California ARB to Hold Public Workshop on LEV III Technologies; Criteria Pollutants and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
13 May 2010
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) is developing a proposal for more stringent emission requirements for new passenger vehicles, to be considered by the Board later this year. ARB will hold a one-day workshop to discuss ARB staff’s preliminary thoughts and sources of information upon which to base the proposed standards and test procedures on 18 May, 2010, in El Monte, California.
This is the second technical workshop for the LEV III rulemaking. The first workshop, on 2 March, focused on preliminary elements of the proposed criteria pollutant emission standards and involved a presentation of technical information from several studies that are under evaluation for potential greenhouse gas emission reduction. This second workshop will go into more detail in several areas related to criteria pollutant emissions and greenhouse gas emissions.
ARB staff plans to cover four topic areas in the workshop:
Mass reduction. The morning session will include external expert presentations on a number of issues related to the reduction of vehicle mass through advanced materials and optimized vehicle designs as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. ARB staff believes that vehicle mass-reduction technologies, along with many other vehicle technologies—including powertrain efficiency, improved aerodynamics, and hybrid drivetrain systems—could be among the promising strategies for reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.
In advance of the workshop, ARB staff is directing workshop participants to the following studies in the general area of vehicle mass-reduction technology:
- Lotus Engineering, Incorporated, 2010. An Assessment of Mass Reduction Opportunities for a 2017-2020 Model Year Vehicle Program
- EDAG, 2009. Future Steel Vehicle: Phase I.
- Volkswagen, 2008. “Super Light Car: Sustainable Production Technologies for CO2 Emission Reduced Lightweight Car Concepts”
- ITS-Davis, 2010. Review of technical literature and trends related to automobile mass reduction technology
Mobile Air Conditioning Systems. ARB staff will present its preliminary thoughts on proposed greenhouse gas emission standards for AC systems. These standards will cover AC “indirect” emissions (e.g., efficiency of AC systems, vehicle heating load), “direct” emissions (e.g., refrigerant global warming potential, leakage rates), and the potential for modifying current or creating new testing procedures.
Particulate Matter emissions. ARB staff has developed a discussion paper on its preliminary regulatory development toward particulate matter emission standards and is seeking comments and input from stakeholders. The discussion paper, “Preliminary Discussion Paper – Amendments to California’s Low-Emission Vehicle Regulations – Particulate Matter mass, Ultrafine Solid Particle number, and Black Carbon Emissions,” can be found at the LEV III website.
Evaporative and supplemental Federal test procedures.Staff will provide an update on the proposed evaporative and supplemental federal test procedure requirements.
The workshop will be webcast. Interested parties may access the webcast on the morning of the workshop at: http://www.calepa.ca.gov/broadcast/?BDO=1
Isn't it interesting that CARB can spend so much time confirming the reality that Automobiles after 40 years of hard effort, have achieved equal ZERO POLLUTION status for both gasoline ICEs and EVs.
The proposed LEV III do not tighten any emissions regulations except even tighter regulations on diesels. This is a nice academic exercise on diesels, since auto,(not truck), diesels play such a miniscule part of the American automotive scene. Principally because meeting the existing diesel regulations have essentially ruled them off ther road, economically.
None the less, they feel they must spin their wheels and justify their jobs, producing less and less, with more and more paper shuffling, and intrusive regulation. No professional bureaucrat, nor any of their political Cassandra cheering squads, will admit that the present regulations that brought 25% of the existing auto fleet to ZERO POLLUTION status already,and the job is essentially finished.
Certainly none have proposed saying "JOB well done!" , and recommending that the 80-90% of the CARB staff be layed off, keeping a 10 - 20% staff in place, to continue to monitor and confirm the automakers keep doing the job.
Let me be the first to say "JOB well done!" Now pick up your gold watchs, and march off to the unemployment line, where your talents can be re-utilized for other useful societal needs.
Posted by: ExDemo | 13 May 2010 at 07:03 AM
Ex: Are you nuts?
The job of cleaning up the mess created by burning fossil fuels for the past 2 centuries, and replacing all the machinery with those that use renewable sources has only begun. GHG emissions beyond that which can be consumed by flora are pollutants, period!
California has led the charge on cleaning up transportation emissions in general, and is now (after its disastrous capitulation to the auto companies regarding ZEVs) leading the rest of the country in reducing GHG output.
I say good on ya CARB, keep chargin'!
Posted by: Sanity Chk | 13 May 2010 at 08:20 AM
The CARB has been and is currently operating and making rules in violation of the constitution. It missed a good chance years ago to reduce CO2 and automobile operating costs with the EV's that it allowed to be shredded after being bribed by the fuel cell people and extorted by the Oil Company presidents Bushes.
It can sit there and forbid Nuclear power because of the tablespoon full of nuclear "wastes" produced for a lifetime of nuclear energy per person per car and ignore the tons of radioactive wastes generated by the use of coal, oil and natural gas in addition to many time the tons of CO2. You did not know that any natural gas has radon in it?? Of course you don't even know that every bit of live things, plant or animal including you, has always been radioactive.
Cigarettes are an unnecessary contribution to the CO2 of California. Forbid them just as transfats are being forbidden. Meat releases too much CO2 in its production; close down In and out Burger. Alcoholic beverages release too much CO2 in their production, far more than coal generated power; so forbid their importation. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 13 May 2010 at 10:52 AM
Lighter, stronger and safer cars are part of it. Getting AC and power steering off the belt helps as well. CARB got a new member about the time that the ZEV idea was being modified. That new person wanted fuel cells, which were decades away if ever. It does not help when progress is diverted into pipe dreams.
Posted by: SJC | 15 May 2010 at 12:38 PM