The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is to build a new test facility in southern California at a cost of US$419m. This will include spends of US$108m, which will be used to purchase emissions test equipment. CARB is utilizing US$154m from fines paid by Volkswagen for air quality violations related to Dieselgate.
The 380,000ft2 building will house a suite of light-, medium- and heavy-duty test cells and will also provide space for onboard diagnostics and portable emissions measurement system development, as well as a separate chemistry laboratory.
The building will have solar panels affixed to the roofs and walls, and over the parking area, which will generate over 3,500kW of electricity. This means CARB will be able to achieve a LEED Platinum award for the building’s sustainability and energy efficiency. Parking spaces will be equipped with at least 120 EV charging stations.
Construction is scheduled to begin in February 2018; the company is currently in the process of choosing the contractor to design and build the new test center and company headquarters.
“The challenges of a changing climate include rising temperatures that undermine our progress toward healthy air and compel us to look for new technologies and new policy approaches,” said Mary Nichols, chair at CARB.
“With a major new southern California facility, building on 50 years of success, CARB will be positioned to continue to lead the fight for clean air into the future.”
November 29, 2017
