Vermont's TAQLab Works to Close Knowledge Gaps in Vehicle Tailpipe Emissions

On-road, real-world data on how second-by-second driving style, hybrid vehicles, climate, and topography affect vehicle tailpipe emissions are scarce. The University of Vermont (UVM) Transportation Air Quality Laboratory (TAQLab), which opened in May 2009, was designed as a research hub for efforts aimed at filling such data gaps. Although researchers who work directly in the lab are predominantly engineers, the Vermont University Transportation Center (UTC) paired the group with social scientists to study public understanding of factors affecting tailpipe emissions as well as to design programs to advance public knowledge.