Effieciency exemption for strangling regulations?

[MGregoir]

I would like to see regulations shaped to favor not bulking up and over-burdening what should be inexpensive, economical vehicles in the name of emissions (do cars need to be choked by SULEV and PZEV equipment?) targets and unneccessary safety regulations such as mandatory stability control.

1. Vehicle must have a curb weight (less fuel) no greater than 2,400 pounds and a gross vehicle weight not to exceed 3,200 pounds.
2. Vehicles must fit in EPA size classification of sub-compact, compact or mid-size by interior volume and not classified as a truck. Utility vehicles are acceptable as long as the entire cargo area is enclosed and the primary purpose is carrying passengers.
3. Provisions to seat no more than five passengers and no fewer than four.
4. No more than two driven wheels.
5. Must achieve a minimum of 40 miles per gallon highway and a combined cycle fuel economy of 32 miles per gallon.

These cars would be exempt from certain emissions requirements for diesels as long as they meet Euro IV equivalent emissions performance. This would mean that existing European hardware could be brought straight across, especially as ULSD fuel in North America is better than much of Europe's diesel, and readily available and proven diesel engines could enter the market without after-treatment or extremely complex emissions hardware.

A manufacturer would have the option to remove vehicles in this classification from their fleet average for Tier 2 requirements as long as the vehicle met a minimum standard within the current EPA bins.

As well, exemption from such requirements as stability control in compact, low to the ground, inherently adequate handling vehicles would not require even greater levels of electronics to be installed in vehicles that do not really require them.

I would hope this would allow there to be some compact, inexpensive, economical cars on the US market that have not bloated to the point they no longer serve their purpose. Under regulations such as this, something like a $12,000 Dacia Logan diesel which meets Euro-IV and gets 51 miles per gallon in the combined cycle could be marketed, or any others of a variety of vehicles that are out there but not on the US landscape.

 

[Eddie]

OMG, someone has intelligently suggested a sensible way to manage fuel emission/consumption regulations.

 

[rpn453]

I'd rather not see any fuel economy regulations at all. Let the market take care of it.

As for emissions, I think all passenger vehicles (including trucks and SUVs), regardless of size, should have to meet the same non-CO2 emissions regulations. This would give smaller vehicles an advantage, as they could meet emissions laws with less stringent controls than the larger vehicles.

I'd like to see a maximum weight on passenger vehicles for safety reasons only. Larger vehicles could be used when and only when they are necessary. But I'd start out at 4000 lb or so and gradually work down from there. 2400 lb is a little small at this point.

Why are you against AWD/4WD? If they can make an AWD car that meets your mileage regulations, why not?

 

[The_Jeff]

Sounds good.

I also feel high MPG vehicles (and carpoolers) should be allowed a few more MPH on the interstate as well. There is nothing like legally being allowed to go faster to help people forego all other kinds of unneeded baggage. And not just this "diamond lane" stuff-- higher speeds, everywhere.

 

[MGregoir]

I suggested all these limits to basically make it so only lower dollar value, as in under $15,000, fuel effecient, compact vehicles get the breaks from emissions regulations and other additional hardware requirements such as the stability control.

If you want an all-wheel drive car it's going to have much more "content" than this so it should probably meet all regulations anyways.

The diesel emission thing is one real sticking point because these cars could use so much fewer resources if not for all the additional hardware holding them back from their intended purpose. It wouldn't make them dirty, they won't be as clean as gas engines, but they will still be very clean vehicles under Euro-IV requirements.

The emissions limits would allow cars to be in the higher numbered bins for EPA requirements, such as Bin 9, in exchange for a smaller engine designed to be more effecient on fuel with more favorable exhaust manifolding rather than being choked trying to meet Bin 2 or 3 PZEV requirements and choking down an engine with emissions hardware. It would still have to meet the same emissions requirements as all other vehicles.

It's similar in concept to the Kei-car regulations in Japan which exempts extremely small, economical vehicles from certain regulations in exchange for the fact they are so small and use so few resources. The weight limits, fuel economy limits, passenger restrictions, etc. are to give favor to a certain size and value of vehicle to reduce resource consumption and "buy in" cost for highly fuel effecient vehicles. We should not need to buy $25,000 hybrids to do the same job as a $15,000 diesel car.

 

[Steve S]

It all has to do with control of the masses.

 

[The_Jeff]

A car that got the mileage of, and made emissions of, a motorcycle, would appeal well to those who are afraid of getting creamed on a MC.

That car could even meet looser euro safety standards if the buyer signed a waiver.

 

[Chuck1986]

Ya know, the emissions exemption is such an interesting idea. On this note, it's too bad ultra low sulfur diesel fuel regulations are in place. It makes diesel more expensive to refine, thus the costs are passed on to the consumer. As such, the benefits of buying a 35 mpg diesel are often cancelled out due to the higher price of diesel fuel.

 

[MGregoir]

Yeah, but a 51 mpg diesel that is of comparable cost to a conventional gasoline vehicle would be worth investigating.

One issue with diesel was you would get higher mileage with cheaper fuel to pay off the price difference. Now, the price difference needs reduced to compensate for expensive fuel, although you still achieve higher mileage.

I see this as the emission exemptions being in place for diesel cars to allow good engines a pass on exceedingly restrictive particulate standards when used to help the effeciency of what should be effecient vehicles, and to allow more favorable performance and economy from smaller gasoline engines without having to increase the equipment on them by adding drive-by-wire, pre-cats integrated into the exhaust manifold, etc. to try and game the fleet averages for emissions.

They would still meet the same requirements required of every other vehicle on the road, but if they achieved less the manufacturer would have the option to not include them in their fleet average because they meet certain fuel effeciency requirement.