MOVES2014 and MOVES2014a 

Technical Guidance: 

Using MOVES to Prepare Emission 

Inventories for State Implementation 

Plans and Transportation Conformity 
MOVES2014 and MOVES2014a 


Technical Guidance: 


Using MOVES to Prepare Emission 


Inventories for State Implementation 


Plans and Transportation Conformity
 

Assessment and Standards Division 

Office of Transportation and Air Quality 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

EPA-420-B-15-093 

November 2015 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents 

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................3
 

1.1 BACKGROUND......................................................................................................................................... 3
 

1.2 PURPOSE OF THIS GUIDANCE..................................................................................................................... 3
 

1.3 HOW DO MOVES2014 AND MOVES2014A COMPARE WITH MOVES2010B? .............................................. 5
 

1.4 USING MOVES2010B INPUT DATABASES IN MOVES2014 AND MOVES2014A ............................................. 6
 

1.5 WHAT OTHER MOVES GUIDANCE AND DOCUMENTATION IS AVAILABLE? ......................................................... 6
 

1.6 DOES THIS GUIDANCE CREATE NEW REQUIREMENTS?................................................................................... 7
 

1.7 WHOM DO I CONTACT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION?................................................................................ 7
 

SECTION 2: PLANNING YOUR EMISSIONS ANALYSIS............................................................................8
 

2.1 FOR WHAT PURPOSES ARE ON-ROAD EMISSION INVENTORIES CREATED? ........................................................... 8
 

2.2 WHAT DATA ARE REQUIRED TO RUN MOVES?............................................................................................. 8
 

2.3 WHAT OPTIONS DO USERS HAVE FOR CALCULATING AN INVENTORY WITHIN OR OUTSIDE OF MOVES? .................. 9
 

2.4 WHAT OPTIONS DO USERS HAVE TO MODEL MORE THAN ONE COUNTY? ........................................................... 9
 

2.5 WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS FOR CREATING INVENTORIES FOR SIPS AND CONFORMITY?.........................................10
 

SECTION 3: CREATING A RUN SPECIFICATION FILE .............................................................................14
 

3.1 HOW IS A RUN SPECIFICATION (RUNSPEC) CREATED?..................................................................................14
 

3.1.1 Description.................................................................................................................................14
 

3.2 SCALE AND CALCULATION TYPE................................................................................................................15
 

3.2.1 Model ........................................................................................................................................15
 

3.2.2 Domain/Scale ............................................................................................................................15
 

3.2.3 Calculation Type ........................................................................................................................16
 

3.3 TIME SPANS .........................................................................................................................................17
 

3.3.1 Time Aggregation Level.............................................................................................................17
 

3.3.2 Calendar Year of Evaluation......................................................................................................17
 

3.3.3 Month of Evaluation..................................................................................................................18
 

3.3.4 Type of Day of Evaluation..........................................................................................................18
 

3.3.5 Hour of Evaluation.....................................................................................................................19
 

3.3.6 Time Span Panel Selections: Emission Rates Mode...................................................................19
 

3.4 GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDS ...........................................................................................................................19
 

3.4.1 County Option............................................................................................................................19
 

3.4.2 Custom Domain Option .............................................................................................................20
 

3.4.3 Domain Input Database ............................................................................................................21
 

3.5 VEHICLES/EQUIPMENT: ON-ROAD VEHICLE EQUIPMENT .............................................................................21
 

3.6 ROAD TYPE...........................................................................................................................................22
 

3.7 POLLUTANTS AND PROCESSES..................................................................................................................23
 

3.7.1 Pollutants and Processes in Emission Rates Mode....................................................................24
 

3.8 MANAGE INPUT DATA SETS ....................................................................................................................26
 

3.9 STRATEGIES ..........................................................................................................................................26
 

3.9.1 Rate of Progress ........................................................................................................................26
 

3.10 OUTPUT.............................................................................................................................................26
 

3.10.1 General Output........................................................................................................................26
 

3.10.1.1 Output Database..................................................................................................................26
 

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3.10.2 Output Emission Detail............................................................................................................27
 

3.11 ADVANCED PERFORMANCE FEATURES.....................................................................................................29
 

SECTION 4: ADDING LOCAL DATA VIA THE COUNTY DATA MANAGER ................................................30
 

4.1 HOW DO USERS ENTER INFORMATION WITH THE COUNTY DATA MANAGER?...................................................30
 

4.2 METEOROLOGY.....................................................................................................................................31
 

4.2.1 Meteorology: Guidance for Inventory Mode.............................................................................31
 

4.2.2 Meteorology: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode ....................................................................32
 

4.3 SOURCE TYPE POPULATION.....................................................................................................................32
 

4.3.1 Source Type Population: Guidance for Inventory Mode............................................................33
 

4.3.2 Source Type Population: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode...................................................34
 

4.4 AGE DISTRIBUTION ................................................................................................................................34
 

4.5 VEHICLE TYPE VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED (VMT) ........................................................................................35
 

4.5.1 Vehicle Type VMT: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode ............................................................37
 

4.6 AVERAGE SPEED DISTRIBUTION................................................................................................................37
 

4.6.1 Average Speed Distribution: Guidance for Inventory Mode......................................................37
 

4.6.2 Average Speed Distribution: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode.............................................40
 

4.7 ROAD TYPE DISTRIBUTION ......................................................................................................................40
 

4.7.1 Road Type Distribution: Guidance for Inventory Mode.............................................................41
 

4.7.2 Road Type Distribution: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode ....................................................41
 

4.8 RAMP FRACTION ...................................................................................................................................41
 

4.9 FUELS (FUEL SUPPLY, FUEL FORMULATION, FUEL USAGE FRACTION, AND AVFT) ............................................42
 

4.9.1 Fuel Formulation and Fuel Supply Guidance .............................................................................45
 

4.9.2 Fuel Usage Fraction Guidance...................................................................................................48
 

4.9.3 AVFT Guidance ..........................................................................................................................48
 

4.10 INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS ...........................................................................................49
 

4.10.1 Pollutant Process ID.................................................................................................................50
 

4.10.2 Source Type ID and Fuel Type ID .............................................................................................50
 

4.10.3 Inspection Frequency...............................................................................................................51
 

4.10.4 Test Standards and I/M Program ID........................................................................................51
 

4.10.5 Beginning and Ending Model Years.........................................................................................52
 

4.10.6 Compliance Factor...................................................................................................................53
 

4.11 ZONE (CUSTOM DOMAIN ONLY)............................................................................................................54
 

4.12 STARTS ..............................................................................................................................................56
 

4.13 HOTELLING.........................................................................................................................................58
 

4.14 RETROFIT DATA...................................................................................................................................58
 

4.15 STAGE II REFUELING PROGRAMS............................................................................................................59
 

4.16 GENERIC ............................................................................................................................................59
 

APPENDIX A.....................................................................................................................................60
 

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Section 1: Introduction 

1.1 Background 

MOVES (MOtor Vehicle Emissions Simulator) is a computer program designed by the US 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to estimate air pollution emissions from mobile 

sources. EPA created MOVES as a state-of-the-art model for estimating emissions from all onroad vehicles including cars, trucks, motorcycles, and buses. MOVES is based on analysis of 

millions of emission test results and considerable advances in the Agency’s understanding of 

vehicle emissions. MOVES can be used to estimate exhaust and evaporative emissions as well 

as brake and tire wear emissions from all types of on-road vehicles for any part of the country, 

except California.1 

In 2010, the MOVES model version called MOVES2010 officially replaced the previous on-road 

emissions model, MOBILE6.2. Subsequently, EPA made minor revisions to this version in 

releases of MOVES2010a and MOVES2010b. Guidance on the use of all versions of 

MOVES2010 is available at www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/moves-docum.htm. 

MOVES2014 is the first major revision to the MOVES series since the original release of 

MOVES2010. MOVES2014 incorporates new emissions test data, the impacts of new emissions 

standards, new features, and other functional improvements, all of which contribute to improved 

estimates of criteria pollutant emissions compared to MOVES2010. In 2015, EPA released a 

minor revision called MOVES2014a. This guidance covers the use of MOVES2014 and 

MOVES2014a, and hereafter we use the term “MOVES” to mean either of these two versions 

unless otherwise noted. 

One new feature in MOVES2014 is the incorporation of NONROAD2008, EPA’s nonroad 

emissions model, into the MOVES modeling framework. As a result, MOVES2014 can also be 

used to estimate emissions from all nonroad engines and equipment, with the exception of 

commercial marine, locomotives, and aircraft. This current technical guidance only addresses 

the use of MOVES for estimating on-road emissions. 

1.2 Purpose of This Guidance 

This document provides guidance on the use of MOVES for inventory development in State 

Implementation Plans (SIPs) and for regional emissions analysis for transportation conformity 

determinations (“regional conformity analyses”) in states other than California. This document 

applies to MOVES2014 and MOVES2014a and supersedes the previous technical guidance for 

MOVES20102. A “regional emissions analysis” for transportation conformity purposes involves 

estimating on-road motor vehicle emissions at the regional level. However, this term could be 

confused with the process of creating an inventory for a SIP. To avoid that confusion, an 

analysis done for transportation conformity is referred to as a “regional conformity analysis” in 

1 In California, a different on-road emissions model, EMFAC, is used for regulatory purposes instead of MOVES. 2 Using MOVES to Prepare Emission Inventories in State Implementation Plans and Transportation Conformity: 

Technical Guidance for MOVES2010, 2010a, and 2010b, EPA-420-B-12-028, April 2012. 

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this document. MOVES can estimate motor vehicle emissions at various scales: National, 

County, and Project. Use of the County scale is required for SIPs and regional conformity 

analyses. This guidance covers the use of the County scale only.3 

This guidance focuses on determining what the appropriate inputs are and how MOVES should 

be run to develop emissions estimates for on-road vehicles for SIPs and regional conformity 

analyses. This document presumes that users already have a basic understanding of how to run 

MOVES through attending MOVES training and reviewing the MOVES User Guide available 

on the Help menu of MOVES and on the MOVES web site 

(www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/index.htm). It also presumes a basic understanding of SIP 

and conformity regulatory requirements and policy. 

MOVES is designed to allow users to analyze motor vehicle emissions at multiple scales, from 

National to County scale to Project scale, using different levels of input data. MOVES includes 

a default database of meteorology, vehicle fleet, vehicle activity, fuel, and emission control 

program data for the entire United States. The data included in this database come from a variety 

of sources and may not be the most current or best available information for any specific county. 

This guidance describes when the use of that default database is appropriate for SIPs and 

regional conformity analyses. 

This document covers the input options in MOVES that are most important for SIPs and regional 

conformity analyses. Use of MOVES to analyze certain specific control programs, such as diesel 

retrofit programs and programs to reduce extended idle emissions from diesel vehicles, are 

addressed separately in updates to guidance documents for those programs.4 MOVES users 

should always check with their EPA Regional Office if there is any question about the 

applicability of guidance to any specific situation. 

This document has four major sections. The last two sections are generally organized according 

to the order in which a user would make selections in each panel of the MOVES Graphical User 

Interface (GUI): 

- Section 1 is a general introduction to this guidance. 

- Section 2 helps with planning an emissions analysis with MOVES. 

- Section 3 focuses on the individual parameters used to create a MOVES Run 

Specification (RunSpec) file. In general, these parameters define the type of MOVES 

run, the time period, location, vehicle types, road types, and pollutants, and how detailed 

MOVES output will be. 

- Section 4 describes the input options in the County Data Manager (CDM). The CDM is 

where users enter most locally specific data such as local meteorology, fleet and activity 

3 See Section 1.5 for a list of guidance documents that address use of MOVES at the Project scale.
 4 MOVES users should check www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/policy.htm for updates to EPA guidance
 

documents for estimating reductions from various control programs.
 

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data, fuel specifications, and Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) program information if 

applicable. 

While using this document, users should refer to the applicable sections of the MOVES User 

Guide for details of the operation of MOVES. EPA plans to offer upgrades of MOVES features 

on a regular basis, and will provide supplementary guidance as those upgrades occur. MOVES 

users are urged to check the MOVES website regularly and subscribe to EPA’s mobile source 

emissions model Listserv to receive announcements related to MOVES and MOVES guidance 

(www.epa.gov/otaq/models/mobilelist.htm). 

1.3 How do MOVES2014 and MOVES2014a compare with 

MOVES2010b? 

MOVES2014 is a major revision to the MOVES series of models and is considered to be a new 

emissions model for SIP and conformity purposes. Its release begins a new conformity grace 

period under 40 CFR 93.111. MOVES2014 includes many changes, including new vehicle 

standards, new emissions and activity data, and new features. As a result of these changes, 

estimates of past, current, and future emissions from MOVES2014 may be different from 

MOVES2010b. 

Changes in MOVES2014 that affect user inputs and that are addressed in this guidance include: 

•	 New option for separating restricted access road types and ramps in output 

•	 Automatic chaining of pollutants in the Pollutants and Processes Panel 

•	 New input options for start activity and new rate per start output option 

•	 New input method for retrofit programs 

•	 New input option for entering local hoteling activity data for long-haul combination 

trucks 

•	 New Fuels Wizard to adjust unknown fuel properties based on known fuel properties 

In addition to new guidance to address those changes in MOVES2014, this document also 

includes changes from previous guidance for developing inputs for future age distribution inputs, 

local ramp fractions, and fuels. 

MOVES2014a is a minor revision to MOVES2014. It is not considered to be a new model for 

SIP and conformity purposes and thus does not begin a new emissions model grace period under 

40 CFR 93.111. MOVES2014a corrects some minor problems with MOVES2014, and includes 

some additional improvements.5 The most important changes in MOVES2014a apply to 

nonroad emissions with the addition of new output options for volatile organic compounds 

(VOCs) and air toxics and an update to the default nonroad fuel supply. MOVES2014a includes 

one new feature that applies to this document, which is the addition of new flexibility for input of 

VMT. This is discussed in Section 4.5 of this document. It also includes some updates to the 

default fuels and I/M programs in MOVES which are discussed in Sections 4.9 and 4.10. 

5 These improvements are listed in “EPA Releases MOVES2014a Mobile Source Emissions Model: Questions and 

Answers”, available at www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/index.htm#generalinfo. 

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MOVES2014 or MOVES2014a can be used for SIPs and regional conformity analyses. EPA 

recognizes that state and local agencies that have already begun a modeling analysis for a SIP 

with one of these models may wish to continue the analysis with that same model. However, 

when starting a new SIP or regional conformity analysis, EPA recommends using MOVES2014a 

to take full advantage of the improvements incorporated in this version. More information on the 

implementation of these models for SIP and regional conformity analysis is available in the 

MOVES 2014 SIP and Conformity Policy Guidance and in the MOVES2014a Q&A document, 

both available at www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/index.htm. 

This guidance applies to both versions of MOVES2014. It has been updated to reflect 

MOVES2014a, and where MOVES2014 and MOVES2014a differ, it is noted. 

1.4 Using MOVES2010b input databases in MOVES2014 and 

MOVES2014a 

MOVES2014 includes a script in the “Tools” menu that will convert MOVES2010b input 

databases to the proper format required for MOVES2014.6 However, MOVES2014 includes 

significant updates to default fleet, activity, fuels, and I/M program data and should be used 

instead of the default information in MOVES2010b. Therefore, a MOVES2010b input database 

that includes default information that a user converts to MOVES2014 format should not be used 

for any SIP or regional conformity analysis done with MOVES2014 as-is. Instead, the user 

needs to update the converted database with the new MOVES2014 defaults for any inputs 

previously based on MOVES2010b defaults. This includes any defaults that may be used 

directly (e.g. long haul combination truck age distributions), defaults which are modified 

somewhat (e.g. some fuel inputs), or defaults used to calculate or adjust local data (e.g. using 

model defaults to estimate the relative contributions of short-haul and long-haul trucks to local 

population or VMT estimates). 

An input database converter is included with MOVES2014a that allows users to convert input 

databases created with MOVES2014 into a format compatible with MOVES2014a. However, 

MOVES2014a includes updates to the default fuels and I/M program data. Similarly as described 

above, the user needs to update a converted database with new MOVES2014a defaults for any 

fuels or I/M program inputs previously based on MOVES2014 defaults. 

1.5 What other MOVES guidance and documentation is available? 

EPA has released other MOVES guidance and documentation. Listed here are several EPA 

documents that may be of particular interest: 

•	 “Policy Guidance on the Use of MOVES2014 for State Implementation Plan 

Development, Transportation Conformity, and Other Purposes,” EPA-420-B-14-008, 

July 2014, addresses general policy issues for MOVES such as timing of the use of 

6 For MOVES2010 or MOVES2010a input databases, there is an additional script in the “Tools” menu that will 

convert these files to the MOVES2010b format. These files would then need to be converted to MOVES2014 

format using the script discussed in this section. 

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MOVES in SIPs and regional conformity analyses. This latest version of this guidance is 

available at www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/index.htm#sip. 

•	 “Transportation Conformity Guidance for Quantitative Hot-spot Analyses in PM2.5 and 

PM10 Nonattainment and Maintenance Areas,” EPA-420-B-15-084, October 2015, 

provides guidance on using MOVES2014 for quantitative PM10 and PM2.5 hot-spot 

analysis for transportation projects. This guidance is available at 

www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/projectlevel-hotspot.htm. 

•	 “Using MOVES2014 in Project-Level Carbon Monoxide Analyses,” EPA-420-B-15-028, 

March 2015, provides guidance on using MOVES2014 for CO emissions form 

transportation projects. This guidance is available at 

www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/projectlevel-hotspot.htm. 

•	 “Using MOVES for Estimating State and Local Inventories of On-Road Greenhouse Gas 

Emissions and Energy Consumption,” (EPA-420-B-12-068, November 2012) describes 

how to use MOVES2010 to estimate greenhouse gas emissions and/or energy 

consumption from on-road vehicles in a state or metropolitan area. The latest version of 

this guidance document is available at www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/ghgtravel.htm. 

Updated guidance for MOVES2014 will be available at the same location. 

EPA’s MOVES website, www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/index.htm, contains all of EPA’s 

guidance and documentation about the MOVES model, including user guides for the latest 

models, instructions for downloading MOVES, notices of upcoming MOVES training, and how 

to subscribe to EPA’s MOVES email announcements. 

Information on the use of MOVES in SIPs and regional conformity analyses may also be found 

at www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/policy.htm. 

1.6 Does This Guidance Create New Requirements? 

No. The discussion in this document is intended solely as guidance. The statutory provisions and 

EPA regulations described in this document contain legally binding requirements. This document 

is not a regulation itself, nor does it change or substitute for those provisions and regulations. 

EPA retains the discretion to adopt approaches on a case-by-case basis that may differ from this 

document, but still comply with the statute and regulations. Any decisions regarding a particular 

SIP or conformity determination will be made based on the statute and regulations. This 

document may be revised periodically without public notice. 

1.7 Whom do I contact for additional information? 

General questions about this guidance should be sent to mobile@EPA.gov. Questions about the 

application of this guidance to specific SIPs or regional conformity analyses should be addressed 

to the EPA Regional Office SIP or transportation conformity contact. Regional contacts for 

transportation conformity can be found at 

www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/contacts.htm. 

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Section 2: Planning Your Emissions Analysis 

MOVES is a flexible model using an array of input and output options, allowing more than one 

way to use MOVES to develop emissions estimates. This section covers approaches to 

developing on-road inventories for SIP and regional conformity analysis purposes using 

MOVES. These approaches affect the number of runs that will be needed and the degree to 

which additional data calculations or post-processing of the MOVES output will be necessary 

after the runs. The interagency consultation process should be used to determine which options 

will best meet the needs of the area or region. This section addresses how to make that 

determination when planning MOVES runs. This section covers the following topics: 

• The types of inventories that users may need to create; 

• The types of data that will be needed to run MOVES; 

• Options for calculating an inventory within or outside of MOVES; 

• Options for modeling more than one county; and 

• A summary of planning approaches for a SIP or conformity inventory. 

2.1 For what purposes are on-road emission inventories created? 

State and local air quality and transportation agencies estimate on-road vehicle emissions for a 

variety of different regulatory purposes. Inventories are required for reasonable further progress, 

attainment, and maintenance SIPs. These inventories may serve as the basis for the SIP motor 

vehicle emissions budgets, which are used in regional conformity analyses. Emission estimates 

are also created specifically for air quality modeling for attainment demonstrations. On-road 

emissions are calculated as part of the regional conformity analysis for transportation plan and 

transportation improvement program (TIP) conformity determinations as well as the regional 

emissions analysis associated with projects in isolated rural areas. Users may create emission 

inventories for submission to the National Emissions Inventory and for more general planning 

purposes, such as comparison of different emission scenarios prior to development of a SIP. 

EPA recommends using as much local information as possible when preparing inventories for 

SIPs and regional conformity analyses. However, EPA recognizes that state and local agencies 

sometimes use different methods and different levels of detail in creating inventories depending 

on the intended purpose. 

In order to provide the necessary inputs for air quality modeling, emission inventories created for 

attainment demonstrations may need to be based on meteorology and activity for a specific 

nonattainment episode or for a large number of specific days covering all or part of a season or 

year to be modeled in the attainment demonstration. For the development of the SIP’s motor 

vehicle emissions budgets and regional conformity analyses, an emission inventory based on 

typical seasonal day (e.g., typical summer day for ozone precursors) or annual inventory that is 

based on monthly emissions (e.g., annual PM2.5 standard) generally is sufficient. Users should 

consult with their EPA Regional Office if questions arise. 

2.2 What data are required to run MOVES? 

MOVES needs certain information regarding the time and place being modeled in order to 

calculate emissions, including information about vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by vehicle type, 

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the number of each type of vehicle in the fleet (that is, the population of vehicles), vehicle age 

distribution, fuel information, meteorological data, et cetera. Section 4 of this guidance 

describes the information that is needed and how users can enter it. 

For most inputs, users need to provide local data, but there are some inputs where relying on 

MOVES defaults is acceptable or recommended. As with any model, the quality of the inputs 

affects the quality of the model’s results. Including specific information about a particular 

county or set of counties helps to ensure that the emissions estimates from MOVES will be as 

accurate as possible. For some of the inputs, the data in the MOVES database will not be the 

most current or best available for a specific county. However, there are some instances where 

the use of default data is recommended, and some instances where default information can be 

used without affecting the quality of the results. Section 4 discusses the data fields for which it 

would be acceptable or recommended to use default data. 

2.3 What options do users have for calculating an inventory within or 

outside of MOVES? 

MOVES offers two options for calculation type: 

•	 With an Inventory approach, users input local activity data (e.g., VMT and vehicle 

population data, and/or optional start and/or hoteling data) into MOVES and the model 

calculates the inventory. Output is total emissions in units of mass. 

•	 With the Emission Rates approach, users multiply the appropriate local activity data (e.g., 

VMT and vehicle population and/or optional start and/or hoteling data) by the emission 

rates that MOVES generates to calculate an inventory (although VMT and vehicle 

population data are still needed as inputs for an Emission Rates MOVES run). The 

Emission Rates approach produces a look-up table of emission rates. Output examples 

include emissions per unit of distance for running emissions, per profile for evaporative 

processes, or per vehicle for starts and hotelling emissions. Alternatively, start emissions 

can be calculated as rate per start and hotelling emissions as rate per hour. Users must 

take care to ensure that the proper measure of activity is used for each emission process. 

Users may select either the Inventory or Emission Rates approach to develop emissions estimates 

for SIPs and regional conformity analyses.7 Differences in input for Inventory versus Emission 

Rate calculation are noted in the guidance text. Using the Inventory method may be preferable 

when the user wants to minimize post-processing steps required thus avoiding inadvertent errors 

during post-processing. The Emission Rates method may be preferable when the user wants to 

apply emission rates to multiple geographic locations. If the Emission Rate approach is selected, 

users will need to prepare emissions inventories outside of the MOVES model. 

2.4 What options do users have to model more than one county? 

Users have two options for defining an area when using the County scale: either County or 

Custom Domain (described in Section 3.4 of this document). The County scale must be used for 

7 Section 3.2.3 includes a discussion of the equivalency of the Inventory and Emission Rates options in calculating 

emissions. 

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SIP and regional conformity analyses; within the County scale, users have the options of 

modeling an individual county (the “County” option) or a group of counties (the “Custom 

Domain” option). Selecting the County option allows one county to be modeled in the run; the 

user chooses the particular county from a pull-down menu from the Geographic Bounds Panel. 

When only one county is being modeled, selecting County as the region within the County scale 

is the choice to make. 

For a multi-county area, though, users have two approaches. One approach is to select the 

County option and run MOVES multiple times, once for each county. Use of the County option 

allows the user to access more easily some of the MOVES database default inputs for that county 

if appropriate. Each run where County is chosen will produce output for the county selected. 

The second option is to select Custom Domain as the region within the County Scale, which 

allows the user to define a geographic area that may consist of multiple counties, parts of 

counties, or combinations of counties and partial counties that can be described using a single set 

of inputs. In addition, the user can vary vehicle activity by zone within a Custom Domain, and 

generate output by zone. Zones can be the individual counties within the Custom Domain. 

Vehicle age distribution, fuel information, and I/M program must be the same throughout the 

Custom Domain, but the user can vary meteorology inputs by zone and allocate vehicle activity 

among the zones. Total activity in terms of VMT and population is provided for the entire area, 

and MOVES allocates these data to the zones based on factors provided by the user. The 

advantage is that the user can model a multi-county area and generate output for each county (or 

zone) with a single run. 

When Custom Domain is selected, users do not have direct access to county-specific information 

in the MOVES database, but modelers can obtain this information with some extra steps. 

Section 3.4 provides further information on County and Custom Domain, including how activity 

can be allocated by zone. 

2.5 What are the options for creating inventories for SIPs and 

conformity? 

There is more than one approach for creating an on-road emission inventory for an area made up 

of more than one county, such as a metropolitan area. For example: 

•	 Each county could be modeled individually, using either the Inventory or Emission Rates 

approach, depending on the user’s preference. 

•	 The user could define the modeling area as one or more Custom Domains. In some 

cases, one Custom Domain might be appropriate for an entire metropolitan area; in 

metropolitan areas made up of many counties, more than one Custom Domain may be 

needed. MOVES2014 allows the user to vary activity by county and generate output by 

county (or zone). 

•	 Another option a modeler could use would be to model one county as a representative 

county with the Emission Rates approach to generate emission rates at various 

temperatures. These emission rates could then be applied to a larger area, as long as fuel 

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used and the I/M program in the larger area is the same as that modeled for the 

representative county. 

Table 1 summarizes the combinations of calculation type and geographic area definition that 

users can employ for creating emissions inventories using the County scale. Any of the 

combinations will produce accurate results when executed correctly. The number of counties 

included in the area to be modeled and whether results for each individual county are needed are 

key considerations in choosing an approach. 

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Table 1: Summary of Modeling Approaches Using the County Scale 

Geographic 

Area 

Approach Advantages Considerations 

One county, 

using County 

option 

Use Inventory • Shorter run time and smaller 

output files 

Use Emission Rates • Rates can be applied on a link 

basis if desired 

• Longer run time, larger output files 

• Running, start, evaporative, and hotelling rates 

must be post-processed to create an inventory 

Multi-county 

area, using 

County option 

Use Inventory and County to 

model each county 

separately 

• Automatic access to MOVES 

default database 

• Produces results for each county 

• An individual run is needed for each county, so 

this strategy is more feasible if the number of 

counties is small 

Use Emission Rates and • Only one run per representative • Emission rates from the representative county 

County to model a county is necessary can be used for other counties only if they have 

representative county (or • Allows user to generate results the same fuels and I/M program as the 

counties), and create for each county representative county (i.e., a separate run is 

inventories from rates with • Automatic access to MOVES needed for each combination of fuel type and 

activity data for each county default database 

• Rates can be applied on a link 

basis if desired 

• Better able to model an area when 

vehicle characterization (age 

I/M program present in the area). See Section 

4.9 (fuels) and Section 4.10 (I/M programs) for 

more information. 

• Running, start, evaporative, and hotelling rates 

must be post-processed to create an inventory 

distribution, fuel type, I/M) are 

uniform in the area, but 

temperatures vary widely 

Multi-county Use Inventory and Custom • Only one run per Custom Domain • No automatic access to MOVES default 

area, using Domain to model the entire is necessary database 

Custom area • Some vehicle activity can be • The same vehicle age distribution, fuels, and 

Domain varied by county within the 

Custom Domain and output can 

be generated by county 

I/M program must apply throughout the area of 

the custom domain 

12
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Geographic 

Area 

Approach Advantages Considerations 

Use Emission Rates and • Only one run per Custom Domain • No automatic access to MOVES default 

Custom Domain to model the is necessary database 

entire area, and create • Allows user to generate an • The same vehicle age distribution, fuels, and 

inventories from rates with inventory for each county, by I/M program must apply throughout the area of 

activity data for each county taking the MOVES Emission 

Rates output and multiplying 

them by activity data from each 

county 

• Rates can be applied on a link 

basis if desired 

the custom domain 

• Running, start, evaporative, and hotelling rates 

must be post-processed to create an inventory 

Multi-county Use Emission Rates and • Allows user to generate results • Several representative counties will need to be 

area, with rates County to model a for each county run to capture the combinations of fuels and 

by temperature representative county; model 

each hour as a separate 

temperature to get emission 

rates for each temperature; 

then create inventories from 

rates at the appropriate 

temperature with activity 

data for each county 

• Automatic access to MOVES 

default database 

I/M programs that exist 

• Running, start, evaporative, and hotelling rates 

must be post-processed to create an inventory 

• Users will need to use care to ensure 

appropriate rates are used for each county 

13
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Section 3: Creating a Run Specification File 

3.1 How is a Run Specification (RunSpec) created? 

Users establish a RunSpec file to define the place and time period of the analysis as well as the 

vehicle types, road types, fuel types, and the emission-producing processes and pollutants that 

will be included in the analysis. The RunSpec is a computer file in XML format that can be 

edited and executed directly, or that can be accessed, changed, and run through the MOVES 

GUI. 

The Navigation Panel in the MOVES GUI is used to access a series of other panels and tabs that 

specify the RunSpec file. The following subsections describe each set of input options needed to 

create the RunSpec, as defined in the Navigation Panel. When estimating emissions for a SIP or 

regional conformity analysis, the user would progress through the Navigation Panel and make 

the appropriate selections or data as follows: 

• Description 

• Scale and Calculation Type (Inventory or Emission Rates) 

• Time Spans 

• Geographic Bounds 

• Vehicles/Equipment 

• Road Type 

• Pollutants and Processes 

• Manage Input Data Sets 

• Strategies 

• Output 

• Advanced Performance Features 

Each panel is described below. Note that selections made in some panels affect available options 

in other panels. While MOVES does allow the user to complete these panels in any order, we 

recommend filling them out in the order they appear in the Navigation Panel. 

Tip: The entire RunSpec should always be completed before the user 

creates an input database in the County Data Manager. 

3.1.1 Description 

The Description Panel allows the user to enter a description of the RunSpec using up to 5,000 

characters of text.8 Entering a complete description of the RunSpec will help users keep track of 

their MOVES runs. The description may also be helpful in documenting the run for external 

reviewers of a SIP or conformity analysis. 

8 Due to restrictions in MySQL software, no quotation marks, ampersands, or backslashes are allowed. 

14
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.2 Scale and Calculation Type 

Selecting Scale on the Navigation Panel in MOVES brings up the Model, Domain/Scale, and 

Calculation Type Panel. MOVES allows users to choose either onroad or nonroad emissions. 

MOVES provides users with the ability to conduct analyses at three scales: National, County, 

and Project. MOVES also provides two options for calculation type: Inventory or Emission 

Rates. Users are free to use either the Inventory or Emission Rates option depending on their 

preference. This guidance will provide additional detail where necessary to emphasize 

differences between these two options. 

Tip: Use of the County scale is necessary for SIPs and for regional 

conformity analyses. 

3.2.1 Model 

Unlike previous versions of MOVES, MOVES2014 and MOVES2014a include the capability of 

estimating emissions of nonroad equipment and engines. Within MOVES2014 and 

MOVES2014a, the onroad and nonroad capabilities exist as separate modules, and users must 

select one or the other. For this first implementation of nonroad capabilities, MOVES2014 

simply adds existing NONROAD2008 code into the MOVES GUI and database structure. 

MOVES2014a adds new VOC and air toxics options to MOVES and updates the default nonroad 

fuels database. Future versions of MOVES will update the underlying nonroad code and data 

and more fully integrate the onroad and nonroad capabilities of MOVES. Until then, this 

guidance only covers the onroad capabilities of MOVES. 

3.2.2 Domain/Scale 

Each scale option in MOVES has its own intended purpose and the amount of data that the user 

must supply varies depending on the selection: 

- The National scale can be used to estimate emissions for the entire country, for a state, 

for a group of counties, or for individual counties. At the National scale, MOVES uses a 

default national database that allocates emissions to the county level based on a mix of 

national data, allocation factors, and some pre-loaded local data. In general, EPA cannot 

certify that the default data in the national database is the most current or best available 

information for any specific county. Because of this, users must not use the National 

scale option when developing emission estimates for SIPs or regional conformity 

analyses. 

- The County scale requires the user to enter data to characterize local meteorology, fleet, 

and activity information through the County Data Manager (CDM). The CDM facilitates 

the input of local data and also allows the user to review county data included in the 

default national database. The County scale is the only scale appropriate for 

developing emission estimates for SIPs or regional conformity analyses. Detailed 

guidance on specific inputs for the CDM, including the use of default inputs, is given in 

Section 4 of this guidance. 

- The Project scale allows the user to perform micro-scale analysis of emissions on 

individual roadway links or locations where emissions from vehicles starts or extended 

15
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

idle activity occur. The project scale is not intended for use in SIPs or regional 

conformity analyses. Guidance on the use of the project scale in MOVES for quantitative 

hot-spot analysis in CO, PM2.5 and PM10 nonattainment and maintenance areas is 

described in separate guidance documents which are available at 

www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/projectlevel-hotspot.htm. 

3.2.3 Calculation Type 

The Scale Panel also requires that the user select a calculation type of either Inventory or 

Emission Rates. If Inventory is selected, MOVES provides emission estimates as mass, using 

VMT and vehicle population entered by the user. If Emission Rates is selected, MOVES 

provides emission rates as mass per unit of activity. The Emission Rates approach produces a 

look-up table of emission rates that must be post-processed to produce an inventory. The 

selection of calculation type is required early in the RunSpec construction process because this 

choice affects the available options in later panels. 

Users may choose either the Inventory or Emission Rates approach depending on their 

preference. As discussed in Section 2 of this document, each approach has advantages and 

considerations, and users will need to decide which approach is more appropriate for the type of 

analysis they are conducting. Both approaches use the same underlying emission data and will 

produce the same results if the user calculates an inventory from rates in the same way that 

MOVES does this internally. Table 1 in Section 2 above provides a summary of modeling 

approaches. 

As noted in Section 2.5, the Emission Rates approach is more complex than the Inventory 

approach. Successful application of this approach requires careful planning and a clear 

understanding of the rates calculations in MOVES. Large differences in results between the 

Inventory and Emission Rates approaches are usually an indication of a mistake in postprocessing of the emission rates using the Emission Rates approach. The most common 

mistakes when using the Emission Rates approach are not including all pollutant processes or 

multiplying emission rates by the wrong activity. To correctly compile an emission inventory 

using rates, running rates must be multiplied by VMT, while emission rates from processes that 

occur when the vehicle is parked (such as start, evaporative, and extended idling rates) must be 

multiplied by the total population of vehicles in the area. Note that there are alternative rates for 

some of the processes that occur when the vehicle is parked: 

•	 Start emission inventories can be calculated either by multiplying the rate per vehicle by 

the total population of vehicles in the area, or by multiplying the rate per start by the total 

number of starts; 

•	 Hotelling emissions can be calculated by multiplying the rate per vehicle by the total 

population of long-haul combination trucks in the area or by multiplying the rate per hour 

by the hours of hotelling activity.9 

9 More information about creating complete inventories using the Emission Rates calculation type can be found in 

the presentations used in EPA’s 2-day training course, available for download on the web at: 

www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/training.htm#2 . 

16
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even when done correctly, minor differences in post-processing methods can create small 

differences in results. EPA recommends that the same approach be used in any analysis that 

compares two or more cases (e.g., the base year and attainment year in a SIP analysis or the SIP 

motor vehicle emissions budget and the regional conformity analysis). The interagency 

consultation process should be used to agree upon a common approach. If different approaches 

are used for the SIP budget and the regional conformity analysis for practical reasons, the 

interagency consultation process should be used to determine how to address (and minimize) any 

differences in results. The methods, and those methods used to develop inventories should be 

fully documented in the SIP submission and conformity determinations. 

EPA has developed tools to automate the use of the Emission Rates approach to create inputs for 

EPA’s Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emissions (SMOKE) model for SIP development 

purposes. These tools simplify the process of post-processing MOVES output for air quality 

modeling in SIPs and are described at EPA’s modeling web site www.epa.gov/ttn/scram. 

3.3 Time Spans 

The Time Spans Panel includes five sections – one to select the Time Aggregation Level, and 

four more to select specific Years, Months, Days, and Hours. Guidance for each of these inputs 

is described separately in this section. 

3.3.1 Time Aggregation Level 

The Time Aggregation Level has 4 options: Year, Month, Day, and Hour. This determines the 

amount of pre-aggregation of input data. A longer time span will aggregate or average input data 

to create a single value for the time aggregation level chosen. For example, if the user chooses 

Hour, MOVES will calculate emissions for each hour of a day based on the specific inputs for 

that hour (e.g., temperature, speed distribution). If the user chooses Day, MOVES calculates 

emissions for a day based on the average of the hourly inputs for the day (e.g., a single average 

temperature is applied to the whole day). Likewise, if the user chooses Month or Year, MOVES 

will calculate emissions based on single monthly or yearly average inputs (e.g., a single average 

temperature will be applied to a full month or year). 

For SIP and regional conformity analysis, select Hour for Time Aggregation Level. Because 

emissions of criteria pollutants are dependent on ambient temperature, diurnal, daily, and 

monthly variations in temperature can have large impacts on emission results. Thus using any 

time aggregation level other than Hour can result in a significant loss of resolution of emissions 

data and usually a bias toward underestimating emissions, as discussed in the previous 

paragraph. 

3.3.2 Calendar Year of Evaluation 

MOVES can model calendar years 1990 and 1999 through2050. Note that the County scale in 

MOVES allows only a single calendar year in a RunSpec. Users who want to model multiple 

calendar years will need to create multiple RunSpecs, with local data specific to each calendar 

year, and run MOVES multiple times. 

17
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.3.3 Month of Evaluation 

MOVES allows users to calculate emissions for any month of the year. A single RunSpec may 

produce emissions for multiple months. Users should choose the appropriate months for the 

pollutant being analyzed, i.e., the summer ozone season for NOx and HC, or the winter CO 

season. To develop an annual inventory, select all months. 

In cases where the user intends to model multiple months within a single year, the user must be 

aware of how MOVES treats the input data. Fuel Supply and Meteorology can vary by month in 

a single RunSpec because the month is defined in the data tables used for these inputs. However, 

the other data fields in the CDM (described in Section 4 of this document) can only be input as a 

single set applied to all months selected. Therefore, if the user has, for example, Average Speed 

Distribution data that vary by month, the user would have to execute multiple RunSpecs to use 

each data set with the corresponding month. 

3.3.4 Type of Day of Evaluation 

Weekdays and weekend days can be modeled separately in MOVES. MOVES provides the 

option of supplying different speed and VMT information for weekdays and weekend days to 

allow the calculation of separate emissions estimates by type of day. Average Speed 

Distribution, Day VMT Fraction, and Hour VMT Fraction are the only inputs in the CDM that 

differentiate between weekdays and weekend days. For most SIPs and regional conformity 

analyses, the use of weekday data and the selection of Weekday in the Time Span Panel are 

recommended. Weekday data should be used for any inventory that represents a typical summer 

or winter day. 

Weekend day data could be used: 

- If the user needs to prepare an inventory for a multi-day period that includes weekend 

days, and 

- Weekend day data with different speed distributions, daily VMT fractions, and/or hourly 

VMT fractions are available. 

In that case, both weekdays and weekend days should be selected and the different speed and 

VMT data entered accordingly. 

However, if you have speed distributions for only one type of day, use the same information for 

both types of days. Doing so will make using built-in post aggregation tools easier. These tools 

are covered in Section 3.10.2 of this document, Output Emission Detail. 

Tip: If data are included for only one type of day, and Month or Year is 

selected in this panel, MOVES will provide an incomplete result. The 

emissions for the month or year will be the total emissions from only one 

day-type (e.g., weekdays) in that month or year and emissions from the 

other day type (e.g., weekend-days) will be missing. 

For the Day VMT Fraction, users can generate the appropriate mix of VMT on each type of day 

with the EPA-provided AADVMT Converter for MOVES2014 (described in Section 4.5 of this 

18 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

document). If only one type of day is selected, the calculator will appropriately adjust the day 

fraction to account for VMT for a single weekday or weekend day. 

The Hour VMT Fraction can also differ by type of day and users can supply this information if 

available; however, if information is only available for a single type of day, either the default 

value or the user-supplied value for the single day can be used for the other type of day. 

3.3.5 Hour of Evaluation 

To properly estimate emissions for a day, month or year, the user must select all 24 hours. Also, 

selection of all 24 hours is required by MOVES to evaluate non-running evaporative 

hydrocarbon emissions because they depend on the daily temperature variance. 

3.3.6 Time Span Panel Selections: Emission Rates Mode 

When the Emission Rates is selected, users may choose to approach the selection of options in 

the Time Spans Panel differently than when running MOVES in Inventory mode. For example, 

when modeling running emission rates, instead of entering a diurnal temperature profile for 24 

hours, users can enter a range of 24 temperatures in increments that represent the temperatures 

over a period of time. By selecting more than one month and using a different set of incremental 

temperatures for each month, users could create a table of running emission rates by all the 

possible temperatures over an entire season or year. 

For start and evaporative emissions, by selecting more than one month and entering a different 

diurnal temperature range or profile for each month, users can create multiple start and 

evaporative emission tables that could be used for an entire season or year. Users should consult 

Section 4.2.2 for additional guidance on developing rate lookup tables.10 

3.4 Geographic Bounds 

Once the County scale is selected (as needed for SIPs and regional conformity analyses), the 

Region section of the Geographic Bounds Panel is limited to two options: County or Custom 

Domain. Either option can be used for SIP and regional conformity analyses and the user should 

choose the one that is best suited for the data they have available. Each option is explained in 

greater detail below. 

3.4.1 County Option 

Within the County scale, users should choose the County option if only one county is being 

analyzed or when modeling multiple counties that have unique age distributions, unique I/M 

programs or unique fuel formulations or supplies, in which case each county would be modeled 

in an individual run. See Table 1 in Section 2.5 for a summary of modeling approaches. 

Users also specify the county to be modeled in the Geographic Bounds Panel. The County 

option allows only one county and one calendar year to be analyzed at a time. As a result, 

multiple runs of MOVES, using multiple RunSpec files, will be needed to develop emission 

estimates for multiple counties. 

10 See EPA’s 2-day training course for additional information, available for download at: 

www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/training.htm#2. 

19
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Use of the County option has the following advantages. The County option allows the user to 

more easily employ MOVES database default inputs for that county, if appropriate, as described 

in Section 4 of this document. The County option also provides individual output for each 

county. 

3.4.2 Custom Domain Option 

A custom domain is a geographic area that may consist of multiple counties, parts of counties, or 

combinations of counties and partial counties that can be described using a single set of inputs in 

the CDM. The same vehicle age distribution, fuel information, and I/M program must apply 

throughout the custom domain while vehicle activity can vary across zones (see Section 4.11 for 

details). The custom domain area is described by a single RunSpec file. Using the Custom 

Domain option can reduce the number of MOVES runs required, as long as inputs are 

appropriate to the entire domain (or appropriately varied within the domain as described in 

Section 4.11). 

Unique fractions of running, start, parked (evap), and hoteling activity can be applied to each 

zone within the custom domain, and output will be disaggregated by zone. Users who choose to 

define each county in a custom domain as a separate zone can then get separate output for each 

county (zone). 

As an alternative, when using the Emission Rates calculation option, MOVES produces a lookup 

table of emission rates. These emission rates can then be post-processed outside of MOVES to 

produce separate emissions estimates for each county by multiplying the emission rates by the 

appropriate source type population and VMT for each county. This combination of Custom 

Domain and Emission Rates can be an effective way to develop emissions estimates for a large 

number of areas with similar characteristics, while preserving the ability to specify the emissions 

within each area. 

By selecting Custom Domain, users will create a generic county for which no data are available 

in the default database. Therefore, users must supply data for all the tabs in the CDM (see 

Section 4 of this document) and essentially re-create entries in the County and CountyYear tables 

of the default database by providing information about the area on the Geographic Bounds Panel. 

Users can refer to these tables to find data for the counties that comprise the custom domain 

being created. Users must provide the following information to create new entries for the 

County and CountyYear tables for the custom domain: 

- CountyID; 

- Description (e.g., the name of the county); 

- Geographic Phase-in Area (GPA) Fraction. The GPA is an area around the Rocky 

Mountains where the Federal Tier 2 sulfur control program was implemented on a 

delayed schedule. Users should enter 1 if the custom domain falls within the GPA and 0 

if it is outside the GPA; in the unlikely event the custom domain is split, users should 

enter the fraction of VMT that occurs inside the GPA. 

20
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Barometric Pressure (in inches of mercury); 

- Refueling Vapor and Spill Adjustment Factors. The refueling Vapor and Spill 

Adjustment Factor terms are factors that describe the extent and effectiveness of a Stage 

II refueling program in the area. Users can refer to the CountyYear table in the MOVES 

default database to see the default factors for the counties in the Custom Domain or 

Section 4.15 of this document for additional discussion of Stage II refueling programs. 

3.4.3 Domain Input Database 

In this section of the Geographic Bounds Panel, the user can open the CDM by clicking on the 

“Enter/Edit Data” button (the CDM can also be accessed from the Pre-Processing Menu). 

Tip: It is important to note that modelers should complete the rest of the 

RunSpec panels before importing data in the CDM. 

Once a database has been completely populated, users should select the database in the Database 

section of this panel. Users may have to hit the Refresh button to make sure the database they 

create appears on the drop down list. 

3.5 Vehicles/Equipment: On-Road Vehicle Equipment 

MOVES describes vehicles by a combination of vehicle characteristics (e.g. passenger car, 

passenger truck, light commercial truck, etc.) and the fuel that the vehicle is capable of using 

(gasoline, diesel, etc.). The Vehicles/Equipment Panel is used to specify the vehicle types that 

are included in the MOVES run. MOVES allows the user to select from among 13 source use 

types (the terminology that MOVES uses to describe vehicles), and six different fuel types 

(gasoline, ethanol (E-85), diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), electricity, and liquefied 

petroleum gas (LPG)11). Some source/fuel type combinations are not included in the MOVES 

database (e.g., diesel motorcycles). For more information about source types, see Sections 4.3 

and 4.5 of this document. 

For SIP and regional conformity analyses, users must select the appropriate vehicle and fuel type 

combinations in the On Road Vehicle Equipment Panel to reflect the full range of vehicles that 

will operate in the county. Users should always select all valid12 diesel, gasoline, ethanol (E-85), 

and CNG (only transit buses) vehicle and fuel combinations. Ethanol should be selected even if 

there is no E-85 fuel sold in the area. Flex-fueled E-85 capable vehicles are a component of the 

vehicle fleet in every county in the U.S. and MOVES automatically assigns some VMT to these 

vehicles. 

The vehicle and fuel combinations selected on this panel will be affected by the Fuel Tab (see 

Section 4.9 of this document) in the CDM. If no changes are made on the Fuel tab, default 

11 The default MOVES database does not include any emission factors for onroad LPG vehicles. 12 MOVES2014 will indicate which combinations are invalid (e.g. diesel motorcycles). MOVES2014a 

automatically selects only valid combinations. 

21
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

gasoline, E-85, diesel, and CNG fractions will be used. If the user has data indicating that no E85 fuel is available in the county, this would be specified in the Fuel Usage Fraction input of the 

Fuel tab. If the user has other data detailing the fleet and activity of alternative fuel/vehicle 

combinations, then those combinations should be selected using the AVFT input in the Fuel tab. 

In the Fuel Supply input of the Fuel tab, the user must provide valid fuel formulations that 

correspond to all vehicle-fuel combinations selected in the On-Road Vehicle Equipment Panel. 

Tip: Even if you do not have any E-85 sold in your area, be sure to include 

Ethanol (E-85) in your fuel/source type combinations. Otherwise, VMT 

and emissions from E-85 capable vehicles will not be included in your 

inventory. If there is no E-85 sold locally, use the Fuel Usage Fraction 

input in the Fuel Tab to indicate that. MOVES will then calculate 

emissions for E-85 vehicles using gasoline fuel. 

Tip: If your local transit bus fleet uses only one type of fuel (CNG, diesel, 

or gasoline), use the AVFT input in the Fuel Tab to change the fractions of 

the bus fleet appropriately (e.g., with a fraction of 1.0 for that fuel and 0.0 

for the others). Otherwise, MOVES will, by default, allocate some of the 

VMT to buses that use the other fuels and thus the results may 

underestimate emissions. 

Detailed information describing the local vehicle fleet and its activity can be entered in the CDM 

using the Source Type Population, Age Distribution, Vehicle Type VMT, Average Speed 

Distribution, and Road Type Distribution tabs. See Section 4 of this document for more 

information. 

3.6 Road Type 

The Road Type Panel is used to define the types of roads that are included in the run. MOVES 

defines five different Road Types: 

- Off-Network (roadtype 1) – all locations where the predominant activity is vehicle starts, 

parking and idling (parking lots, truck stops, rest areas, freight or bus terminals) 

- Rural Restricted Access (2) – rural highways that can only be accessed by an on-ramp 

- Rural Unrestricted Access (3) – all other rural roads (arterials, connectors, and local 

streets) 

- Urban Restricted Access (4) – urban highways that can only be accessed by an on-ramp 

- Urban Unrestricted Access (5) – all other urban roads (arterials, connectors, and local 

streets) 

In general, users should select all road types. Limiting road types can sometimes lead to 

unintended consequences. The determination of rural or urban road types should be based on the 

Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) classification of the roads in the county 

being analyzed. 

All SIP and regional conformity analyses must include the Off-Network road type in order to 

account for emissions from vehicle starts, hotelling activity, and evaporative emissions. The 

Off-Network road type is automatically selected when start or hotelling pollutant processes are 

22
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

chosen and must be selected for all evaporative emissions to be quantified. Off-Network activity 

in MOVES is primarily determined by the Source Type Population input, which is described in 

Section 4.3 of this document. Some evaporative emissions are estimated on roadways (i.e., road 

types 2, 3, 4, and 5) to account for evaporative emissions that occur when vehicles are driving. 

All roads types are automatically selected when Refueling emission processes are selected. 

Hotelling activity is determined in MOVES2014 by the user defined rural highway long-haul 

combination truck VMT. 

MOVES uses Road Type to assign default drive cycles to activity on road types 2, 3, 4, and 5. 

For example, for unrestricted access road types, MOVES uses drive cycles that assume stop and 

go driving, including multiple accelerations, decelerations, and short periods of idling. For 

restricted access road types, MOVES uses drive cycles that include a higher fraction of cruise 

activity with less time spent accelerating or idling, although some ramp activity is also included. 

Selection of road types in the Road Type Panel also determines the road types that will be 

included in the MOVES run results. Different characteristics of local activity by road type are 

entered in the CDM using the Average Speed Distribution and Road Type Distribution importers 

as described in Sections 4.6 and 4.7 below. 

In Inventory mode, users also have the option of obtaining emissions for ramps and non-ramp 

highways separately when one or more restricted road types is selected. 13 To obtain output 

separated for highways and ramps, instead of combined together in the restricted road types, 

users would check the “Provide separate ramp output” box in the Road Type Panel of the 

RunSpec14. This option should only be selected if output is needed for ramps and highways 

separately. In general, most users should not select this option when developing regional 

emissions inventories. If this option is selected, MOVES will produce output for the following 

road types: 

- Rural Restricted without Ramps (6) – rural highways excluding ramp activity and 

emissions 

- Urban Restricted without Ramps (7) – urban highways excluding ramp activity and 

emissions 

- Rural Restricted only Ramps (8) – rural highway ramp activity and emissions only 

- Urban Restricted only Ramps (9) – urban highway ramps activity and emissions only 

When the box is checked, MOVES will not produce output for the Rural Restricted Access road 

type (2) because output for this road type will be separated into road types (6) and (8). Similarly, 

MOVES will not produce output for the Urban Restricted Access road type (4) because output 

for this road type will be separated into road types (7) and (9). 

3.7 Pollutants and Processes 

In MOVES, “pollutant” refers to particular types of pollutants or precursors of the pollutant, such 

as CO or NOx, while “process” refers to the mechanism by which emissions are created, such as 

13 This option is disabled when using Emission Rates in the October 2014 release of MOVES2014, but may be
 

added in a later release.
 14 In addition, “Road Type” must be selected in the Output Emissions Detail Panel (see Section 3.10.4 of this
 

document)
 

23
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

running exhaust or start exhaust. Processes in MOVES are mutually exclusive types of 

emissions and users must select all processes associated with a particular pollutant in order to 

account for all emissions of that pollutant. For example, there are 12 separate pollutant 

processes in MOVES for hydrocarbon emissions. In most cases, all 12 of these processes must 

be selected to properly account for all hydrocarbon emissions from motor vehicles.15 

In Inventory mode, the total emissions for a particular pollutant are the sum of the emissions for 

all pollutant processes that apply to the pollutant. In Emission Rates mode, the total emissions 

for a particular pollutant are the sum of the product of emission rates and the appropriate activity 

measure (VMT or vehicle population) for each vehicle type for all pollutant processes that apply 

to that pollutant and vehicle type. 

For many pollutants, the emissions calculation in MOVES is based on prior calculation of 

another pollutant. In such cases, users must select all of the base pollutants that determine a 

particular dependent pollutant. For example, when selecting Primary Exhaust PM2.5, users must 

also select Elemental Carbon and Composite NonECPM (non-elemental carbon particulate 

matter). MOVES will display error messages in the box on the Pollutants and Processes screen 

until all necessary base pollutants are selected. Clicking the button “Select Prerequisites” 

automatically selects all necessary pollutants and will clear the error messages. 

For particulate matter (PM2.5 or PM10), you must include Primary Exhaust PM –Total, Primary 

PM – Brakewear Particulate, and Primary PM – Tirewear Particulate to include all particulate 

emissions from onroad vehicles. 

Tip: It may be necessary to use the bottom scroll bar to view all of the 

process choices. 

3.7.1 Pollutants and Processes in Emission Rates Mode 

Users should be aware that MOVES produces separate output tables with rates that the user 

multiplies by different activity types for different emission processes. In order to properly 

calculate a total emissions inventory using the Emission Rates approach, users need to properly 

sum the products of emission rates and activity for each vehicle type, for each applicable 

pollutant process in each of the applicable tables. Following are the tables produced by an 

Emission Rates run and the processes included in each table. The rates labeled “alternative” 

below represent alternative forms (units) of some of the emissions reported in the Rate per 

Vehicle table, not additional emissions. Users should not apply both sets of rates to the same 

emissions processes, in order to avoid double-counting. 

15 States must account for all emission processes in the SIP. However, two of the 12 hydrocarbon emission 

categories, refueling displacement vapor loss and refueling spillage loss, are sometimes included in the SIP as an 

area source and left out of the on-road mobile source inventory and motor vehicle emissions budget. In that case, 

the two refueling emission processes which are not included in the motor vehicle emission budget would not be 

included in a regional conformity analysis. The interagency consultation process should be used to confirm that 

there is consistency in the approach used to account for refueling emissions in the SIP and regional 

conformity analyses. 

24
 
 

 

 

•	 Rate per Distance Table - emissions in mass per distance (e.g., grams/mile); user 

multiplies these rates by total VMT by vehicle type: 

o	 Running exhaust 

o	 Crankcase running exhaust 

o	 Brake wear (PM only) 

o	 Tire wear (PM only) 

o	 Evaporative permeation (HC only) 

o	 Evaporative fuel vapor venting (HC only) 

o	 Refueling displacement vapor loss (HC only) 

o	 Refueling spillage loss (HC only) 

•	 Rate per Vehicle Table – emissions in mass per vehicle (e.g., grams/vehicle); user 

multiplies these rates by total vehicle population by vehicle type: 

o	 Start exhaust 

o	 Crankcase start exhaust 

o	 Evaporative permeation (HC only) 

o	 Evaporative fuel leaks (HC only) 

o	 Refueling displacement vapor loss (HC only)16 

o	 Refueling spillage loss (HC only) 

o	 Exhaust extended idle emissions (long-haul combination trucks only) 

o	 Crankcase exhaust extended idle emissions (long-haul combination trucks 

only) 

o	 Auxilliary Power Exhaust (long-haul combination trucks only) 

•	 Rate per Profile Table (HC only) – emissions in mass per vehicle (e.g., 

grams/vehicle); user multiplies this rate by total vehicle population by vehicle type: 

o	 Evaporative fuel vapor venting (HC only) 

•	 Rate per Start (alternative to using Rate per Vehicle Table for start emissions) – 

emissions in mass per start (e.g., grams/vehicle-start); user multiplies these rates by 

the number of individual vehicle starts: 

o	 Start exhaust 

o	 Crankcase start exhaust 

•	 Rate per Hour (alternative to using Rate per Vehicle table for extended idle and 

auxiliary power emissions) – emissions from hotelling activity in mass per hour (e.g., 

grams/hour); user multiplies these rates by the number of hours of hotelling activity: 

o	 Extended idle exhaust (long-haul combination trucks only) 

o	 Extended idle crankcase exhaust (long-haul combination trucks only) 

o	 Auxilliary Power Exhaust (long-haul combination trucks only) 

16 Refueling displacement vapor loss and refueling spillage loss in MOVES are calculated based on fuel 

consumption associated with both running and start activity. As a result, these emissions appear in both the Rate per 

Distance Table and the Rate per Vehicle. Total refueling emissions are the sum of emissions calculated from both 

tables. 

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3.8 Manage Input Data Sets 

This panel allows users to create alternate data tables that are used in place of data from the 

MOVES default database. In most cases, SIP and conformity users will not use this panel at all 

because they will not have to input any databases other than the one created with the CDM (the 

County database is input in the Domain Input Database section of the Geographic Bounds Panel, 

see Section 3.4.3 of this document). The Generic Tab in the CDM (see Section 4.16 of this 

document) can be used to apply local inputs to tables not listed in the other CDM tabs. Users 

should consult with EPA before using the Manage Input Data Sets Panel to input other additional 

data. 

3.9 Strategies 

The Strategies Panel provides access to the Rate of Progress option. 

3.9.1 Rate of Progress 

Rate of Progress only applies to SIP analysis in certain ozone nonattainment areas. The Clean 

Air Act Amendments of 1990 include provisions known as reasonable further progress, or rate of 

progress requirements that call for regular incremental reductions in hydrocarbon and NOx 

emissions over the time period prior to the attainment deadline for moderate and above ozone 

nonattainment areas. Proper implementation of these provisions requires estimating an adjusted 

base year emission inventory, which is essentially an estimate of what motor vehicle emissions 

would have been in the absence of any motor vehicle standards, fuel standards, or state or local 

motor vehicle programs required by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Details on the use 

of this information in the rate of progress calculation will be provided in the applicable ozone 

NAAQS implementation rule. 

The Rate of Progress Panel includes a checkbox which, when checked, disables all motor vehicle 

requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. States using MOVES to generate rate of 

progress plans will need to use this feature to estimate adjusted base year emissions. More 

generally, comparing MOVES runs with and without this checkbox selected can also be used to 

estimate the total benefits of all control programs required by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 

1990. 

3.10 Output 

The Output Panel provides access to two additional panels – General Output and Output 

Emissions Detail. In general, users can generate output in whatever form works best for their 

specific needs. The following subsections provide some guidelines to consider when specifying 

output details and format. 

3.10.1 General Output 

The General Output Panel includes three sections: Output Database, Units, and Activity. 

3.10.1.1 Output Database 

Users can create databases and name them according to personal naming conventions, but EPA 

recommends that users indicate that a database is an output database (such as using “_out” at the 

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end of the output database name). Results from multiple RunSpecs can be stored in a single 

output database, but generally these RunSpecs should be similar in units and aggregation 

because, typically, the user wants to compare results (e.g., RunSpecs that are identical except 

that a different fuel formulation was used) or sum them (e.g., RunSpecs for multiple counties that 

are part of the same nonattainment area). EPA recommends that users create a new output 

database for RunSpecs that are considerably different from RunSpecs stored in existing output 

databases. Users will also want to consider total database size when deciding which RunSpecs to 

store in the same output database. 

3.10.1.2 Units 

Users are free to choose any of the mass unit selection options, but should generally choose a 

unit whose magnitude is appropriate for the parameters of the RunSpec so that interpretation and 

processing of the output is easier. For example, selecting tons in the output for a run aggregated 

hourly may produce emissions of zero if emissions are less than one ton. For most scenarios, 

such as modeling criteria pollutants and their precursors, or mobile source air toxics, grams 

should be selected to avoid these rounding losses. 

3.10.1.3 Activity 

MOVES allows the user to select multiple activity output options. These options are: 

o Distance Traveled, 

o Source Hours, 

o Hotelling Hours, 

o Source Hours Operating, 

o Source Hours Parked, 

o Population, and 

o Starts. 

For Inventory calculations, activity output is not required, but can be useful to verify whether 

activity was properly entered in MOVES. Therefore EPA recommends selecting “Distance 

Traveled” and “Population,” so that the user can compare these outputs with the VMT and 

population that the user included in the input database. Users providing vehicle start information 

through the Starts Importer of the CDM should always select the Starts option. Likewise, users 

providing hotelling information using the Hotelling Importer of the CDM should always select 

the Hotelling Hours option. For Emission Rates calculations, distance and population are 

reported automatically. 

3.10.2 Output Emission Detail 

This panel allows the user to select the amount of detail that will be provided in the output. 

Selecting more detail is useful as the user can later aggregate these results so that the output can 

be analyzed in a variety of ways. However, too much detail can lead to very large output tables 

and longer query execution in MySQL. Thus, users must determine exactly what output detail is 

needed and care should be taken ahead of time to determine where analysis will be focused in 

post-processing. 

Time: Output at the Hour level is recommended for Time unless the user is certain that emission 

results are not needed by time of day. As described in Section 3.3, if the user only selected a 

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single type of day in the Time Spans Panel, then selecting any time period longer than the 

Portion of the Week would not be appropriate. 

Location: The County scale only allows one county or custom domain to be modeled at a time, 

so selection of County is recommended. 

For All/Vehicle Equipment Categories: In most cases, the user does not have to select Model 

Year, unless the user has activity information by model year. Note that selecting Model Year 

will increase the rows of output 31 times. Detailing output by Fuel Type may be helpful if the 

AVFT was used to input activity by alternate fuel vehicles or if separate output for gasoline and 

diesel vehicles are needed. Users can select Emission Processes to obtain output for each 

emissions process; otherwise MOVES will aggregate the results. 

On Road: Detail for Source Use Type and/or Road Type can provide useful information and 

users will generally want to select at least one of these to be able to differentiate light and heavy 

duty emissions or restricted and unrestricted roadway emissions. If you checked the “Provide 

separate ramp output” box in the Road Type Panel, then select Road Type here (otherwise, you 

will get output aggregated for all road types and not get separate ramp output). 

MOVES offers two additional output options, SCC and Regulatory Class, which are generally 

not recommended for SIPs and regional conformity analyses. SCC is an abbreviation for Source 

Classification Code, a system that EPA uses to classify different types of anthropogenic emission 

activities. The existing SCCs for on-road vehicles are combinations of vehicle type and road 

type based on MOVES source type and roadtype IDs. Regulatory Class is a system EPA uses to 

classify vehicles for emission standards purposes. EPA recommends using Source Use Type and 

Road Type instead of SCC or Regulatory Class. 

3.10.4.1 Output Emission Detail When Using Emission Rate Mode 

With Emission Rates, Road Type is automatically selected in the Output Emission Detail Panel. 

Users should also select Source Type when using the Emission Rates option. If Source Type is 

not selected, MOVES will calculate aggregate emission rates for all source types based on the 

VMT and population by source type used as an input in the RunSpec (i.e., values entered using 

the CDM). Thus, the output emissions rates would only be valid for the specific mix of VMT 

and population by source type input. When users select Source Type in Output Emissions Detail 

and produce a table of emissions rates by road type and source type, these emissions rates can be 

correctly applied to VMT and population estimates that have different amounts of activity by 

individual source type. 

Likewise, it is recommended to leave model year and fuel type unchecked, unless the user has 

VMT and population by model year or fuel type that could be applied to these more specific 

rates. Producing more detailed rates tables can provide flexibility, by allowing these rates to be 

applied across large geographic areas that have different age, fueltype or VMT distributions. 

However, smaller geographic areas may not have activity data in this level of detail, and they 

may find that more aggregated rates are easier to use in producing an inventory. 

When Road Type and Source Type detail are selected, MOVES produces lookup tables of 

emission rates by source type and road type. For running emissions, users then post-process 

28
 
 

 

 

these lookup tables outside of MOVES to apply local VMT by source type, road type and speed 

bin to the gram per mile emission rates for each speed bin (based on local distributions of speed). 

For start, hotelling, and evaporative emissions, users would post-process the corresponding 

lookup tables outside of MOVES to apply local source type population information to the gram 

per vehicle emission rates (or alternative gram per start table for starts or gram per hour table for 

hotelling.) Additional detail on the applicability of data entered in the CDM when using the 

Emission Rates approach is provided in the individual parts of Section 4 of this document. 

3.11 Advanced Performance Features 

The Advanced Performance Features Panel is used to invoke features, which may be used to 

improve the run time for long model runs by saving and reusing intermediate results. It is not 

necessary for use in SIPs or regional conformity analyses. Use of these features requires 

knowledge of the detailed software components of the MOVES program, the inputs they require, 

and the outputs they produce. Users interested in these features should review the appropriate 

sections in the MOVES User Guide and the MOVES Software Design and Reference Manual. 

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Section 4: Adding Local Data via the County Data Manager 

4.1 How do users enter information with the County Data Manager? 

The County Data Manager (CDM) is a user interface developed to simplify importing specific 

local data for a single county or a user-defined custom domain without requiring direct 

interaction with the underlying MySQL database. Use of the CDM is necessary with County 

scale runs for SIPs and regional conformity analyses. This section guides users on each element, 

noting differences between County and Custom Domain runs and Inventory and Emission rates 

runs, where applicable. 

Before a user can input any locality specific data, a database must be created on the Database 

tab. EPA recommends that this database name end with “_in” to indicate it is a user input 

database. When the database is created, MOVES keeps track of the selections made in the 

RunSpec at that moment. Users should be careful of making changes to the RunSpec after the 

Domain Input Database has been created, because this can create inconsistencies between the 

Domain Input Database and the rest of the RunSpec. Users should review the appropriate 

sections of the MOVES User Guide for more information on the RunSpec and the Domain Input 

Database. 

The CDM includes multiple tabs, each one of which opens importers that are used to enter 

specific local data. These tabs and importers include the following: 

- Meteorology Data
 

- Source Type Population
 

- Age Distribution
 

- Vehicle Type VMT
 

- Average Speed Distribution
 

- Road Type Distribution
 

- Ramp Fraction
 

- Fuel
 

- I/M Programs
 

- Zone (Custom Domain only)
 

- Starts
 

- Retrofit Data
 

- Hotelling
 

- Generic
 

Each of the importers allows the user to create an import template file with required data field 

names and with some key fields populated. The user then edits this template to add specific local 

data with a spreadsheet application or other tool and imports the data files into MOVES. In 

some importers, there is also the option to export default data from the MOVES database in 

order to review it. Once the user determines that the default data are accurate and applicable to 

the particular analysis or determines that the default data need to be changed and makes those 

changes, the user then imports that data into MOVES. Details of the mechanics of using the data 

30
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

importers are provided in the MOVES User Guide. Guidance for the use of these importers for 

SIPs and regional conformity analyses is given below. 

In Emission Rates runs, vehicle activity inputs affect the calculated emissions rates, and 

reasonable activity inputs are important even though activity data will be applied outside of 

MOVES to calculate an inventory. Vehicle activity inputs are important because they are used 

by MOVES to calculate the relative amounts of running activity and resting activity, which in 

turn affects the rates for start, evaporative and extended idle. As a general rule, users should 

input accurate activity for the scenario being modeled regardless of whether MOVES is being 

used in Inventory or Emissions Rates mode. 

Although there is currently no importer in the CDM to enter local specifications for a Stage II 

program, this section of the document also includes guidance in Section 4.15 on entering local 

information of Stage II refueling programs in MOVES. 

4.2 Meteorology 

Local temperature and humidity data are required inputs for SIP and regional conformity 

analyses with MOVES. Ambient temperature is a key factor in estimating emission rates for onroad vehicles with substantial effects on most pollutant processes. Relative humidity is also 

important for estimating NOx emissions from motor vehicles. MOVES requires a temperature 

(in degrees Fahrenheit) and relative humidity (in percent – 0 to 100 scale) for each hour selected 

in the RunSpec. For example, MOVES requires a 24-hour temperature and humidity profile to 

model a full day of emissions on an hourly basis. EPA has created a tool (available at 

www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/tools.htm) that takes minimum and maximum daily 

temperatures and creates an hourly temperature profile that could be used as input to MOVES. 

Temperature assumptions used for regional conformity analyses must be consistent with those 

used to establish the motor vehicle emissions budget in the SIP as required in the transportation 

conformity rule, 40 CFR §93.122(a)(6). The MOVES database also includes default average 

monthly temperature and humidity data for every county in the country. These default 

temperature and humidity data are based on average temperatures for each county from the 

National Climatic Data Center for the period from 2001 to 2011. EPA does not recommend 

using these default values for SIPs or regional conformity analyses. Sources of temperature data 

and any methods used to adjust them to fit the requirements of MOVES must be documented in 

any official SIP submission or conformity documentation. Detailed local meteorological data are 

available from the National Climatic Data Center at www.ncdc.noaa.gov. 

4.2.1 Meteorology: Guidance for Inventory Mode 

When modeling either a single county or custom domain using the Inventory approach, a 24-

hour temperature and humidity profile should be defined for each month selected in the 

RunSpec. The choice of specific temperature and humidity data may depend on the type of 

analysis. For air quality modeling of a specific exceedance episode (e.g., for SIP attainment 

modeling), actual hourly meteorological data for the episode or for a longer period may be 

necessary. For more generic modeling of average summer or winter day ozone or CO conditions 

for SIP or regional conformity purposes, users should input average daily temperature profiles 

during the months when ozone or CO exceedances typically occur. For ozone season analysis, 

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users can enter the local average temperature profile (which could be based on average minimum 

and maximum temperatures) for July, or for the three month period that best represents the area’s 

ozone season (typically June, July and August; or July, August, and September). For CO season 

analysis, users can enter the local average temperature profile (which could be based on average 

minimum and maximum temperatures) for January, or for the three month period that best 

represents the CO season (typically December, January, and February). 

4.2.2 Meteorology: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode 

Users can use Emission Rates with either a single county or a Custom Domain. If the Emission 

Rates calculation type is chosen, users can enter a different temperature and humidity for each 

hour of the day to create an emission rate table that varies by temperature for running emission 

processes. Emission rates for all running processes that vary by temperature can be postprocessed outside of MOVES to calculate emissions for any mix of temperatures that can occur 

during a day. This creates the potential to create a lookup table of emission rates by temperature 

for the range of temperatures that can occur over a longer period of time such as a month or year 

from a single MOVES run. In one run, users may specify as many as 288 temperatures, i.e., 24 

temperatures for 12 months. When using this approach for running emissions (rateperdistance), 

the hour and month being modeled are merely placeholders for particular temperatures. In other 

words, a temperature of 40 degrees for Hour 18 in January, for example, will result in the same 

emission rate as a temperature of 40 degrees for Hour 6 in July (assuming identical fuels). 

However, for emissions from any non-running processes that occur on the “off-network” road 

type, including evaporative, start, and hotelling emissions, it is still necessary to define a 

temperature profile for each hour of the day. Unlike running emissions that depend entirely on 

temperature, off-network emissions depend on both temperature and hour of day, and for 

evaporative emissions, the temperature in the previous hour. It is possible to model both running 

and off-network emissions in one run by defining temperature intervals for several months (e.g., 

1 degree through 96 degrees in one degree intervals using four monthly temperature profiles). 

The remaining eight months can be used to define diurnal temperature profiles for eight 

representative days. The resulting lookup table can be post-processed into an inventory for both 

running and off-network emissions. 

4.3 Source Type Population 

Source type (vehicle type) population is used by MOVES to calculate start and evaporative 

emissions. 17 Start and evaporative emissions depend more on how many vehicles are parked 

and started than on how many miles they are driven. In MOVES, start and resting evaporative 

emissions are related to the population of vehicles in an area. Because vehicle population 

directly determines start and evaporative emissions, users must develop local data for this input. 

MOVES categorizes vehicles into 13 source types, which are subsets of 5 HPMS18 vehicle types 

in MOVES, as shown in Table 2. 

17 Alternatively, MOVES can calculate start emissions based on user-supplied start activity information (see Section
 

4.12)
 18 There are actually 6 HPMS vehicle Type IDs, but MOVES uses Vehicle Type ID 25 to substitute for HPMS Type
 

IDs 20 (short wheelbase light-duty) and 30 (long wheelbase light-duty) for VMT input only.
 

32
 
 

 

 

Table 2 

MOVES Source Types and HPMS Vehicle Types19 

Source 

Type ID Source Types 

HPMS Vehicle 

Type ID HPMS Vehicle Type 

11 Motorcycle 10 Motorcycles 

21 Passenger Car 

25 

Light Duty Vehicles -

Short and Long 

Wheelbase 

31 Passenger Truck 

32 Light Commercial Truck 

41 Intercity Bus 

42 Transit Bus 40 Buses 

43 School Bus 

51 Refuse Truck 

52 Single Unit Short-haul Truck 50 Single Unit Trucks 

53 Single Unit Long-haul Truck 

54 Motor Home 

61 Combination Short-haul Truck 60 Combination Trucks 

62 Combination Long-haul Truck 

4.3.1 Source Type Population: Guidance for Inventory Mode 

EPA believes that states should be able to develop population data for many of these source type 

categories from state motor vehicle registration data (e.g., motorcycles, passenger cars, passenger 

trucks, light commercial trucks) and from local transit agencies, school districts, bus companies, 

and refuse haulers (intercity, transit, and school buses, and refuse trucks). Estimating population 

for other source types may be more difficult. If population is not available for a particular source 

type, users could estimate population for that source type based on the MOVES default split of 

that source type within the HPMS vehicle class. In the absence of any other source of population 

data, users could base population estimates on the VMT estimates for a particular source type 

and the ratio of MOVES default population to VMT by source type. That ratio can be calculated 

by doing a very simple MOVES run at the national scale for the county in question, and 

including VMT and population in the output (a running emissions process must be selected to 

generate VMT). Local VMT times the ratio of default population to default VMT will give an 

estimate of local population based on local VMT or other appropriate methods. 

Tip: A useful quality check on population and VMT inputs is to divide VMT by source 

type by source type population to estimate VMT per vehicle, and then determine 

whether these estimates are reasonable. 

19 HPMS vehicle Type IDs are only used in MOVES for VMT input. All other applicable inputs, including vehicle 

population, are by MOVES Source Type and MOVES continues to calculate emissions separately for all Source 

Types. See Section 4.5 for addition details. This table is only presented here to show the mapping of Source Types 

to HPMS IDs. 

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4.3.2 Source Type Population: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode 

Users can use Emission Rates with either a single county or a custom domain. If the Emission 

Rates option is used, and Source Type is selected in the Output Emission Detail Panel, MOVES 

will produce emission rates for start, hotelling and non-running evaporative emissions by source 

type in terms of grams per vehicle. Total start, hotelling and non-running evaporative emissions 

would then be calculated outside of MOVES by multiplying the emission rates by the vehicle 

populations for each source type. However, users will still need to enter reasonable data using 

the Source Type Population Importer that represent the population of vehicles in the total area 

where the lookup table results will be applied. This is necessary because MOVES uses the 

relationship between source type population and VMT to determine the relative amount of time 

vehicles spend parking vs. running. If the lookup table results will be applied to a large number 

of counties, use the total source type population for all the counties covered. The guidance in 

this section concerning the use of local vehicle population data applies both for generating the 

total population as an input to the model and for generating more geographically detailed 

population values to use in applying the emission rate results. To generate the non-running 

portion of the inventory from rates, multiply the rates from the ratepervehicle and rateperprofile 

tables by vehicle population. Alternatively, for start emission processes, use the rateperstart 

output, which requires multiplying by the number of vehicle starts and/or for hotelling processes, 

use the rateperhour output, which requires multiplying by the number of hotelling hours). 

4.4 Age Distribution 

The age distribution of vehicle fleets can vary significantly from area to area. Fleets with a 

higher percentage of older vehicles will have higher emissions for two reasons. Older vehicles 

have typically been driven more miles and have experienced more deterioration in emission 

control systems. A higher percentage of older vehicles also implies that there are more vehicles 

in the fleet that do not meet newer, more stringent emissions standards. Surveys of registration 

data indicate considerable local variability in vehicle age distributions, which is not reflected in 

the default age distributions in MOVES. MOVES uses a single national default age distribution 

for each vehicle type in each year for every county. 

Therefore, for SIP and conformity purposes, EPA recommends and encourages states to develop 

local age distributions. EPA recommends compiling data according to MOVES vehicle 

classifications and model year breakdown. This guidance applies whether using the Inventory or 

Emissions Rates approach. For Custom Domain runs, users can define only one age distribution 

for each source type, which applies to the entire domain and cannot vary by zone. 

A typical vehicle fleet includes a mix of vehicles of different ages. MOVES covers a 31-year 

range of vehicle ages, with vehicles 30 years and older grouped together. MOVES allows the 

user to specify the fraction of vehicles in each of 30 vehicle ages for each of the 13 source types 

in the model. 

While the MOVES Age Distribution input asks for an age distribution by source type, EPA does 

not expect that detailed local age distribution data will be readily available for all 13 of these 

source types. If local age distribution information is not available for some source types, states 

can use the same age distribution for all source types within an HPMS vehicle class (see Table 2 

in Section 4.3 for a comparison of MOVES source types to HPMS vehicle classes). For 

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example, states could use the same age distribution for Source Types 31 and 32 if separate age 

distributions for passenger trucks and light commercial trucks are not available. 

Local age distributions can be estimated from local vehicle registration data. If users are unable 

to acquire data to develop a local age distribution or have reason to believe that data about 

locally registered vehicles is not necessarily representative of that entire portion of the fleet (as 

may be the case with heavy duty vehicles), then MOVES national default age distributions can 

be used. A set of these national default age distributions for all source types and all calendar 

years is available on EPA’s website at www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/tools.htm. The default 

age distributions in MOVES are specific for each calendar year and, in future years, include 

projections of changes in age distributions over time. If local registration age distributions are 

used, past guidance was that they should not change across calendar years and that EPA would 

not accept SIP or regional conformity analyses that include modeling assumptions that the 

vehicle fleet will have a younger average age in the future than is reflected in the latest 

registration age distribution information currently available. However, very large temporary 

changes in vehicle sales and scrappage rates as a result of the recession that began in 2008, may 

call for a different approach. EPA has created the “Age Distribution Projection Tool for 

MOVES2014” (found at www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/tools.htm) which will take a local age 

distribution and apply the same methods that EPA uses for projecting default national age 

distributions in MOVES to change the local age distribution in future years. Users can choose to 

follow past guidance and use the same local age distribution for all years, or use the age 

distribution projection tool to develop future age distributions, even though those future age 

distributions may have a younger average age. Regardless of which approach is used, States 

must fully document the sources of data and methods used to develop local age distributions 

used in modeling for SIP and regional conformity purposes. States wishing to use a method 

other than the EPA tool described here to project future age distributions should consult with 

EPA early in inventory development. 

4.5 Vehicle Type Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) 

EPA expects users to develop local VMT estimates for SIPs and regional conformity analyses, 

regardless of whether using the Inventory or Emission Rates approach. Travel demand 

forecasting models (TDFMs) are often the source of information used by Metropolitan Planning 

Organizations (MPOs) and state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to estimate VMT, 

though reasonable professional practice may also be used in many areas. Transportation 

modelers for MPOs and state DOTs traditionally adjust estimates of vehicle miles of travel 

generated through the TDFM process to the HPMS estimates of VMT and/or other locally 

developed actual vehicle counts. These procedures generate consistent VMT estimates from 

TDFMs for roadway functional classes within HPMS for use in SIP analysis. Section 3, 

Developing Locality-Specific Inputs from Travel Demand Models, of the EPA document, 

“Volume IV: Chapter 2, Use of Locality- Specific Transportation Data for the Development of 

Mobile Source Emission Inventories,” (September 1996), discusses how to reconcile traffic 

demand model results with HPMS VMT estimates. For regional conformity analysis, the 

transportation conformity regulations allow the interagency consultation process to determine if 

other information or procedures, such as locally developed count-based programs, may be 

acceptable (40 CFR 93.122(b)(3)). 

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MOVES2014 requires annual VMT by HPMS vehicle class as an input. However, many areas 

have average annual daily VMT. MOVES2014a allows the option of entering either annual 

VMT or daily VMT. EPA recommends that users with average annual daily VMT use 

MOVES2014a to take advantage of the daily VMT input option. For users who still need to use 

MOVES2014 or who want to use annual VMT in MOVES2014a to take advantage of 

capabilities in MOVES to allocate VMT across different time periods, EPA has created a 

spreadsheet-based tool, the “AADVMT Converter for MOVES2014,” that allows users to input 

average annual daily VMT as well as monthly and weekend day adjustment factors to create the 

annual VMT by HPMS class and appropriate monthly and daily adjustments needed by 

MOVES2014.20 EPA recommends that the same approach be used in any analysis that compares 

two or more cases (e.g., the base year and attainment year in a SIP analysis or the SIP motor 

vehicle emissions budget and the regional conformity analysis). The interagency consultation 

process should be used to agree upon a common approach. If different approaches are used for 

the SIP budget and the regional conformity analysis for practical reasons, the interagency 

consultation process should be used to determine how to address (and minimize) any differences 

in results. The methods used to develop inventories should be fully documented in the SIP 

submission and conformity determinations. 

After the release of MOVES2010, the Federal Highway Administration modified the 

methodology used to generate VMT estimates in HPMS. As a result of that change, the old 

categories 20 and 30, which previously represented passenger cars and 2-axle, 4-tire trucks 

respectively, now represent short wheelbase and long wheelbase light-duty vehicles. Because 

the short wheelbase/long wheelbase distinction does not map well to MOVES source types, 

MOVES2014 uses a single category 25 to include all light-duty cars and trucks for VMT only. 

In MOVES2014, all VMT for HPMS categories 20 and 30 should be summed, and entered as 

category 25. Note that although HPMS categories 20 and 30 are combined for VMT entry 

purposes in MOVES2014, all other fleet and activity inputs (vehicle population, age distribution, 

average speed distribution, etc.) for Source Types 21, 31, and 32 are still handled separately in 

MOVES and all emission calculations and results are based on the emission and activity 

characteristics of each of these source types. 

MOVES2014a includes the option to enter VMT by either the modified HPMS vehicle classes or 

by MOVES Source Types shown in Table 2 above. For users who are able to develop VMT data 

by broken down by the MOVES Source Types, entering VMT by Source Type will bypass the 

default allocation of VMT from HPMS class to Source Type that MOVES does internally. 

Either option is acceptable for SIP and conformity purposes, but differences between the default 

allocation of VMT from HPMS classes to source types in MOVES and the user supplied source 

type VMT could result in differences in results between the two options. EPA recommends that 

the same approach be used in any analysis that compares two or more cases (e.g., the base year 

and attainment year in a SIP analysis or the SIP motor vehicle emissions budget and the regional 

conformity analysis). The interagency consultation process should be used to agree upon a 

common approach. If different approaches are used for the SIP budget and the regional 

conformity analysis for practical reasons, the interagency consultation process should be used to 

20 The AADVMT Converter for MOVES2014 can be found at www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/tools.htm. 

Instructions for use of the converter can be found within the spreadsheet. 

36
 
 

 

 

 

 

determine how to address (and minimize) any differences in results. The methods used to 

develop inventories should be fully documented in the SIP submission and conformity 

determinations. 

4.5.1 Vehicle Type VMT: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode 

If the Emission Rates option is used, and Source Type is selected in the Output Emission Detail 

Panel, MOVES will produce emission rates for running emissions by source type and road type 

in terms of grams per mile. Total running emissions would then be calculated outside of 

MOVES by multiplying the emission rates by the VMT for each source type and road type. 

However, users will still need to enter data using the Vehicle Type VMT Importer that reflects 

the VMT in the total area where the lookup table results will be applied. This is necessary 

because MOVES uses the relationship between source type population and VMT to determine 

the relative amount of time vehicles spend parked vs. running. If the lookup table results will be 

applied to a large number of counties, use the total VMT for all the counties covered. The 

guidance in this section concerning the use of local VMT data applies both for developing the 

total VMT to input and for developing the geographically detailed VMT to use when applying 

the emission rates. 

4.6 Average Speed Distribution 

Vehicle power, speed, and acceleration have a significant effect on vehicle emissions. At the 

County scale, MOVES models these emission effects by using distribution of vehicles hour 

traveled (VHT) by average speed. MOVES in turn uses the speed distribution to select specific 

drive cycles, and MOVES uses these drive cycles to calculate operating mode distributions. The 

operating mode distributions in turn determine the calculated emission rates. The guidance in 

this section concerning the use of local speed distribution data still applies whether local average 

speed distributions are applied within MOVES using the Inventory option or outside of MOVES 

using the Emission Rates option. 

4.6.1 Average Speed Distribution: Guidance for Inventory Mode 

For SIP development and regional conformity analyses, where activity is averaged over a wide 

variety of driving patterns, a local speed distribution by road type and source type is necessary. 

The Average Speed Distribution Importer in MOVES calls for a speed distribution in VHT in 16 

speed bins, by each road type, source type, and hour of the day included in the analysis. EPA 

urges users to develop the most detailed local speed information that is reasonable to obtain. 

However, EPA acknowledges that average speed distribution may not be available at the level of 

detail that MOVES allows. The following paragraphs provide additional guidance regarding the 

development of average speed distribution inputs. 

Average speed, as defined for use in MOVES, is the distance traveled (in miles) divided by the 

time (in hours). This is not the same as the instantaneous velocity of vehicles or the nominal 

speed limit on the roadway link. The MOVES definition of speed includes all operation of 

vehicles including intersections and other obstacles to travel which may result in stopping and 

idling. As a result, average speeds, as used in MOVES, will tend to be less than nominal speed 

limits for individual roadway links. 

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Selection of vehicle speeds is a complex process. One recommended approach for estimating 

average speeds is to post-process the output from a travel demand network model. In most 

transportation models, speed is estimated primarily to allocate travel across the roadway 

network. Speed is used as a measure of impedance to travel rather than as a prediction of 

accurate travel times. For this reason, speed results from most travel demand models must be 

adjusted to properly estimate actual average speeds. 

An alternative approach to develop a local average speed distribution is to process on-vehicle 

GPS data. There are a number of commercial vendors that can provide raw, or processed vehicle 

speed data from cell phone and other on-vehicle GPS collection devices. This information can 

be used to calculate a MOVES average speed distribution. As part of the MOVES2014 model, 

EPA used GPS data to calculate a national default average speed distribution. Users wishing to 

process their own GPS data into an average speed distribution should ensure that the data are 

representative of the modeling domain, and accurately capture variation in vehicle average 

speeds across the day, and year. 

Speed is entered in MOVES as a distribution rather than a single value. Table 3 shows the speed 

bin structure that MOVES uses for speed distribution input. EPA encourages users to use 

underlying speed distribution data to represent vehicle speed as an input to MOVES, rather than 

one average value. Use of a distribution will give a more accurate estimate of emissions than use 

of a single average speed. 

Table 3 

MOVES Speed Bins 

Speed Bin ID Average Bin Speed Speed Bin Range 

1 2.5 speed < 2.5mph 

2 5 2.5mph <= speed < 7.5mph 

3 10 7.5mph <= speed < 12.5mph 

4 15 12.5mph <= speed < 17.5mph 

5 20 17.5mph <= speed <22.5mph 

6 25 22.5mph <= speed < 27.5mph 

7 30 27.5mph <= speed < 32.5mph 

8 35 32.5mph <= speed < 37.5mph 

9 40 37.5mph <= speed < 42.5mph 

10 45 42.5mph <= speed < 47.5mph 

11 50 47.5mph <= speed < 52.5mph 

12 55 52.5mph <= speed < 57.5mph 

13 60 57.5mph <= speed < 62.5mph 

14 65 62.5mph <= speed < 67.5mph 

15 70 67.5mph <= speed < 72.5mph 

16 75 72.5mph <= speed 

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As is the case for other MOVES inputs, EPA does not expect that users will be able to develop 

distinct local speed distributions for all 13 source types. If a local average speed distribution is 

not available for some source types, states can use the same average speed distribution for all 

source types within an HPMS vehicle class. For example, states could use the same average 

speed distribution for source types 31 and 32 if separate average speed distributions for 

passenger trucks and light commercial trucks are not available. States could also use the same 

speed distributions across multiple HPMS vehicle classes if more detailed information is not 

available. 

Average speed estimates for calendar years other than the calendar year on which the average 

speed estimates are based must be logically related to the current year methodology and 

estimates, with no arbitrary or unsupported assumptions of changes in average speeds. Future 

average speed estimates should account for the effect of growth in overall fleet VMT on roadway 

congestion and average speeds. 

4.6.1.1 Additional Guidance for Inventories Used in Attainment Modeling 

Results from photochemical models are sensitive to differences in the estimated inventory by 

time of day. For SIP-related on-road vehicle emission inventories for photochemical models, 

EPA encourages states to develop and use their own specific estimates of VHT by average speed 

by hour of the day. However, hourly estimates are not required. In the absence of local hourly 

speed data, users could develop peak and off-peak speed distributions if available, or develop a 

daily average speed distribution. However, generating a daily average speed distribution for a 

highway network with a considerable number of highly congested links at certain times of day is 

not generally recommended. Because the relationship between speed and emissions is not linear, 

and emissions tend to be highest is congested conditions, using a daily average speed distribution 

in an area with significant congestion at certain times of day, can result in significant 

underestimation of emissions. In this case, using peak and off-peak speed distributions is 

recommended at a minimum. The VHT fractions by average speed used in inventory modeling 

for SIPs and regional conformity analyses should be consistent with the most recent information 

used for transportation planning. 

4.6.1.2 Additional Guidance for Speeds on Local Roadways 

MOVES uses four different roadway types that are affected by the average speed distribution 

input: 

• Rural restricted access, 

• Rural unrestricted access, 

• Urban restricted access, and 

• Urban unrestricted access. 

In MOVES, local roadways are included with arterials and collectors in the urban and rural 

unrestricted access roads category. Therefore, EPA recommends that the average speed 

distribution for local roadway activity be included as part of a weighted distribution of average 

speed across all unrestricted roads, local roadways, arterials, and connectors. Users who want to 

treat local roadways and arterials separately can develop separate average speed distributions and 

estimate results using two separate MOVES runs, each with appropriate VMT, one using the 

39
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

local roadway average speed distribution for unrestricted access roads and one using the arterial 

average speed distribution for unrestricted access roads. However, using properly weighted 

average speed distributions for the combination of all unrestricted access roads should give the 

same result as using separate average speed distributions for arterials and local roadways. 

4.6.1.3 Average Speed Distributions for Highways and Ramps 

For rural and urban restricted access highways, users should enter the speed distribution of 

vehicles traveling on the highway only, not including any activity that occurs on entrance and 

exit ramps. MOVES automatically calculates a speed distribution for ramp activity based on the 

speed distribution of vehicles traveling on the highway. Faster or slower highway speeds result 

in faster or slower ramp speeds (and higher or lower acceleration rates) calculated by MOVES. 

MOVES then calculates emissions for ramp activity based on this internally-calculated speed 

distribution for the ramps, using the appropriate distribution of operating modes related to that 

speed distribution, and the fraction of VHT that occurs on ramps. At this point, MOVES adds 

emissions for ramp activity to emissions calculated for vehicles traveling on the highway itself to 

get the total emissions for restricted access roads. MOVES also allows users to separate 

emissions between ramps and highways. 

Section 4.8 describes the Ramp Fraction input and how it might be used to model ramps 

separately from highways. As noted in that section, even when ramps are handled separately 

from highways, the speed distribution entered in MOVES should be the speed distribution for the 

associated highways, not a ramp-specific speed distribution. 

4.6.2 Average Speed Distribution: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode 

Users can use Emission Rates with either a single county or a custom domain. Users will define 

one average speed distribution for the entire domain. This cannot vary by zone. 

If the Emission Rates option is used, and Source Type is selected in the Output Emission Detail 

Panel, MOVES will produce a table of emission rates by source type and road type for each 

speed bin. Total running emissions would then be calculated outside of MOVES by multiplying 

the emission rates by the VMT for each source type in each speed bin. However, vehicle speed 

inputs are still important because they are used by MOVES to calculate the relative amounts of 

running and non-running activity, which in turn affects the rates for the non-running processes. 

Speed inputs for Rates runs that include only running emissions can be treated as placeholders 

(for example, the MOVES default speed distribution could be used), but speed inputs for 

Emission Rates runs that include any non-running processes must reflect realistic activity for the 

area. 

4.7 Road Type Distribution 

The fraction VMT by road type varies from area to area and can have a significant effect on 

overall emissions from on-road mobile sources. EPA expects states to develop and use their own 

specific estimates of VMT by road type. For each source type, the Road Type Distribution table 

of the input database stores the distribution of VMT by road type (e.g., the fraction of passenger 

car VMT on each of the road types). 

40
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.7.1 Road Type Distribution: Guidance for Inventory Mode 

The VMT fractions by road type used in inventory modeling for SIPs and regional conformity 

analyses should be consistent with the most recent information used for transportation planning. 

As is the case for other MOVES inputs, EPA does not expect that users will be able to develop 

local road type distributions for all 13 vehicle source types. If local road type distribution 

information is not available for some source types, states can use the same road type distribution 

for all source types within an HPMS vehicle class. For example, states could use the same road 

type distribution for source types 31 and 32 if separate average speed distributions for passenger 

trucks and light commercial trucks are not available. States could also use the same road type 

distribution across multiple HPMS vehicle classes if more detailed information is not available. 

EPA recommends using the same approach for custom domain zones. Users will define one road 

type distribution and allocate it via the Custom Zone Tab using reasonable local data. 

4.7.2 Road Type Distribution: Guidance for Emission Rates Mode 

If the Emission Rates option is used, MOVES will automatically produce a table of running 

emission rates by road type. Running emissions would then be calculated outside of MOVES by 

multiplying the emission rates by the VMT on each road type for each source type in each speed 

bin. In that case, data entered using the Road Type Distribution Importer is still required, but is 

not used by MOVES to calculate the rates. However, road type distribution inputs are important 

for Emission Rates runs involving non-running processes, because they are used by MOVES to 

calculate the relative amounts of running and non-running activity, which in turn affects the rates 

for the non-running processes. Road type distribution inputs for Rates runs that include any nonrunning processes must reflect realistic activity for the area. The guidance in this section 

concerning the use of local road type data still applies whether local road type distributions are 

applied within MOVES using the Inventory option or outside of MOVES using the Emission 

Rates option. 

4.8 Ramp Fraction 

The default ramp fraction on both rural restricted roads (Road Type 2) and urban restricted roads 

(Road Type 4) is 8% of VHT. Use of the Ramp Fraction Tab is optional (the default value of 8% 

will be automatically applied if the user does not import local data), although EPA strongly 

recommends users input a local ramp fraction. This can typically be calculated using a travel 

demand model. 

The Ramp Fraction Tab imports a table that duplicates the roadtype table in the MOVES default 

database. This table is structured so that the fraction of VHT on ramps for either rural restricted 

(Road Type 2) or urban restricted (Road Type 4) roads is entered in the rampFraction field. 

For both Inventory and Emission Rates modes, the default output from MOVES combines 

highway and ramp activity. However in Inventory mode, users can have MOVES report results 

for ramps separately from highways. To obtain results for ramps and highways separately, users 

would check the “Provide separate ramp output” box in the Road Type Panel of the RunSpec, 

and select “Road Type” on the Output Emissions Detail Panel. This option should only be 

41
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

selected if there is a need to separate ramp emission from highway emissions. Typically, when 

developing an emissions inventory, this level of detail is not necessary. 

Separate ramp output is not available in Emission Rates mode in MOVES2014. In Emission 

Rates mode, aggregate ramp/highway emission rates will be produced that should be combined 

with aggregate ramp/highway VMT. 

For those defining a custom domain, users will define one ramp fraction for each restricted road 

type for the entire domain. This cannot vary by zone. 

4.9 Fuels (Fuel Supply, Fuel Formulation, Fuel Usage Fraction, and 

AVFT) 

MOVES has four tables – called fuelsupply, fuelformulation, fuelusagefraction, and AVFT (fuel 

type and vehicle technology) – that interact to define the fuels used in the area being modeled. 

The MOVES defaults for all four tables are accessible using the Export Default Data button in 

the Fuel Tab of the CDM. 

•	 The fuelsupply table identifies the fuel formulations used in a region (the regionCounty 

table defines which specific counties are included in these regions) and each 

formulation’s respective market share; 

•	 The fuelformulation table defines the properties (such as RVP, sulfur level, ethanol 

volume, etc.) of each fuel; 

•	 The fuelusagefraction table defines the frequency at which E-85 capable (flex fuel) 

vehicles use E-85 vs. conventional gasoline; and 

•	 The AVFT table is used to specify the fraction (other than the default included in the 

sampleVehiclePopulation table) of fuel types capable of being used (such as flex fuel 

vehicles) by model year and source type. 

MOVES calculates fuel adjustments based on the attributes defined in the fuelformulation table. 

MOVES then uses the marketshare field from the fuelsupply table to appropriately weight the 

fuel adjustment factors. Finally, the emission rates are applied to the appropriate activity defined 

through the fuelusage and AVFT tables. 

For all fuel tables, users should begin by exporting and reviewing the MOVES default fuel tables 

for the county being analyzed. In general, users should rely on the default county-level 

information in MOVES. The default fuel tables in MOVES2014 have been revised and updated 

significantly compared to MOVES2010b and were revised again in MOVES2014a. As a result, 

converted default fuel tables from any previous version of MOVES should not be used in 

MOVES2014 or MOVES2014a for SIPs or conformity analyses.21 

21 This applies to MOVES2010 fuel tables that have been modified to reflect differences in local fuels as well. 

Instead, users should export the default MOVES2014a fuel tables, make any changes needed to reflect local fuel 

differences consistent with the guidance in this document, and then re-import those modified MOVES2014a fuel 

tables back into MOVES2014a. If MOVES2014 is being used for analysis, the user should export the default 

MOVES2014 tables, make the appropriate changes, and then re-import them into MOVES2014. 

42
 
 

 

 

 

The following subsections of this document specify situations where changes to the MOVES 

default fuel data are appropriate. This guidance will apply for county or custom domain zones, 

and for Emission Rates and Inventory runs. When running MOVES for a custom domain, the 

same fuel formulation, fuel supply, fuel usage, and AVFT information must apply across the 

entire custom domain. If different counties in the domain have different fuel characteristics, the 

counties must be analyzed using separate runs. 

MOVES has default gasoline and diesel fuel formulation and supply information for every 

county-year-month combination that can be selected. These default tables are based on volumetric 

fuel data for thousands of batches of fuel in each of the fuel regions. In MOVES2014, we have 

simplified the county-level fuel properties within the MOVES fuel supply. Many counties in 

MOVES2010b contained unique fuel properties not associated with neighboring counties that 

were sometimes based on very limited fuel survey data. For MOVES2014, EPA developed new 

fuel properties based on averages of survey data as well as data provided to us at the refinery 

gate as part of EPA fuel compliance programs. EPA believes this average data by region 

provides a more consistent and maintainable basis for the model and, by aggregating fuel survey 

data as well as incorporating refinery batch-by-batch fuel compliance data, a more representative 

fuel supply was created for the final default. These new fuel supply and fuel formulation tables 

better account for fuel production and distribution networks, natural borders, and 

regional/state/local variations in fuel policy and increase confidence that the default fuels in a 

particular region represent the actual fuels used in that region. The new fuel regions in 

MOVES2014 and MOVES2014a are shown and described in the figure and table below. 

43
 
Figure 1. MOVES2014 and MOVES2014a Fuel Regions 

Region ID# Region Name Description 

1 East Coast East coast states up to Appalachians, Florida, and gulf 

coast region 

2 Midwest Midwest states up to Appalachians (not including 

Wisconsin), Tennessee, Kentucky 

3 South Southern states not including gulf coast, Nebraska, 

Iowa 

4 North North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin 

5 Rocky Mts Pacific northwest, Rocky mountain states, Utah 

6 CA/NV/AR California, Nevada, Arizona, AK, and HI NOT using 

Reformulated Gasoline (RFG) 

11 East Coast RFG East coast states and regions using RFG fuel or under a 

controlled fuel program 

44
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 MD/VA Maryland and Virginia regions using RFG fuel or 

under a controlled fuel program 

13 Texas RFG Texas regions using RFG fuel or under a controlled 

fuel program 

14 Midwest RFG Midwest regions using RFG fuel or under a controlled 

fuel program 

15 California California using California fuel, Nevada and Arizona 

regions using California Fuel 

4.9.1 Fuel Formulation and Fuel Supply Guidance 

In general, users should first review the default fuel formulation and fuel supply, and then make 

changes only where precise local volumetric fuel property information is available. EPA 

strongly recommends using the default fuel properties for a region unless a full local fuel 

property study exists. EPA does not consider single or yearly station samples adequate for 

substitution. 

The lone exception to this guidance is in the case of Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) where a user 

should change the value to reflect any specific local regulatory requirements and differences 

between ethanol- and non-ethanol blended gasoline not reflected in the default database. Any 

changes to RVP (or to any other fuel formulation parameters) should be done using the “Fuels 

Wizard” tool in the Fuel Tab of the CDM. This tool can be used to adjust unknown fuel 

formulation properties based on known fuel properties. For instance, changing a fuel’s RVP will 

affect other fuel properties due to changes in refinery configuration in order to create that new 

fuel. The Fuels Wizard calculates the appropriate values consistent with EPA’s refinery 

modeling. The Fuel Wizard should be used whenever changing any default fuel property for 

gasoline and gasoline-ethanol blends in the Fuel Formulation table.22 

4.9.1.1 Fuel Formulation Data Fields 

The key fields in the fuel formulation that a user might modify based on the guidance above are 

described below. 

Fuel Formulation ID identifies the fuel and is entered in the fuelsupply table to define the fuel(s) 

used in the fuel region being modeled. Users can either modify characteristics for an existing 

fuelformulationID or create a new fuelformulationID. It is recommended that if a new 

fuelformulationID is created, it be an unused number within the range for each fuel type (for 

gasoline and ethanol-gasoline blends, 1000-20000; for diesel, > 25000). New fuel formulations 

should not be created for compressed natural gas (CNG) or electricity as there is only one form 

of these fuels. 

22 The Fuel Wizard is not used for E-85, Diesel, or CNG fuels. 

45
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Fuel sub-type ID provides an additional level of detail about the type of fuel the formulation is 

describing. The fuelsubtype table in the default database contains the list of values for fuel subtypes that can be entered for this field. It is important that the fuel sub-type represent the fuel 

formulation being described, but in some cases there may be more than one fuel sub-type that 

describes the fuel formulation. The most common situation where this could arise is in the case 

of reformulated gasoline, where the description for fuelsubtypeID 11 is Reformulated Gasoline 

(RFG). However, many reformulated gasolines are blended with 10% ethanol and therefore 

have a fuelsubtypeID of 12 for Gasohol (E-10) (generally speaking, any gasoline blended with 

ethanol should have one of the gasohol fuel sub-types). Most of the fuels that have 

fuelsubtypeID=11 are blended with an oxygenate other than ethanol, such as MTBE, ETBE, or 

TAME. 

RVP stands for Reid Vapor Pressure and is measured in pounds per square inch (psi). This is a 

commonly used property to define the volatility of gasoline and users may be able to provide 

local information for this field where data has been collected; however, regulatory RVP levels 

should be used for future years as over-compliance on the part of fuel suppliers is not an 

enforceable measure. Areas covered by the federal volatility control program should see 40 CFR 

80.27(b) for applicable RVP values and areas with SIP fuel programs should rely on the state 

regulations describing the fuel program when modeling future years. In RFG areas, there is no 

specific RVP requirement that must be adhered to, only a VOC performance standard; therefore, 

historical RVP values can be used in future years. When regulatory RVP values are used in 

future years, users should be sure to properly account for the 1 psi ethanol waiver allowed under 

40 CFR 80.27(d). In areas where this waiver applies, users should adjust the RVP of the fuel 

formulation to account for the 1 psi ethanol waiver in both E-10 and non-ethanol blended fuel. 

This means that gasoline blended with 10% ethanol should have an RVP with an additional 1 psi 

above the applicable standard in 40 CFR 80.27, and non-ethanol blended gasolines should have 

their RVP set to the applicable standard in 40 CFR 80.27. For diesel fuel, CNG, and electricity, a 

value of zero should be entered for RVP. 

Tip: Please note that ethanol blends above E-10 (such as E-15 blends) 

do not receive the 1psi ethanol waiver and should not be adjusted. 

Sulfur level is measured in parts per million (ppm) in terms of weight. Sulfur levels must be 

entered for all gasoline and diesel fuel. Recent rulemakings (see Tier 2 and Tier 3 gasoline 

sulfur and Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) rules, 65 FR 6698 and 66 FR 5002, respectively) 

have resulted in a changing landscape for sulfur levels in both gasoline and diesel fuels. 

Therefore, users can rely on default information if local data are not available, but additional 

detail will be given for both types of fuel below. For CNG and Electricity, a sulfur level of zero 

should be entered. 

Gasoline sulfur level: The Tier 2 gasoline sulfur rule established a national average of 30 

ppm sulfur (S) and a cap of 80 ppm S, which was fully implemented in 2006 (except for 

the Geographic Phase-In Area, see 65 FR 6755, February 10, 2000). The Tier 3 rule 

46
 
 

 

 

 

 

establishes a national average of 10 ppm sulfur beginning in 2017. This means that some 

areas will have sulfur levels above 30 ppm S and users creating a new formulation should 

not assume 30 ppm S gasoline for years before 2017. Areas where the MOVES default 

gasoline sulfur level is above 30 should use this value unless local data on sulfur content 

are available. After 2017, MOVES2014 assumes a sulfur level of 10 ppm for all regions. 

MOVES2014 can provide benefits of sulfur reduction down to 5ppm. Do not use values 

for gasoline sulfur below 5ppm. 

Diesel sulfur level: Between 2006 and 2010, the Ultra-Low Sulfur rule requires at least 

80% of the highway diesel fuel sold to meet the 15 ppm S standard; the remaining 20% 

must meet the Low Sulfur Diesel standard of 500 ppm S. In the Regulatory Impact 

Analysis for the Non-road Diesel rule (RIA: EPA420-R-04-007, Rule: 69 FR 38957, June 

29, 2004); MOVES2014 assumes full compliance with the ULSD rule, with a 15 ppm 

sulfur level for diesel fuel in all years after 2010. If users have volumetric data for diesel 

fuel sulfur levels in the area being modeled, this information can be entered in the 

sulfurLevel and marketShare fields of the fuelformulation and fuelsupply tables, 

respectively. 

ETOH Volume is the percent by volume of ethanol the gasoline/ethanol mixture. The 

Renewable Fuel Standard 2 rule (RFS2 75 FR 14670, March 26, 2010) greatly increased the 

amount of ethanol used in blending in the gasoline fuel supply. EPA expects wide adoption of E10 blends in all regions, with a near 100% adoption rate by 2013. Beginning in years beyond 

2013, MOVES2014 assumes some E-15 and E-85 blending to account for the additional ethanol 

added by the RFS2 rule. E-15 blending rates vary by region depending on local supply. 

Marketshares of E-10, E-15 and E-85 for future years are based on the projections made in the 

Annual Energy Outlook 2014 report (AEO2014ER). Therefore, users should attempt to acquire 

information about the amount of ethanol-blended fuel used in the modeled area, both for past and 

future years. For Diesel Fuel, CNG and Electricity, a value of zero should be entered. 

4.9.1.2 Fuel Supply Data Fields 

After the fuel formulations for the area being modeled have been reviewed and/or modified, the 

fuel supply table can be populated. There are six fields in this table. The regionID field 

identifies the area being modeled (see Figure 1, describing fuel regions above). The 

monthgroupID is the same as the monthID; monthgroupID was built in to allow for the 

possibility of seasonal fuels, but that option is not currently functional. The fuelformulationID is 

explained above. 

The marketshare is each fuel formulation’s fraction of the volume consumed in the area. The 

marketshare should sum to one within each fuel type, listed below: 

47
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

fueltypeID Description 

1 Gasoline 

2 Diesel Fuel 

3 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) 

5 E-85 

9 Electricity 

Within each fuel type, multiple fuel formulations can be listed as long as the market share sums 

to one (e.g., three gasoline fuel formulations with market shares of 0.5, 0.4, and 0.1 and two 

diesel fuel formulations with market shares of 0.6 and 0.4). 

4.9.2 Fuel Usage Fraction Guidance 

E-85 capable vehicles, also known as flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) exist throughout the country and 

are capable of using either conventional gasoline or E-85 fuel (a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% 

gasoline). The fuel usage table allows the user to change the frequency at which E-85 capable 

vehicles use E-85 fuel vs. conventional fuel, when appropriate. MOVES2014 contains default 

estimates of E-85 fuel usage for each county in the U.S. In most cases, users should rely on the 

default information. If local data are available that indicate different E-85 usage, the fraction of 

gasoline (fuelsupplyfuelID = 1) and E-85 (fuelsupplyfuelID = 5) can be specified for 

sourceBinFuelTypeID = 5. Usage fractions for sourceBinFuelTypeIDs 1,2, and 3 (gasoline, 

diesel, and CNG) should not be changed. 

Please note that this table defines the fraction of E-85 use among E-85 capable vehicles, not the 

fraction of use among all vehicle or the fraction of E-85 capable vehicles in the fleet. A fuel 

usage fraction table entry of 1.0 for fuel supply fuel type ID = 5 would mean that E-85 capable 

vehicles (FFVs) are using E-85 100% of the time. A fraction of 0.0 for fuel supply fuel type ID 

= 5 would mean that FFVs are using conventional gasoline 100% of the time, e.g., if there is no 

E-85 available in the local fuel supply. For example, if you know that no E-85 is used in the 

county you are modeling, for sourceBinFuelTypeID 5, for fuelsupply 1 (gasoline), you would 

change the usagefraction to 1, and for fuelsupply 5 (E-85), you would change the usagefraction 

to zero. 

As noted in Section 3.5 of this document, Ethanol (E-85) should always be selected in the OnRoad Vehicle Equipment Panel because FFVs are present throughout the national fleet; the Fuel 

Usage Fraction inputs are the appropriate place to account for the amount of actual E-85 usage 

by these vehicles. 

4.9.3 AVFT Guidance 

The AVFT (fuel type and vehicle technology) table allows users to modify the fraction of 

vehicles capable of using different fuels and technologies in each model year. Specifically, the 

AVFT table allows users to define the split between diesel, gasoline, E-85, CNG, and electricity, 

for each vehicle type and model year.23 For example, if in a certain county, registration data 

show that more diesel vehicles are in operation than indicated by the default AVFT table for a 

particular source type, this table could be used to make the adjustment. This table should only be 

23 In MOVES2014, the only vehicles that can be fueled by CNG are transit buses. 

48
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

modified if local data are available. If local data are used for present years, that information can 

be assumed for future years. 

MOVES will assume the same driving behavior for a source type, regardless of fuel or 

technology (e.g., the same average speed and road type distributions).24 In making projections, 

users should assume no future changes in activity associated with alternate fuel or engine 

technologies unless those alternate fuels or technologies are required by regulation or law. In 

most cases, the default VMT split between diesel, gasoline, CNG, and E-85 should be used. 

For transit buses, the default table assumes that gasoline, diesel, and CNG buses are present in 

the fleet for most model years. Note that if the user relies on the model’s default allocation of 

vehicle activity, portions of the transit bus activity are always assumed to be diesel, gasoline, and 

CNG. This is true even if the one or more of these combinations is not selected in the On Road 

Vehicle Equipment Panel. That is, if the user selects only gasoline and diesel vehicles in the On 

Road Vehicle Equipment Panel, MOVES still assumes some transit bus CNG VMT. 

If the user has information about the fuel used by the transit bus fleet in the county modeled, the 

user should be sure it is reflected in the AVFT table. For example, if there are no transit buses 

fueled by CNG in the modeling area, the user needs to allocate zero activity to CNG transit buses 

in the AVFT table to calculate the correct emission results for transit buses. Otherwise, some 

VMT will be allocated to CNG transit buses and the emissions associated with this VMT will not 

be included in the output, as only gasoline and diesel vehicles were selected in the On Road 

Vehicle Equipment Panel. Or if the transit bus fleet in a county is entirely diesel, then the user 

should assign 100 percent of the transit bus activity to diesel (i.e., a “1”), and assign a zero for 

gasoline and CNG transit bus activity. The same general principle applies to school buses, 

which are a mix of gasoline and diesel in the default distribution. After making appropriate 

adjustments to reflect fuel usage by the transit bus fleet, ensure that the AVFT fractions sum to 

1.0 for each model year. 

Similar concerns apply to E-85 capable flex-fueled vehicles (FFVs). As noted in Section 3.5 of 

this document, Ethanol (E-85) should always be selected in the On-Road Vehicle Equipment 

Panel because FFVs are present throughout the national fleet. However, in contrast to transit 

buses, in general users should rely on default AVFT assumptions of the fractions of local FFVs, 

and use the fuel usage fraction table to adjust for any differences in the local availability of E-85 

fuel. 

4.10 Inspection and Maintenance Programs 

Inspection and maintenance programs continue to be important local control programs in many 

nonattainment areas. MOVES includes the capability of modeling the essential design elements 

of an I/M program. 

24 If the user has information detailing distinct driving behavior for the different vehicle-fuel combinations, then 

individual RunSpecs must be conducted for each combination to capture how this will impact emissions. For 

example, if diesel buses have a different activity from CNG buses, they cannot be estimated in the same run. 

49
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EPA recommends that users attempting to characterize the emissions impact of an I/M program 

use the same approach, as described below, for Inventory or Emission Rates runs. The emission 

rates calculated in MOVES will be based on the I/M program specified by the user. When 

running MOVES for a custom domain, the same I/M program information must apply across the 

entire custom domain. 

EPA recommends that users modeling an existing I/M program in MOVES begin by examining 

the default I/M program description included in MOVES for the particular county in question. 

The default I/M data can be reviewed by selecting the Export Default Data button in the I/M Tab 

of the CDM. Users should review the details of the default I/M program and make any necessary 

changes to match the actual local program. In particular, users should note that any grace 

periods or exemptions ages in an I/M program need to be included in the beginning and ending 

model years based on the calendar year of evaluation as discussed in Section 4.10.5 of this 

document. The default I/M files do not incorporate grace periods or exemption ages. 

Note that the default I/M data were significantly updated in MOVES2014 and updated again in 

MOVES2014a. As a result, a converted I/M data table based on defaults in MOVES2014 should 

not be used with MOVES2014a.25 

The I/M program description includes the state, county and year IDs as well as pollutant process 

ID, source type ID, fuel type ID, I/M program ID, inspection frequency, test standards ID, 

beginning and ending model years, and a compliance factor. It also includes a column labeled 

useIMyn which allows the user to turn off (“N”) or on (“Y”) the portion of the I/M program 

described in that row of the table. 

4.10.1 Pollutant Process ID 

MOVES estimates emission reductions from I/M programs for hydrocarbons, NOx, and CO. For 

exhaust emissions, I/M programs can affect both running and start emissions. For evaporative 

emissions, I/M programs affect hydrocarbon emissions from fuel vapor venting and fuel leaks. 

4.10.2 Source Type ID and Fuel Type ID 

These entries are used to describe the source (vehicle) types and fuel types included in the I/M 

program. Users should check to make sure that the vehicle and fuel types match the I/M 

program parameters for the vehicles included in the local program. MOVES currently calculates 

I/M program benefits only for gasoline vehicles. 

I/M programs have historically applied to vehicles by regulatory weight class; however, MOVES 

applies I/M benefits by source type. This can lead to discrepancies between the number of 

vehicles covered in the actual I/M program and the number of vehicles that MOVES assumes is 

covered. For example, an I/M program that targets trucks less than 8501 lbs. Gross Vehicle 

Weight Rating (GVWR) (i.e. regulatory classes LDT1, LDT2, LDT3, and LDT4) would include 

25 This applies to MOVES2010 I/M tables that have been modified to reflect actual local programs as well. Instead, 

users should export the default MOVES2014a I/M coverage table, make any changes needed to reflect local 

programs consistent with the guidance in this document, and then re-import the modified MOVES2014a I/M 

coverage table back into MOVES2014a. If MOVES2014 is being used for analysis, the user should export the 

default MOVES2014 table, make the appropriate changes, and then re-import it into MOVES2014. 

50
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

parts of two MOVES source types: passenger trucks (sourcetypeID 31) and light commercial 

trucks (32). However, these source types also include vehicles with GVWR greater than 8501 

lbs. When an I/M program is applied to source types 31 and 32 in MOVES, the benefits of the 

I/M program are applied to all of the vehicles in these source types. Users need to adjust the 

compliance factor to account for the fraction of vehicles within a source type that are actually 

covered by the I/M program. This process is described in Section 4.10.6.3 of this document. 

4.10.3 Inspection Frequency 

MOVES allows users to enter either annual or biennial test frequency. MOVES also includes an 

option for continuous I/M, however, there are currently no emission benefits assigned to this 

option in MOVES and it should not be selected. 

4.10.4 Test Standards and I/M Program ID 

MOVES allows users to choose between 12 exhaust emissions tests and 7 evaporative emissions 

tests, as listed in Table 4. 

Table 4. MOVES I/M Emission Test Types 

Test 

Standards 

ID 

Test Standards 

Description 

Description 

11 Unloaded Idle Test Test performed while vehicle idles in Park or Neutral 

12 Two-mode, 2500 

RPM/Idle Test 

Test performed while vehicle idles and at 2500 rpm 

13 Loaded / Idle Test Test performed while vehicle operates on a chassis dynamometer at 

constant load 

21 ASM 2525 Phase-in 

Cutpoints 

Test performed on a dynamometer, under load, through a defined steady 

state driving cycle at 25 mph and 25% load, at phase-in cutpoints. 

22 ASM 5015 Phase-in 

Cutpoints 

Test performed on a dynamometer, under load, through two defined 

steady state driving cycles at 25 mph and 25% load, and 15 mph and 50% 

load, at phase-in cutpoints. 

23 ASM 2525/5015 Phase-in 

Cutpoints 

Test performed on a dynamometer, under load, through two defined 

steady state driving cycles at 25 mph and 25% load, and 15 mph and 50% 

load, at phase-in cutpoints. 

24 ASM 2525 Final 

Cutpoints 

Test performed on a dynamometer, under load, through a defined steady 

state driving cycle at 25 mph and 25% load, at final cutpoints. 

25 ASM 5015 Final 

Cutpoints 

Test performed on a dynamometer, under load, through a defined steady 

state driving cycle at 15 mph and 50% load, at final cutpoints. 

26 ASM 2525/5015 Final 

Cutpoints 

Test performed on an inertia-weighted dynamometer through two defined 

steady state driving cycles at 25 mph and 25% load, and 15 mph and 50% 

load, at final cutpoints. 

31 IM240 Phase-in Cutpoints Test performed on a dynamometer, under load, through a pre-defined 

transient driving cycle of up to 240 seconds at phase-in cutpoints. 

33 IM240 Final Cutpoints Test performed on a dynamometer, under load, through a pre-defined 

transient driving cycle of up to 240 seconds. 

41 Evaporative Gas Cap 

Check 

A test conducted by pressurizing the gas cap for the purpose of 

identifying leaks in the gas cap. 

42 Evaporative System 

Pressure Check 

A test conducted by pressuring the evaporative system by way of the fuel 

tank’s fillneck and sometimes referred to as the fillneck pressure (FP) 

test. 

43 Evaporative System OBD 

Check 

Test of the evaporative emission related systems and components 

performed by visual check of the MIL and scan of the OBD computer 

51
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 4. MOVES I/M Emission Test Types 

Test 

Standards 

ID 

Test Standards 

Description 

Description 

system for readiness, MIL status, and stored trouble codes, on 1996 and 

newer, OBD-equipped vehicles. 

44 Evaporative Gas Cap and 

Pressure Check 

A pair of tests to identify leaks in the gas cap (GC) and the rest of the 

vehicle’s evaporative system. The latter test is conducted by pressuring 

the evaporative system by way of the fuel tank’s fillneck and is referred 

to as the fillneck pressure (FP) test. 

45 Evaporative Gas Cap and 

OBD Check 

The evaporative OBD test performed in conjunction with a separate 

check of the gas cap (GC) for the purpose of identifying leaks in the gas 

cap not otherwise identified by the evaporative OBD check. This 

combination of tests can only be conducted on 1996 and newer, OBDequipped vehicles. 

46 Evaporative Pressure and 

OBD Check 

The evaporative OBD test performed in conjunction with a separate 

fillneck pressure test. 

47 Evaporative Gas Cap, 

Pressure and OBD Check 

The evaporative OBD test performed in conjunction with a separate 

fillneck pressure test and gas cap test. 

51 Exhaust OBD Check Test of exhaust-related systems and components performed by visual 

check of Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) and scan of on-board (OBD) 

computer for system readiness, MIL status and stored trouble codes, on 

1996 and newer OBD-equipped vehicles only 

In MOVES, I/M programs that have both exhaust and evaporative inspection components, 

including OBD programs, are modeled as two separate, simultaneous programs identified using 

different I/M program ID numbers in the I/M program ID column. Users should be careful to 

include both the exhaust and evaporative components to ensure proper credit for the program. 

Likewise, an I/M program that applies different tests to different vehicles (e.g., an IM240 

program that applies to older model years and an OBD program that applies to newer model 

years) is also modeled as two separate, simultaneous programs identified using different I/M 

program ID numbers in the I/M program ID column and using the beginning and ending model 

year columns to differentiate what model years are covered by each program. 

4.10.5 Beginning and Ending Model Years 

MOVES uses these two columns to specify the beginning and ending model years affected by a 

particular part of the I/M program. For I/M programs without a grace period for new vehicles or 

an exemption period for older vehicles, this is simply the first and last model year affected by the 

program. 

For I/M programs with a grace period for new vehicles or an exemption period for older 

vehicles, this entry should reflect the actual model years covered by the program in the calendar 

year of evaluation. As a result, the beginning and ending model years for an I/M program may 

vary depending on the calendar year of analysis. For example, a typical OBD I/M program 

might apply to all model years beginning with 1996. However, if that program also includes a 

grace period during which newer vehicles are exempt from the program, the ending model year 

of the program should reflect the most recent model year included in the program based on the 

calendar year of analysis. For example, if in calendar year 2015, the most recent model year 

being tested in a program with a three-year grace period is the 2012 model year, a MOVES run 

52
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

for calendar year 2015 would have an ending model year of 2012. An analysis of the same 

program for calendar year 2020 would have an ending model year of 2017. 

Similar adjustments to the beginning model year should be made to account for exemptions of 

older model years. In that case, the beginning model year of the program should reflect the 

earliest model year still being tested. For example, if in 2015, the oldest model year still being 

tested in a program with exemptions for older vehicles is the 1995 model year, a MOVES run for 

calendar year 2015 would have a beginning model year of 1995. An analysis of the same 

program for calendar year 2020 would have a beginning model year of 2000. 

TIP: Note that because of this treatment of beginning and end years, a unique set of I/M 

inputs would be needed for each calendar year modeled. 

4.10.6 Compliance Factor 

MOVES uses the compliance factor input to account for I/M program compliance rates, waiver 

rates, and adjustments needed to account for the fraction of vehicles within a source type that are 

covered by the I/M program (these last adjustments will be referred to here as the “regulatory 

class coverage adjustment”). The compliance factor is entered as a number from 0 to 100 and 

represents the percentage of vehicles within a source type that actually receive the benefits of the 

program. Since all three components of the compliance factor are calculated as multiplicative 

factors, the total compliance factor entered in MOVES is calculated as: 

Compliance Factor = percent compliance rate x (100 - percent waiver rate) x regulatory class 

coverage adjustment 

4.10.6.1 Compliance Rate 

The compliance rate is the percentage of vehicles in the fleet covered by the I/M program that 

complete the I/M program and receive either a certificate of compliance or a waiver (vehicles 

that receive a certificate of compliance or waiver/total vehicles that should be subject to I/M 

testing). Historical compliance should be determined by sticker surveys, license plate surveys, or 

a comparison of the number of final tests to the number of vehicles subject to the I/M 

requirement. 

4.10.6.2 Waiver Rate 

The waiver rate is the percentage of vehicles that fail an initial I/M test and do not pass a retest, 

but do receive a certificate of compliance (calculated as the number of vehicles that do not pass a 

retest but receive a certificate of compliance divided by the number of vehicles that fail an initial 

I/M test). Actual historical waiver rates should be used as the basis for estimating future waiver 

rates. Because the Compliance Factor in MOVES is a measure of the percentage of vehicles 

operating in the modeling domain that actually receive an I/M benefit, the percentage of vehicles 

that are not waived (i.e., 100 – percent waiver rate) is used as one input when calculating the 

compliance factor. 

4.10.6.3 Regulatory Class Coverage Adjustment 

I/M programs entered in MOVES can only be applied to source types. However, as discussed in 

Section 4.10.2, this association of I/M programs and source type may be inconsistent with state 

53
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I/M program regulations that define I/M programs by the vehicle weight classes. MOVES 

source types are composed of several vehicle weight classes and, therefore, applying I/M 

benefits to the entire MOVES source type may be inappropriate. Table A.1 in the Appendix of 

this guidance can be used to develop adjustments to the compliance factor to account for this 

discrepancy. The adjustments are percentages of VMT by the various regulatory weight classes 

within a source type. After reviewing the table, users should sum the adjustments for weight 

classes within a source type that are covered by an I/M program. This sum provides users with a 

multiplicative factor that can be applied along with the compliance rate and waiver rate discussed 

above. An example of this process is provided in the next section of this document. 

Users who believe regional regulatory class coverage adjustments are more appropriate than the 

Table A.1 defaults should provide documentation in the SIP or regional conformity analysis of 

the local data and methods used to derive those adjustments. 

4.10.6.4 Example Application of Compliance Rate, Waiver Rate, and Regulatory Class 

Coverage Adjustment 

Using the example from Section 4.10.2, an I/M program that targets trucks less than 8501 lbs. 

GVWR (regulatory classes LDT1, LDT2, LDT3, and LDT4) would include parts of two 

MOVES source types: passenger trucks (sourcetypeID 31) and light commercial trucks (32). 

Users should first determine the compliance rate and waiver rate for the trucks covered by that 

program. For this example, we will assume that the compliance rate is 96% and the waiver rate 

is 8%. 

The user would then determine the regulatory class coverage adjustment by summing the 

percentages of those regulatory classes less than 8501 lbs., GVRW separately for source types 31 

and 32 using the information in Table A.1 in the Appendix to this document. For source type 31, 

the regulatory class coverage adjustment is 98%. For source type 32, the regulatory class 

coverage adjustment is 93%. 

Using these results, the compliance factor for source type 31 is 

Compliance factor = compliance rate x (100 - waiver rate) x regulatory class coverage
 

87% = 96% x (100-8)% x 98%
 

The compliance factor for source type 32 is 

Compliance factor = compliance rate x (100 - waiver rate) x regulatory class coverage
 

82% = 96% x (100-8)% x 93%
 

These values would be entered as compliance factors of 87 for source type 31 and 82 for source 

type 32. 

4.11 Zone (Custom Domain Only) 

The Zone Importer can be used to define multiple zones within a larger custom domain region. 

The Zone Tab will appear only when a custom domain is selected in the Geographic Bounds 

54
 
 

 

 

Panel. Table 5 lists which inputs can vary by zone. The zone option may be advantageous when 

modeling a region of multiple counties that share the same fuels, vehicle age distribution, and 

I/M program. Rather than modeling each individual county in separate runs, users can divide 

activity (e.g., VMT) between multiple zones and run MOVES only once. Emissions results will 

be produced for each defined zone. Although fuels, age distribution, and I/M programs cannot 

vary between zones, users can define specific temperature and humidity values for each zone 

within the custom domain. This information should be imported through the Meteorology 

Importer – discussed in Section 4.2. 

Table 5. MOVES2014 Custom Domain Inputs by Zone 

MOVES input Can be varied by zone? How is the input changed? 

Meteorology Yes Temperatures and Humidity are defined for 

each zone using the "Meteorology" input 

Source Type Population Yes 

Population (starts, evaporative, and extended 

idle emissions) are allocated to each zone using 

the "Zone" input 

Vehicle Type VMT Yes 

VMT (running emissions) are allocated to each 

zone and road type using the "ZoneRoadType" 

input 

Starts Yes Starts can be varied using the starts fraction of 

the “Zone” input 

Hotelling Yes Hotelling can be varied using the extended idle 

fraction of the “Zone” input 

Age Distribution No 

Not applicable 

Retrofit No 

Average Speed 

Distribution No 

Road Type Distribution No 

Ramp Fraction No 

Fuels No 

I/M Programs No 

The Zone Importer includes three input tables: Zone, ZoneRoadType, and 

SCCRoadTypeDistribution. 

55 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Zone input is used to allocate off-network activity between each zone. Users should specify 

the distribution of starts (startAllocFactor), hotelling (idleAllocFactor), and parking 

(SHPAllocFactor) for each defined zone. Since most off-network emissions are proportional to 

vehicle population in MOVES, the zone input is useful when modeling regions where starts may 

not be directly tied to population. For example, some urban centers may have a relatively low 

vehicle population as determined by vehicle registration data, but commuters may contribute to 

high start and evaporative (parked) emissions during the day. Using this input can address such 

situations. If specific start, extended idle, and parked fractions are not available, users can rely 

on the distribution of vehicle population among each zone to determine the allocation factors. 

The ZoneRoadType input is used to vary on-road activity (VMT) by road type and zone. The 

source hours operating (SHOAllocFactor) must sum to 1 for each road type. The allocation 

factors should be based on the distribution of VMT for each road type and zone. Users can use 

the ZoneRoadType input to model situations where one zone may have much more highway 

VMT but lower arterial/local VMT than other zones by changing the SHO allocation factors. If 

data are not available, these factors may be identical for each road type within each zone. 

The SCCRoadTypeDistribution input is only used when selecting output by SCC. Because 

output by SCC is not recommended for SIP and regional conformity analyses, most users should 

not import this table. 

4.12 Starts 

The Starts Tab is used to import local information on vehicle start activity. This input is optional 

and should only be used if local data are available. There are several sources for vehicle start 

information, but typically this is derived from origin/destination surveys used for travel demand 

modeling. If no starts information is available, this importer should not be used and MOVES 

will calculate start activity based on user-supplied vehicle populations (sourcetypeyear input) 

and default assumptions of vehicle activity. 

The Starts Tab contains multiple importers. Depending on the information available, one or 

more of these importers can be used to supply local start information. These importers include: 

• Starts, 

• StartsPerDay, 

• StartsPerHourFraction, 

• StartsSourceTypeFraction, 

• StartsMonthAdjust, and 

• StartsOpModeDistribution 

The importers are used to create the starts table in MOVES. This is a very detailed table 

containing start information by source type, hour, day, and month. Typically, local data will not 

be available to populate the entire starts table. In a case where a user supplied only one table, 

MOVES will use that information to create the starts table, and will rely on default information 

for the inputs not provided. For instance, if total starts per day are provided through the 

startsperday table, those values will be used, and will be distributed to source types, months, and 

hours based on MOVES default allocations. 

56
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Users should confirm in the output that MOVES used the correct number of starts. By selecting 

“Starts” Activity in the Output Emissions Detail Panel of the RunSpec, the number of starts used 

in the MOVES run will be reported in the MOVESactivityoutput table of the output database. 

This table can be used to confirm the correct number of starts and/or correct allocations were 

used in MOVES. 

Starts 

The Starts table can be used to completely replace the MOVES generated Starts table. 

Information on starts must be provided by month, hourdayID, sourcetypeid, and vehicle ageID. 

To use this input, vehicle starts information must be available for all fields. This input should 

only be used independently, and should not be used in combination with other starts inputs. Note 

that a complete table must be provided that includes all combinations of month, hourdayID, 

sourcetypeid selected in the RunSpec. If you have some but not all of the information required 

for this table, use one or more of the tables described below, as appropriate. 

StartsPerDay 

The Startsperday table can be used when vehicle start information is available for total starts for 

weekend and/or weekdays. Total starts should be provided for a typical weekday and weekend 

day (dayID 5 and 2 respectively.) This input can be used independently, or in combination with 

other start input tables. 

StartsPerHourFraction 

The Startsperhourfraction table can be used when local start information is available by hour of 

day. Fractions can be provided to correctly allocate starts to the appropriate hour. Fractions 

should be provided for both weekday and weekend day. The fractions should sum to one for 

each day type. This input can be used independently, or in combination with other start input 

options. 

StartsSourceTypeFraction 

The Startssourcetypefraction table can be used when local start information is available by 

source type. Fractions can be entered in the table to allocate total starts to each of the 13 

MOVES source types. Fractions should sum to one. This input can be used independently, or in 

combination with other start input options. 

StartsMonthAdjust 

The Startsmonthadjust table can be used to vary the vehicle starts between different months. An 

adjustment factor of 1.0 for each month will model a situation where annual starts are evenly 

divided between months. This is likely an unrealistic scenario. Usually, start activity increases 

in the summer and decreases in the winter. Local starts information can be used to adjust starts 

up or down depending on the month (or season) by changing the adjustment factors for each 

month. Users should make sure total starts are conserved by checking the MOVESactivityoutput 

table in the output database. 

StartsOpModeDistribution 

The Startopmodedistribution table can be used to provide local soak-time distributions. A soaktime is the period between “key-off” and “key-on.” Longer periods of soak typically result in 

57
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

higher start emission rates. If local data are available, the MOVES default soak-time 

assumptions can be overwritten by changing the opmodedistribution fractions in this table. This 

input can be used independently, or in combination with other start input options. Note that 

evaporative emissions will not be affected by changing this table. 

4.13 Hotelling 

The Hotelling Tab is used to import information on combination truck hotelling activity. In 

MOVES2014 and MOVES2014a, hotelling can be divided into four operating modes: Extended 

Idle, Diesel Auxiliary Power (APU), Battery Power, and Engine-Off.26 Extended Idle is defined 

as long-duration idling with more load than standard idle and a different idle speed. It is used to 

account for emissions during hotelling operation when a truck’s engine is used to support loads 

such as heaters, air conditioners, microwave ovens, etc. Diesel Auxiliary Power refers to use of 

auxiliary power units that allow for heating/cooling/power for the cab without running the 

truck’s engine. Engine-Off refers to hotelling when the truck’s engine is off and an APU is not 

being used. This could include hotelling resulting from truck-stop electrification. 

All hotelling processes only apply to long-haul combination trucks (sourcetype = 62). 

The Hotelling Tab contains two importers: HotelingActivityDistribution and HotelingHours. 

HotellingActivityDistribution 

In most cases, users should rely on the national default hotelling operating mode fractions. In 

this case, no action is necessary for the Hotelling tab. However, if users have detailed local 

hotelling data, it can be used to define the fraction of hotelling hours that are in each of the 

hotelling modes by model year. 

HotellingHours 

In most cases, users should rely on the MOVES generated hotelling hours, which are determined 

based on the amount of rural restricted access VMT imported. However, the Hotelling Tab also 

includes an optional input for Hotelling Hours. This input can be used if users have detailed 

local information on total hotelling hours by hour of day, day type, month, and vehicle model 

year. Note that a complete table must be provided that includes all combinations of Month, 

HourDayID, and Hour selected in the RunSpec. 

4.14 Retrofit Data 

The Retrofit Data Tab in MOVES allows users to enter retrofit program data that apply 

adjustments to vehicle emission rates. There are no default retrofit data in MOVES. However, 

users are not required to input retrofit data into MOVES unless they have a retrofit program that 

they wish to model. Users should consult EPA’s SIP and Conformity Retrofit Guidance 

(www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/policy.htm#quantify) for additional information. 

26 Note that the Battery Power operating mode produces the same emissions as the Engine Off mode. 

58
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.15 Stage II Refueling Programs 

MOVES can model the effects of Stage II vehicle refueling controls. The two types of Stage II 

emissions included in MOVES are vapor displacement and spills. Stage II control programs can 

affect both types of losses and MOVES allows the user to specify the impact of controls on each 

type separately. The impact of controls for refueling losses are affected by a combination of the 

efficiency of the control technology, the coverage of the program (including the impact of 

exemptions) and the state of repair of the equipment, which is affected by the frequency of 

formal inspections. 

There is currently no dedicated importer for this in the CDM. Stage II information is included in 

the CountyYear table. An alternative CountyYear table can be imported using the Generic 

Importer Tab (described below). Using this tab, users can export the default CountyYear table 

for the county being modeled, modify the values as necessary, and import a revised table. 

MOVES includes default county-level Stage II control efficiencies. Users should check that the 

default data is accurate for the local area. MOVES separates the Stage II control efficiency into 

two factors, a refueling vapor adjustment factor, and a spillage adjustment factor, which are 

measures of the efficiency of the Stage II program at reducing vapor displacement and spillage. 

Calculation of Stage II efficiency is addressed in Section 3.3.6.1 of “Procedures for Emission 

Inventory Preparation, Volume IV: Mobile Sources,” (EPA-450/4-81-026d). This document 

may be obtained at www.epa.gov/otaq/invntory.htm. In the absence of any local information 

that differentiates the efficiency of the Stage II program for controlling vapor displacement and 

spillage, the same control efficiencies should be used for both programs. 

4.16 Generic 

The Generic Tab can be used to export, modify, and re-import any of the default MOVES tables 

not covered by specific tabs in the CDM. Users should note that there are complex interactions 

between tables in MOVES, and there may be unintended consequences from changing any table. 

Generally, other than the Stage II inputs mentioned above, most tables should never be changed 

and results will not be acceptable if such tables are modified. EPA recommends that users 

consult with their EPA Regional Office before modifying any of the default MOVES tables 

accessible through the Generic tab. 

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Appendix A 

Table A.1: Users can apply the regulatory class coverage adjustments in the following table as 

described in Section 4.10.6.3. 

Source Type 

Description SourceTypeID MOVES Reg Class Description MOVES 

RegClass ID 

Regulatory Class 

Coverage 

Adjustment (%) 

Motorcycle 11 Motorcycles (Gasoline) 10 100% 

Passenger 

Car 21 LD Gas Vehicles 

(Passenger Cars) 20 100% 

Passenger 

Truck 31 

LD Gas Trucks 

(less than 8,501 lbs. GVWR) 30 98% 

Class 2b 2-Axle 4-Tire Gas Trucks 

(8,501 - 10,000 lbs. GVWR) 40 2% 

Light 

Commercial 

Truck 

32 

LD Gas Trucks 

(less than 8,501 lbs. GVWR) 30 92% 

Class 2b 2-Axle 4-Tire Gas Trucks 

(8,501 - 10,000 lbs. GVWR) 40 8% 

Transit Bus 42 

Light Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(14,001 - 19,500 lbs. GVWR) 42 27% 

Medium Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(19,501 - 33,000 lbs. GVWR) 46 10% 

Heavy Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(Greater than 33,000 lbs GVWR) 47 63% 

School Bus 43 

Light Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(8,501 - 14,000 lbs. GVWR) 41 1% 

Light Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(14,001 - 19,500 lbs. GVWR) 42 1% 

Medium Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(19,501 - 33,000 lbs. GVWR) 46 94% 

Heavy Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(Greater than 33,000 lbs GVWR) 47 4% 

Refuse 

Truck 51 

Light Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(8,501 - 14,000 lbs. GVWR) 41 6% 

Light Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(14,001 - 19,500 lbs. GVWR) 42 84% 

Medium Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(19,501 - 33,000 lbs. GVWR) 46 10% 

60
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table A.1: Users can apply the regulatory class coverage adjustments in the following table as 

described in Section 4.10.6.3. 

Single Unit 

Short-haul 

Truck 

52 

Light Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(8,501 - 14,000 lbs. GVWR) 41 46% 

Light Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(14,001 - 19,500 lbs. GVWR) 42 38% 

Medium Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(19,501 - 33,000 lbs. GVWR) 46 16% 

Single Unit 

Long-haul 

Truck 

53 

Light Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(8,501 - 14,000 lbs. GVWR) 41 48% 

Light Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(14,001 - 19,500 lbs. GVWR) 42 34% 

Medium Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(19,501 - 33,000 lbs. GVWR) 46 18% 

Motor Home 54 

Light Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(8,501 - 14,000 lbs. GVWR) 41 27% 

Light Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(14,001 - 19,500 lbs. GVWR) 42 39% 

Medium Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(19,501 - 33,000 lbs. GVWR) 46 30% 

Heavy Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(Greater than 33,000 lbs GVWR) 47 4% 

Combination 

Short-haul 

Truck 

61 

Medium Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(19,501 - 33,000 lbs. GVWR) 46 97% 

Heavy Heavy Duty Gas Vehicles 

(Greater than 33,000 lbs GVWR) 47 3% 

61