(a) Deterioration factors shall be developed for each test vehicle from the emission test results. A separate factor shall be developed for each pollutant. The applicable data to be used in calculating these factors are:
(1) The results from all valid tests conducted by the manufacturer or Administrator at scheduled test intervals.
(2) The results from tests conducted before and after scheduled maintenance unless specifically excluded by the Administrator.
(3) The results from tests conducted before and after unscheduled maintenance, if approval of the maintenance by the Administrator was conditioned on the data being used in the deterioration factor calculation.
(b) Emission results which are less than 0.10 g/km shall be considered to be 0.10 g/km for purposes of this section.
(c) Test results for each pollutant shall be plotted as a function of the service accumulated at the start of the emission test, rounded to the nearest kilometre. These results shall be correlated to a straight line, fit by the method of least squares.
(d) An exhaust emission deterioration factor will be calculated by dividing the predicted emissions at the useful life distance by the predicted emissions at the total test distance. Predicted emissions are obtained from the correlation developed in paragraph (c) of this section.
Factor = Predicted total distance emissions ÷ Predicted total test distance emissions.
These interpolated and extrapolated values shall be carried out to four places to the right of the decimal point before dividing one by the other to determine the deterioration factor. The results shall be rounded to three places to the right of the decimal point.
(e) Deterioration factors computed to be less than 1.000 shall be 1.000.
(f)(1) The manufacturer has the option of applying an outlier test point procedure to completed durability data within its certification testing program for a given model year.
(2) The outlier procedure will be specified by the Administrator.
(3) For any pollutant, durability-data test points that are identified as outliers shall not be included in the determination of deterioration factors if the manufacturer has elected this option.
(4) The manufacturer shall specify to the Administrator, before the certification of the first engine family for that model year, if it intends to use the outlier procedure.
(5) The manufacturer may not change procedures after the first engine family of the model year is certified.
(6) Where the manufacturer chooses to apply the outlier procedure to a data set containing data which were averaged under § 86.427-78(e), the outlier procedure shall be completed before averaging the data.
[42 FR 1126, Jan. 5, 1977, as amended at 42 FR 56737, Oct. 28, 1977; 49 FR 48139, Dec. 10, 1984; 81 FR 73979, Oct. 25, 2016]