicle weight (lvw) but not more than 5,750 lbs. lvw and not more than 6,000 lbs. gross weight rating (GVWR):

(1) Phase I
Beginning with model year 1996, for the air pollutants specified in the following table, the clean-fuel vehicle standards under this section shall provide that vehicle exhaust emissions shall not exceed the levels specified in the following table.

Open Table
Phase I Clean Fuel Vehicle Emission Standards for Light-Duty Trucks of More Than 3,750 Lbs. and up to 5,750 Lbs. LVW and up to 6,000 Lbs. GVWR
Pollutant NMOG CO NOx PM* HCHO (formaldehyde)
50,000 mile standard 0.160 4.4 0.7 0.018
100,000 mile standard 0.200 5.5 0.9 0.08 0.023

Standards are expressed in grams per mile (gpm).

*Standards for particulates (PM) shall apply only to diesel-fueled vehicles.

In the case of the 50,000 mile standards and the 100,000 mile standards, for purposes of certification, the applicable useful life shall be 50,000 miles or 100,000 miles, respectively.

(2) Phase II
Beginning with model year 2001, for the air pollutants specified in the following table, the clean-fuel vehicle standards under this section shall provide that vehicle exhaust emissions shall not exceed the levels specified in the following table.

Open Table
Phase II Clean Fuel Vehicle Emission Standards for Light-Duty Trucks of More Than 3,750 Lbs. LVW and up to 5,750 Lbs. LVW and up to 6,000 Lbs. GVWR
Pollutant NMOG CO NOx PM* HCHO (formaldehyde)
50,000 mile standard 0.100 4.4 0.4 0.018
100,000 mile standard 0.130 5.5 0.5 0.08 0.023

Standards are expressed in grams per mile (gpm).

*Standards for particulates (PM) shall apply only to diesel-fueled vehicles.

In the case of the 50,000 mile standards and the 100,000 mile standards, for purposes of certification, the applicable useful life shall be 50,000 miles or 100,000 miles, respectively.

(c) Exhaust standards for light-duty trucks greater than 6,000 lbs. GVWR
The standards set forth in this subsection shall apply in the case of clean-fuel vehicles which are light-duty trucks of more than 6,000 lbs. gross weight rating (GVWR) and less than or equal to 8,500 lbs. GVWR, beginning with model year 1998. For the air pollutants specified in the following table, the clean-fuel vehicle standards under this section shall provide that vehicle exhaust emissions of vehicles within the test weight categories specified in the following table shall not exceed the levels specified in such table.

Open Table
Pollutant NMOG CO NOx PM* HCHO (formaldehyde)
50,000 mile standard 0.125 3.4 0.4** 0.015
120,000 mile standard 0.180 5.0 0.6  0.08 0.022
Open Table
Test Weight Category: Above 3,750 but not above 5,750 lbs. tw
Pollutant NMOG CO NOx PM* HCHO (formaldehyde)
50,000 mile standard 0.160 4.4 0.7** 0.018
120,000 mile standard 0.230 6.4 1.0  0.10 0.027
Open Table
Test Weight Category: Above 5,750 tw but not above 8,500 lbs. gvwr
Pollutant NMOG CO NOx PM* HCHO (formaldehyde)
50,000 mile standard 0.195 5.0 1.1** 0.022
120,000 mile standard 0.280 7.3 1.5  0.12 0.032

Standards are expressed in grams per mile (gpm).

*Standards for particulates (PM) shall apply only to diesel-fueled vehicles.

**Standard not applicable to diesel-fueled vehicles.

For the 50,000 mile standards and the 120,000 mile standards set forth in the table, the applicable useful life for purposes of certification shall be 50,000 miles or 120,000 miles, respectively.

(d) Flexible and dual-fuel vehicles

(1) In general
The Administrator shall establish standards and requirements under this section for the model year 1996 and thereafter for vehicles weighing not more than 8,500 lbs. gvwr which are capable of operating on more than one fuel. Such standards shall require that such vehicles meet the exhaust standards applicable under subsection 2 (a), (b), and (c) for CO, NOx, and HCHO, and if appropriate, PM for single-fuel vehicles of the same vehicle category and model year.

(2) Exhaust NMOG standard for operation on clean alternative fuel
In addition to standards for the pollutants referred to in paragraph (1), the standards established under paragraph (1) shall require that vehicle exhaust emissions of NMOG not exceed the levels (expressed in grams per mile) specified in the tables below when the vehicle is operated on the clean alternative fuel for which such vehicle is certified:

Open Table
Vehicle Type Column A (50,000 mi.) Standard (gpm) Column B (100,000 mi.) Standard (gpm)
Beginning MY 1996:
LDT's (0–3,750 lbs. LVW) and light-duty vehicles 0.125 0.156
LDT's (3,751–5,750 lbs. LVW) 0.160 0.20 
Beginning MY 2001:
LDT's (0–3,750 lbs. LVW) and light-duty vehicles 0.075 0.090
LDT's (3,751–5,750 lbs. LVW) 0.100 0.130

For standards under column A, for purposes of certification under section 7525 of this title, the applicable useful life shall be 50,000 miles.

For standards under column B, for purposes of certification under section 7525 of this title, the applicable useful life shall be 100,000 miles.

Open Table
Light-duty Trucks More than 6,000 lbs. GVWR
Vehicle Type Column A (50,000 mi.) Standard Column B (120,000 mi.) Standard
Beginning MY 1998:
LDT's (0–3,750 lbs. TW) 0.125 0.180
LDT's (3,751–5,750 lbs. TW) 0.160 0.230
LDT's (above 5,750 lbs. TW) 0.195 0.280

For standards under column A, for purposes of certification under section 7525 of this title, the applicable useful life shall be 50,000 miles.

For standards under column B, for purposes of certification under section 7525 of this title, the applicable useful life shall be 120,000 miles.

(3) NMOG standard for operation on conventional fuel
In addition to the standards referred to in paragraph (1), the standards established under paragraph (1) shall require that vehicle exhaust emissions of NMOG not exceed the levels (expressed in grams per mile) specified in the tables below:

Open Table
Vehicle Type Column A (50,000 mi.) Standard (gpm) Column B (100,000 mi.) Standard (gpm)
Beginning MY 1996:
LDT's (0–3,750 lbs. LVW) and light-duty vehicles 0.25 0.31 
LDT's (3,751–5,750 lbs. LVW) 0.32 0.40 
Beginning MY 2001:
LDT's (0–3,750 lbs. LVW) and light-duty vehicles 0.125 0.156
LDT's (3,751–5,750 lbs. LVW) 0.160 0.200

For standards under column A, for purposes of certification under section 7525 of this title, the applicable useful life shall be 50,000 miles.

For standards under column B, for purposes of certification under section 7525 of this title, the applicable useful life shall be 100,000 miles.

Open Table
Light-duty Trucks of up to 6,000 lbs. GVWR
Vehicle Type Column A (50,000 mi.) Standard Column B (120,000 mi.) Standard
Beginning MY 1998:
LDT's (0–3,750 lbs. TW) 0.25 0.36
LDT's (3,751–5,750 lbs. TW) 0.32 0.46
LDT's (above 5,750 lbs. TW) 0.39 0.56

For standards under column A, for purposes of certification under section 7525 of this title, the applicable useful life shall be 50,000 miles.

For standards under column B, for purposes of certification under section 7525 of this title, the applicable useful life shall be 120,000 miles.

(e) Replacement by CARB standards

(1) Single set of CARB standards
If the State of California promulgates regulations establishing and implementing a single set of standards applicable in California pursuant to a waiver approved under section 7543 of this title to any category of vehicles referred to in subsection (a), (b), (c), or (d) of this section and such set of standards is, in the aggregate, at least as protective of public health and welfare as the otherwise applicable standards set forth in section 7582 of this title and subsection (a), (b), (c), or (d) of this section, such set of California standards shall apply to clean-fuel vehicles in such category in lieu of the standards otherwise applicable under section 7582 of this title and subsection (a), (b), (c), or (d) of this section, as the case may be.

(2) Multiple sets of CARB standards
If the State of California promulgates regulations establishing and implementing several different sets of standards applicable in California pursuant to a waiver approved under section 7543 of this title to any category of vehicles referred to in subsection (a), (b), (c), or (d) of this section and each of such sets of California standards is, in the aggregate, at least as protective of public health and welfare as the otherwise applicable standards set forth in section 7582 of this title and subsection (a), (b), (c), or (d) of this section, such standards shall be treated as "qualifying California standards" for purposes of this paragraph. Where more than one set of qualifying standards are established and administered by the State of California, the least stringent set of qualifying California standards shall apply to the clean-fuel vehicles concerned in lieu of the standards otherwise applicable to such vehicles under section 7582 of this title and this section.

(f) Less stringent CARB standards
If the Low-Emission Vehicle and Clean Fuels Regulations of the California Air Resources Board applicable to any category of vehicles referred to in subsection (a), (b), (c), or (d) of this section are modified after November 15, 1990, to provide an emissions standard which is less stringent than the otherwise applicable standard set forth in subsection (a), (b), (c), or (d), or if any effective date contained in such regulations is delayed, such modified standards or such delay (or both, as the case may be) shall apply, for an interim period, in lieu of the standard or effective date otherwise applicable under subsection (a), (b), (c), or (d) to any vehicles covered by such modified standard or delayed effective date. The interim period shall be a period of not more than 2 model years from the effective date otherwise applicable under subsection (a), (b), (c), or (d). After such interim period, the otherwise applicable standard set forth in subsection (a), (b), (c), or (d) shall take effect with respect to such vehicles (unless subsequently replaced under subsection (e)).

(g) Not applicable to heavy-duty vehicles
Notwithstanding any provision of the Low-Emission Vehicle and Clean Fuels Regulations of the California Air Resources Board nothing in this section shall apply to heavy-duty engines in vehicles of more than 8,500 lbs. GVWR.

1 So in original. Probably should be "subsection". 2 So in original. Probably should be "subsections".

Tried the LawStack mobile app?

Join thousands and try LawStack mobile for FREE today.

  • Carry the law offline, wherever you go.
  • Download CFR, USC, rules, and state law to your mobile device.