A Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) is an administrative category within the U.S. state of California for low emission vehicles.
This vehicle category was created as part of a bargain with the California Air Resources Board (CARB), so that the automobile manufacturers could avoid producing mandated zero emission vehicles (ZEVs), which would have required the production of electric vehicles, under the theory that a large number of low pollution vehicles would produce the equivalent pollution reduction of a lesser number of zero-emissions vehicles. Electric vehicles have been limited by the relatively high cost, limited capacity, and slow charging of electric batteries for power storage. Despite these limitations, electric vehicles have proven very acceptable to those who have elected to operate them, so this administrative change had the unfortunate effect of essentially destroying an emerging but still very small market.
The vehicles constructed to meet the PZEV requirements are called Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (SULEVs). Various techniques are used to reduce pollution in these vehicles. In order to qualify as a PZEV, a vehicle must meet the SULEV standard and, in addition, have zero evaporative emissions from its fuel system plus an extended (ten-year/150,000-mile) warranty on its emission-control components, which incidentally covers the propulsion electrical components of a hybrid_electric_vehicle.
Some PZEVS (such as the Toyota Prius) are classified as AT-PZEV, standing for Advanced Technology PZEV.
It has been projected that if all motor vehicles sold within the Los Angeles basin were of the SULEV type that the area's severe smog problem would likely disappear within fifteen years.
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