Car: EPA 🇺🇸

💡 High-Level Description:

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States has a long-standing tradition of overseeing and addressing the environmental impacts stemming from various industrial sectors. Within the realm of transportation, the car sector holds prominence due to its vast reach and consequential emissions. Recognizing the need to curb emissions from cars, the EPA devised a robust methodology to estimate and monitor CO₂ emissions from automotive sources.

EPA's approach to the car sector isn't just about numbers; it integrates a holistic view, considering elements such as vehicle design, fuel type, driving conditions, and technological innovations in emission control. The underlying goal is not only to measure but also to incentivize the adoption of cleaner and more efficient automotive technologies. By ensuring a precise evaluation of emissions, the EPA aims to influence policy and regulatory measures, promoting a sustainable transportation future for the country.

Sample API Requests

A. Route-based request (origin/destination or explicit distance)

{
  "expand": ["items"],
  "items": [
    {
      "type": "car",
      "external_reference": "test_3",
      "origin": "Menton, France",
      "destination": "Paris, France",
      "manufacturer": "mercedes_benz",
      "model": "500sel",
      "model_year": 1985,
      "fuel_type": "regular_gasoline",
      "epa_vehicle_size_class": "midsize_cars",
      "specific_transmission": "automatic_4_spd",
      "engine_displacement_in_liters": 5.0,
      "epa_model_type_index": 27914,
      "engine_cylinders": 8,
      "methodology": "US-EPA"
    }
  ]
}

B. Duration-based request (fallback when distance is unknown)

When the trip distance is unknown, you may pass number_of_days. The API will estimate the distance as estimated_distance_in_km = number_of_days * 60.

{
  "expand": ["items"],
  "items": [
    {
      "type": "car",
      "external_reference": "test_3",
      "manufacturer": "mercedes_benz",
      "model": "500sel",
      "model_year": 1985,
      "fuel_type": "regular_gasoline",
      "epa_vehicle_size_class": "midsize_cars",
      "specific_transmission": "automatic_4_spd",
      "engine_displacement_in_liters": 5.0,
      "epa_model_type_index": 27914,
      "engine_cylinders": 8,
      "methodology": "US-EPA",
      "number_of_days": 5
    }
  ]
}

Precedence rule: If distance_in_km is provided, it will be used and takes priority over both origin/destination and number_of_days.

Sample API Response

{
  "carbon_quantity": 345527,
  "carbon_unit": "gram",
  "items": [
    {
      "carbon_quantity": 345527,
      "carbon_unit": "gram",
      "external_reference": "test_3",
      "type": "car",
      "methodology": "US-EPA",
      "distance": 876.0,
      "distance_unit": "kilometer"
    }
  ]
}

API Request Items

  • "type": "car" (required)

  • "methodology": "US-EPA" (required)

  • "external_reference": A unique identifier that helps you link the resulting emissions to the requested item. Especially useful if multiple items are requested since SQUAKE cannot guarantee to keep the same order. The maximum length is 128 characters.

  • "origin": SQUAKE will try to resolve the origin/destination regardless of its format. Ideally, for addresses use the Post standard, for airports use IATA/ICAO code (format: ^[A-Z]{3,4}$, e.g., "MUC"), for other locations used in trade and transportation use UN/LOCODE codes (format: ^[A-Z]{2}\\W?[A-Z2-9]{3}$, e.g., "DEHAM"). You can also pass lat/long (format: ^[-+]?\\d{1,3}\\.\\d{1,10}\\s?,\\s?[-+]?\\d{1,3}\\.\\d{1,10}$, e.g., "+40.712,-74.006").

  • "destination": Same formats and rules as "origin".

  • "distance_in_km": If present, overrides origin/destination resolution and number_of_days.

  • "number_of_days": integer (display name: Number-Of-Days), >= 1.

    • Use when trip distance is unknown.

    • Estimated distance formula: estimated_distance_in_km = number_of_days * 60.

    • Precedence: distance_in_km > origin/destination > number_of_days (fallback).

  • "fuel_type": One of electricity, premium_gasoline, regular_gasoline, diesel, natural_gas, midgrade_gasoline, or propane.

  • "manufacturer": See the database

  • "model": See the database

  • "model_year": See the database

  • "country": Two-letter or three-letter code as defined in ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 and alpha-3 respectively. Minimum length is 2, maximum length is 3. Format: ^[A-Z]{2,3}$.

  • "electric_energy_consumption_in_kw": See the database

  • "engine_capacity_in_cubic_cm": See the database

  • "engine_cylinders": See the database

  • "epa_model_type_index": See the database

  • "engine_displacement_in_liters": See the database

  • "specific_transmission": See the database

  • "epa_vehicle_size_class": EPA size class has a specific division of car sizes according to US-EPA. See the database

Default values

  • "fuel_type": "regular_gasoline"

Notes

  • Data quality tip: whenever possible, pass the actual distance_in_km—it yields the most accurate result. number_of_days is a convenience fallback and a coarse approximation.

Bibliography

  • FuelEconomy.gov Web Services (n.d.). FuelEconomy. Retrieved from https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/ws/index.shtml#vehicle

  • Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle (n.d.). United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger vehicle#:~:text=typical%20passenger%20vehicle%3F-,A%20typical%20passenger%20vehicle%20emits%20about%204.6%20metric%20tons%20of,around%2011%2C500%20miles%20per%20year

  • Tiseo, I. (2021, December 14). Passenger car carbon dioxide emissions worldwide 2010-2020. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1107970/carbon-dioxide-emissions-passenger-transport/#:~:text=Passenger%20cars%20produced%20approximately%20three,of%203.2%20million%20metric%20tons

  • Emission Factors for Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2025, Jan). EPA. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/climateleadership/ghg-emission-factors-hub

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