Pollutant Emissions of a Blended Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle during High-Power Cold Starts

To characterize emission performance and engine operating conditions during high-power cold starts (HPCS), a blended plug-in hybrid electric vehicle was tested over worldwide harmonized light-duty vehicle test cycle (WLTC), and a new cycle was developed to characterize HPCS. The results showed that the engine speed and load increased dramatically to high level during HPCS under the low temperature of coolant and catalysts. The higher concentration of particle number (PN) and NOx at higher speed and load, accounted for the higher emissions during HPCS. Besides, the cumulative PN emissions increased first and then decreased with the increasing coolant temperature.