Under the trend and background of continuous strengthening of motor vehicle pollution control and continuous electrification of vehicle power, in recent years, many countries around the world have been discussing the “no internal combustion engines” orders. Meanwhile, more stringent emission regulations have been introduced one after another, which have become a matter of life and death to the traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) power. However, ICEs will remain the main form of power for heavy commercial vehicles due to the requirement of transport capacity and driving distance. At present, the European Union, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have all issued new heavy-duty vehicle emission regulations, and China has also started research on the National VII emission standards. This article compares and analyzes the latest developments and trends of European and American heavy-duty vehicle and engine emission regulations at the next stage from 6 aspects: exhaust emissions, actual road tests, greenhouse gas emissions, on-board diagnostics (OBD) and remote monitoring, non-exhaust emissions, and durability requirements. The specific requirements of each standard are clarified, and possible technical routes are pointed out, aiming to provide reference for the heavy-duty vehicle and engine industry to respond to emission standard upgrades and related forward-looking research in a timely manner. The research results shows that there are 5 major development trends in the future emission standards of heavy-duty vehicles: Exhaust emission testing is developing towards ultra-low emissions of multiple pollutants, and in the case that it may become the final generation of emission regulations, long-term emission reduction plans should be considered in emission regulations at the next stage; Pay more attention to vehicle on-road, low load, idle and cold start emissions; Strengthen coordinated control of greenhouse gas and conventional gas emissions; Realize efficient monitoring of in-use vehicle emissions by means of remote big data; Add the tests of non-exhaust emissions such as braking and tire wear. In short, the next stage of pollution standards for heavy-duty vehicles will incorporate new methods and concepts in terms of pollution types, emission testing methods, and emission monitoring methods, so as to continuously promote the development of heavy-duty vehicles towards the goal of clean, environmentally friendly and efficient.
