Near-Zero Emission Engines ... On Gasoline?
Results of Groundbreaking Study of Extremely Low Emission Vehicles To be Released; Panel of Experts to Discuss Findings
RIVERSIDE, Calif., Aug. 20 -- The University of California, Riverside (UCR) will release the latest significant findings of its Study of Extremely Low Emission Vehicles (SELEV) program on Wednesday, September 4, 2002.
Findings of the study of internal combustion engine "clean technology" will be discussed at UCR's Bourns College of Engineering, Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) during the first Clean Mobility Symposium, "Cars, Fuels and the Future of Air Quality."
The UC Riverside Clean Mobility Symposium begins at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 4 at the CE-CERT facility, 1084 Columbia Avenue, Riverside, CA 92507.
The three-year study is being conducted to determine how low the level of emissions from certain internal combustion engines can go, how to measure those extremely minute quantities of emissions, and how new emission control technologies will affect overall air quality.
Extremely low-emission internal combustion engines that are powered by gasoline -- engines that are available in dealer showrooms today -- can have significant environmental impacts without requiring alternative technologies, according to CE-CERT.
The symposium will feature a panel discussion examining the real-world impact of near-zero emission internal combustion engine vehicles, measurement challenges, and impacts caused by increasingly efficient emissions control technologies. The panel also will discuss the environmental impact of improved gasoline and internal combustion engine technologies.
Leading academic, industry, and government experts participating in the panel are:
-- Dr. Alan C. Lloyd, chairman of the California Air Resources Board; -- Dr. Joseph M. Norbeck, director of CE-CERT; -- Dr. James M. Lents, SELEV program manager, CE-CERT; -- Ben Knight, vice president of research & development at Honda R&D Americas, Inc.; and -- David C. Reeves, president of ChevronTexaco's North America Products.
CE-CERT was established in 1992 in part with a $10 million endowment from Ford Motor Co. to the UC Riverside Bourns College of Engineering. It is a model for partnerships among industry, government, and academia. CE-CERT serves the role as the "honest broker," producing sound research and data to improve the technical basis that influences regulations and public policy decisions.
"The SELEV project is significant in that most people will continue to drive internal combustion engine vehicles for many years," says CE-CERT Director Joseph Norbeck, professor of environmental engineering. "This study is designed specifically to determine how this engine technology can continue to decrease emissions while delivering the performance consumers expect from their cars."
CE-CERT established the SELEV program in June 2000 to understand the impact that new-generation vehicles have on overall air quality. In the early 1990s, it was widely believed that a change to alternative fuels would be required to achieve the mandate for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEV) established by the state of California.
The California Air Resources Board now lists more than 90 gasoline-fueled car models that meet the ultra-low emission vehicle standard for the 2002 model year and six that meet the Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) standard, with more expected to be added during the coming year.
"California has established itself as the place where the cleanest vehicles in the world will be found, so it is only fitting that CE-CERT at UC Riverside be leading the way in not only testing these super-clean internal combustion engines, but finding new ways to measure them," says Alan Lloyd, chairman of the California Air Resources Board.
ULEVs emit about half as many smog-forming hydrocarbon gases and carbon monoxide as Low Emission Vehicles, themselves significantly cleaner (by more than two-thirds) than vehicle standards from as recent as 1993. The next rung down the emissions ladder includes SULEVs, which have far fewer tailpipe emissions -- meeting standards that allow about one-fifth the smog-forming hydrocarbon gases and less than one-tenth the nitrogen oxide emissions of the ULEV standard.
"Honda is committed to improving its internal combustion engines as well as exploring other alternative technologies," says Ben Knight, vice president of research & development, Honda R&D Americas, Inc. "Our goal is to help solve the air quality problem, and we are excited by the ability of gasoline-powered vehicle technology to reduce emissions to near-zero levels and to positively contribute to better air quality."
"Given the ready availability of petroleum and an existing infrastructure to safely and reliably deliver transportation fuels, it's heartening to see that consumers do not have to trade mobility for environmental progress," says Dave Reeves, president of ChevronTexaco's North America Products.
The University of California, Riverside offers undergraduate and graduate education to nearly 15,000 students and has a projected enrollment of 21,000 students by 2010. It is the fastest growing and most ethnically diverse campus of the preeminent ten-campus University of California system, the largest public research university system in the world. The picturesque 1,200-acre campus is located at the foot of the Box Springs Mountains near downtown Riverside in Southern California. More information about UC Riverside is available at www.ucr.edu or by calling 909-787-5185.
For further information about the September 4 symposium, please contact Tom Fulks or Heather Hellman, Green Car Marketing & Communications, (805) 541-0477 or hhellman@greencars.com.
theautochannel.com
South Coast Air Quality Management District
BOARD MEETING DATE: August 2, 2002 AGENDA NO. 3
PROPOSAL:
Execute Contract to Cost Share Truck Fuel Cell Auxiliary Power Unit Development, Demonstration, and Evaluation Project
SYNOPSIS:
Idling truck engines are used to provide electrical power for non-driving operations. Most trucks use diesel-fueled main engines for this purpose, and some trucks use auxiliary power units (APUs). Engine idling and APUs produce significant amounts of NOx, PM, toxic, and greenhouse gas emissions. Fuel cell APUs are energy efficient and clean sources of electrical energy, and are viable alternatives for main engine idling and diesel-fueled APUs. Staff proposes to award a contract to University of California, Davis, in an amount not to exceed $300,000 to develop, demonstrate, and evaluate fuel cell APUs. The total project cost is expected to be approximately $1.2 million with cost sharing from University of California, Davis, DOE, and industry.
COMMITTEE:
Technology, June 28, 2002, Recommended for Approval
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Authorize the Chairman to execute a contract with the University of California, Davis, in an amount not to exceed $300,000 from the Clean Fuels Fund to develop, demonstrate, and evaluate fuel cell truck auxiliary power units (APUs).
Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer
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Background
In 1988, the AQMD's Governing Board adopted a Clean Fuels Program to promote the development, demonstration, and commercialization of innovative clean-fuel technologies. The Technology Advancement Office (TAO) was subsequently formed to administer and manage this Clean Fuels Program. TAO programs target advanced clean air technologies to meet AQMP objectives.
Diesel-fueled truck engine idling is used to provide non-driving electrical energy for refrigeration, cab power for heaters and air conditioners, and hotelling operations. The idling of diesel truck main engines is only 5 to 10% efficient and produce significant emissions of NOx, PM, toxics, and greenhouse gases. Of the approximately 400,000 line-haul trucks in the U.S., many idle between 20 to 40% of total engine run time. It is estimated that truck engine idling consumes between 840 million to two billion gallons of diesel fuel annually.
Diesel-powered APUs are commercially available as an alternative to main engine idling. However, currently available APUs have not gained significant market acceptance, and it is estimated that the current market penetration of APUs is less than 5%. The reasons for low market penetration of APUs is unclear, but some reports indicate that diesel-fueled APUs are heavy, fuel inefficient, noisy, and generate significant amounts of pollution.
Fuel cell APUs are viable alternatives and could be the first widespread use of fuel cells in the transportation industry. Non-driving power requirements can be categorized based on trucking operation and APU components, and this determines the power output requirement. For a typical Class 8 truck this power requirement is in the range of 5 to 25 kW. Fuel cell APUs can be used to replace main engine idling and the use of diesel-fueled APUs resulting in significant fuel savings and almost zero emissions.
Proposal
Staff recommends that a contract be awarded to the University of California, Davis, in an amount not to exceed $300,000 from the Clean Fuels Fund to develop, demonstrate, and evaluate fuel cell truck APUs. It is expected that the total project cost will be approximately $1.2 million with cost sharing from University of California, Davis, CARB, DOE, Carrier, and the American Trucking Association.
The work will focus on APUs for Class 8 trucks. The approach of this project will be to start with hydrogen as fuel then use propane as an intermediate fuel, and then use diesel oil. The ultimate objective of future work will be to develop a truck APU powered by alternative fuels. For these different types of fuel, both proton exchange membrane (PEM) and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) will be evaluated. The project will also focus on reformer technology. It is estimated that the entire project will be completed in approximately three years.
Benefits to AQMD
The AQMP relies on the expedited implementation of advanced technologies and clean burning fuels in Southern California to achieve air quality standards. The above project will demonstrate the technological feasibility of low emission fuel cell APUs that are significantly more energy efficient than truck engine idling and diesel-fueled APUs. Both main engine idling and diesel-fueled APUs produce significant quantities of NOx, PM, hydrocarbon, toxic, and greenhouse gas emissions. Eventually, if this pilot concept is commercially successful, this technology will substantially reduce emissions from idling diesel-fueled truck engines and APUs.
Sole Source Justification
Section VIII.B.2. of the Procurement Policy and Procedure identifies four major provisions under which a sole source award may be justified. This request for a sole source award is made under provision B.2.d.: Other circumstances exist which in the determination of the Executive Officer require such waiver in the best interest of the AQMD. Specifically, these circumstances are B.2.d.(8): Research and development efforts with educational institutions or nonprofit organizations.
The University of California, Davis has demonstrated expertise in the area of fuel cell research, development and demonstration activities, especially in the area of mobile sources, at its Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis). UC Davis has worked on fuel cell projects with CARB, DOE, industry, and collaborates with other academic institutions. In the area of fuel cell APUs for mobile sources, ITS-Davis holds a national leadership position, and has completed three years of research in this area. The work began with cost-benefit analyses for USDOT (Advanced Vehicle Program) under subcontract from Freightliner. Then ITS-Davis began two projects related to FC APU feasibility: 1) a USDOE project under subcontract from TIAX (formerly AD Little), and 2) supported by USEPA on emissions measurements. The only five papers published on this topic come from ITS-Davis, appearing in Transportation Research, Part D and the Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association. UC Davis has secured written in-kind industry commitments from Carrier Transicold and Freightliner (including truck donation) of over $300,000. The AQMD contribution of $300,000 to this project is cost-shared at a ratio of 1:3 for a total project cost of $1.2 million.
Resource Impacts
The proposed AQMD cost sharing of $300,000 will be provided from the Clean Fuels Program funds. Cost sharing from the University of California, Davis, CARB, DOE, Carrier, and the American Trucking Association will provide the additional funding for a total project cost of approximately $1.2 million.
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AQMD Home Page
This page updated: July 26, 2002
URL: aqmd.gov
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