Abstract
The needs of the non-internal combustion engine for the automobile have been increasingly emphasized due to the seriousness of the air pollution in major cities and the global warming. However, such power plant technologies are generally considered to be still far away from the full commercialization as technical issues including infrastructure and cost are still remaining to be solved, so the substantial emission cleanup through the market penetration requires a long time for the realization. For the mean time, attempts are made to investigate the maximum potential of the internal combustion engine for reduction of both exhaust emissions and CO2 focusing on Hondas near zero emission Zero Level Emission Vehicle (ZLEV) technology. Using a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) based on-board measurement system which Honda developed for investigating ZLEV performance and ambient pollutants, on-road test results are presented for vehicle emissions and ambient/roadway pollution concentrations while operating in the Tokyo area. Further, the application of emission technologies for mass production vehicles is mentioned.