MotorVehicleRegs.COM

Proposed New Fuel Economy Label

EPA has released proposed revisions to the fuel economy label for the 2012 model year.  The updated label will provide new information to consumers about the fuel economy and consumption, fuel costs, and environmental impacts (tailpipe emissions) associated with the operation of new cars and light-duty trucks. The updated label will also be applicable to advanced technology vehicles, including electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, poised to enter the U.S. market.

For a copy of the proposal and related documents, go to http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/regulations.htm

California Scrappage Program Approved

CARB’s Office of Administrative Law approved the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Program regulation on August 12, 2010.  Under the program, vehicle owners can receive $1,000 for scrapping their old vehicle and up to an $2,500 towards the purchase of a newer car or public transit agency voucher.  The program became effective on August 12, 2010.  For more information, see http://www.arb.ca.gov/regact/2009/carscrap09/carscrap09.htm.

ABS Effectiveness for Heavy Truck Tractors and Trailers

On August 20, 2010, NHTSA published a notice in the Federal Register at 75 FR 51521 announcing publication of a Technical Report, The Effectiveness of ABS in Heavy Truck Tractors and Trailers.  The primary findings of the report are the following:

1) The best estimate of a reduction by ABS on the tractor unit in all levels of police-reported crashes for air-braked tractor-trailers is 3 percent. This is based on data from seven States and controls for the age of the tractor at the time of the crash. This represents a statistically significant 6-percent reduction in the crashes where ABS is assumed to be potentially influential, relative to a control group, of about the same number of crashes, where ABS is likely to be irrelevant.

2) In fatal crashes, there is a non-significant 2-percent reduction in crash involvement, resulting from a 4-percent reduction in crashes where ABS should be potentially influential. The age of the tractor at the time of the crash is not important. Rather, external factors of urbanization, road speed, and ambient lighting are influential and are accounted for in the final estimate.

3) Among the types of crashes that ABS influences, there is large reduction in jack-knives, off-road over-turns, and at-fault involvements in collisions with other vehicles (except front-to-rear collisions). Counteracting are an increase in the number of involvements of hitting animals, pedestrians, or bicycles and, only in fatal crashes, rear-ending lead vehicles in two-vehicle crashes.

Comments on the report are due to NHTSA no later than December 20, 2010.

Docket ref: NHTSA-2010-0116.

NHTSA contact: Charles Kahane, 202-366-2560.

International Crashworthiness Conference – Icrash 2010 – Electric Vehicles (EVs) - September 22-24, 2010

The vehicles of the future will use different propulsion systems to be dominated by electric cars. In such electric cars, the structural crashworthiness design will be different to what we currently have. The packaging of the batteries for example will drive future crashworthiness design and we must be ready for this new challenge. 

The objective of this conference is to encourage scientists and engineers to meet this challenge by providing a valuable forum in which they can present and discuss their work in this most important field of crashworthiness. The previous six ICRASH conferences were held with unprecedented successes in Dearborn (USA), London (UK), Melbourne (Australia), San Francisco (USA), Athens (Greece) and Kyoto (Japan) respectively, every two years since 1998. ICRASH has become a well-recognized platform for engineers, bioengineers, designers and researchers in the field of structural crashworthiness and impact biomechanics and provides a vital forum for experts to find designs that reduce fatalities and injuries attributed from world's road, railway and air accidents.

The conference will address five distinct areas of safety in the following separate sessions: 

1) Structural Crashworthiness • Road and Rail Vehicles • Air and Spacecraft • Ships and Submarines 2) Impact Biomechanics • Vehicle Occupants, • Vulnerable Road Users (Cyclists and Pedestrians) 3) Safety Systems and Materials • Vehicle Occupant Restraints, • Energy Absorbers, • Metallic and Composite Materials 4) Accident Survey and Reconstruction • Real World Database • Realistic Regulations • Type Approval Tests • Customer Rating Systems 5) Modelling • Simulation and Validation 

The conference will be held at the National Conference Center in Leesburg, Virginia. Visit the following web address for further information: http://www.bolton.ac.uk/BEE/BAARG/Conferences/icrash2010.aspx. 

Fuel Economy Label Information for 2011 Model Year

EPA has published a “Dear Manufacturer Letter” (CISD-10-14 (LDV/LDT/ICI/LIMO) which is intended to assist manufacturers with their 2011 model year fuel economy labeling programs.  The letter addresses the following topics:

 Enclosure 1: Fuel Economy Supplementary Information for 2011 Model Year

Enclosure 1 contains information manufacturers need to print fuel economy labels, including information about 2011 fuel costs, gas guzzler taxes, fuel economy ranges, etc.   If manufacturer labels are currently approved by EPA and printed, they may continue using the 2010 fuel costs on an interim basis until August 29, 2010.  Manufacturers are free to update their currently approved labels sooner if they prefer. All labels approved after issuance of this letter should use the new fuel costs.

Enclosure 2: Supplementary Instructions for Submitting Fuel Economy Information to EPA for the 2011 Fuel Economy Guide

Enclosure 2 provides manufacturers with instructions for submitting information to EPA for the Fuel Economy Guide for alternative-fueled vehicles, electric vehicles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles.

Enclosure 3: Timetable for 2011 MY Fuel Economy Guide

Enclosure 3 contains the timetable for inclusion of fuel economy label values in the 2011 model year Fuel Economy Guide.  

For a copy of the Dear Manufacturer Letter, click here.

Underwriters Laboratories Creates Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment Installation Training Programs

On July 27^th Underwriters Laboratories (UL) announced a new initiative to develop and launch electric vehicle installation training programs aimed at furthering the development and installation of electric vehicle charging equipment.

Offered through UL University, UL's new training programs will provide a platform for various stakeholders who are involved in the design, construction, installation and inspection of electric vehicle charging equipment. A training module, as well as a hands-on testing component, will allow participants to demonstrate their understanding of relevant National Electric Code (NEC) articles, various installation requirements, UL electric vehicle safety standards and emerging electric vehicle infrastructure technology.  UL is also developing programs for code officials and inspectors, installers and designers.

UL anticipates that the training programs will be launched in the early fall of 2010, in time for the introduction of the plug-in and battery electric vehicle. In addition to the general training program for installers, UL will also be creating company-specific training programs which will allow for infrastructure equipment manufacturers to have installers trained on their equipment.

UL is also developing a webinar on UL's electric vehicle safety standards. This webinar will focus on the relevant electric vehicle standards for off-board equipment as well as offer a brief overview of the relevant international standards. UL anticipates that the electric vehicle UL standards webinar will be held in the early fall of 2010. For additional information, and to be notified when the webinar is scheduled, please visitwww.ul.com/electricvehicle.