EMISSIONS & ALTERNATIVES
Covering Fuel Cells And Other Emerging And Alternative Technologies
EPA Withdraws OK For Chinese Vehicles …
Microturbine For Transit Bus … Engine
Certifications For Cat, Volvo, Cummins …
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) withdrew its approval
for the import and sale of up to 200,000
gasoline-powered off-road motorcycles
and all-terrain vehicles due to tailpipe
emissions information that was suspected to be incomplete or falsified.
EPA issued the certificates in 2006 and
2007 to the U.S. counterparts of four of
China’s largest manufacturers of the
vehicles: Hensim USA, Loncin USA,
Peace Industry Group and Seaseng.
The approvals were issued based on
applications compiled by a consultant,
MotorScience Enterprise. After what it
said was a lengthy investigation, EPA
believes MotorScience Enterprise intentionally submitted false or incomplete
emissions information. This is the first
time the EPA has voided certificates of
conformity for these types of vehicles.
The Massachusetts Dept. of Energy
Resources (DOER) indefinitely suspended the state’s biodiesel mandate that had
been due to start July 1. The DOER found
the biodiesel mandate as not feasible on
the basis of “unreasonable cost.” The
increased biodiesel costs were blamed
on the absence of the federal biofuels
blender credit, which expired early this
year and was essential to reducing the
cost of the mandate to state companies
and customers, the DOER said.
Capstone Turbine Corp. has initiated
a demonstration project with TATSA, an
Argentine bus manufacturer that will use
a Capstone hybrid-electric drive system
with a C65 microturbine as a range extender for a transit bus. According to Capstone, this will be one of the company’s
first applications of its new Drive Solution
on a transit bus. Capstone will also provide the series hybrid drive system, including drive motor, inverter system and
vehicle power interface module.
Eaton Corp. and the city of Ann Ar-
bor, Mich., have announced the first de-
ployment in Michigan of recycling trucks
that utilize Eaton’s hydraulic launch as-
sist (HLA) hybrid power system. The four
trucks, which are based on Peterbilt’s
320 hybrid chassis with Labrie body, will
operate in daily curbside recycling duty
and are expected to provide up to 30%
improvement in fuel economy and emis-
sions, as well as reductions in mainte-
nance costs, the company said.
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