The purpose of this work is to show possible evolutions of the OBDBr-2 legislation, moving on the same level as stricter international standards looking for an alignment of OBD requirements, even taking into account the flex-fuel technologies.
A reduction of OBDBr-2 thresholds, following the tendency of reduction of those for exhaust emissions (PL6) and considering possible changes in the deterioration factors (Durability of 80000km to 120000km or 160000km); The inclusion of NOx-OBD limit for catalyst diagnosis, where only a limit for Hydrocarbons is considered; The requirement to keep active catalyst and upstream sensor diagnosis for any air/fuel ratios and not only for those corresponding to Ethanol (E100) and Gasoline (E22); The implementation of new OBD monitors, as well as the creation of an index that evaluates and publishes information about the performance of each diagnosis, declaring if they are started and concluded in the present driving cycle, are possible measures to be implemented.
The most modern systems are already prepared for these improvements, as will be shown in this paper, remaining only the dedicated calibration of the parameters and functions in the ECU to work properly.