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Cleaner Bus Technology Is Here Now, Says NAVC Cleaner bus technology show significant benefits
The Price of Conformance  EPA penalties  China LNG busses
The Price of Conformance
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing nonconformance penalties that would be available to manufacturers with heavy-duty diesel engines unable to meet the 2004 model year hydrocarbon plus nitrogen oxides emission standard.  These penalties allow a manufacturer to produce and sell nonconforming engines upon payment of a penalty.  The penalty, which is assessed on a per-engine basis, varies with the certified emission level for the engine family involved.
What Are Nonconformance penalties?
Nonconformance penalties (NCPs) are monetary penalties that allow a vehicle or engine manufacturer to sell engines that do not meet the emission standards.  Under a penalty structure previously established by regulation, manufacturers may choose to pay a penalty on a per-engine basis rather than comply with the applicable standard.
The Clean Air Act outlines the key requirements of an NCP program.  The Act requires that:
- The penalties increase with the degree of noncompliance with the emission standard and that the penalties increase over time. - Emissions under an NCP program may not go above an upper limit established by regulation.
- The NCPs remove any competitive disadvantage that might otherwise accrue to a manufacturer that is complying with the standards. 
Which Engines And Vehicles Would Be Covered?
The nonconformance penalties (NCPS) would be available for 2004 and later model year heavy-duty highway diesel engines, including engines used in urban buses.  EPA is proposing NCPs for the 2004 nonmethane hydrocarbon plus nitrogen oxides (NMHC + Nox http://www.gasandoil.com) standard for highway heavy-duty diesel engines.  This standard is 2.5 g/bhp-hr of NMHC + NOX.

Proposed Penalty Rates at Several Example Emission Levels'

 NMHC + NOX  Heavy-Duty Service Class
 Compliance
 Level
 (9/bhp-hr) 2 Light Medium Heavy Urban Bus

 2.5 $0 $0 $0 $0

 3.0 $1162 $1170 $4680 $3185

 3.5 $1644 $2340 $9043 $5042

 4.0 $2127 $3759 $10,193 $6081

 4.5 $2610 $6870 $11,342 $7120

 6.0 N/A3 N/A3 $14,790 N/A3

1-The proposed penalties are for exceeding of the 2.5 gram per brake horsepower-hour NMHC + NOx standard.  They are expressed in 2001 dollars and are for the first year of noncompliance (penalties increase with subsequent years).
2-g/bhp-hr = grams per brake horsepower-hour.
3-For the light and medium heavy-duty service classes, and for urban buses, the proposed upper limit is
4.5g/bhp-hr, therefore no NCPs are applicable to emissions at 6.0 g/bhp-hr.  For the heavy heavy-duty diesel engine service class, the proposed upper limit is 6.0 g/bhp-hr.
Source www.EPA.gov
 
Cleaner bus technology show significant benefits April 07, 2000 PRNewswire 
http://www.gasandoil.com

Results from a year-long testing project show that hybrid-electric, compressed natural gas, and low-sulphur diesel buses all offer significant benefits over current diesel buses in lower emissions and improved fuel economy, according to a report on the project released today by the Northeast Advanced Vehicle Consortium (NAVC).  The project, which was funded by the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, put "state of the art" clean bus technologies through extensive tests to demonstrate energy efficiency and emission performance in comparison with conventional diesel heavy-duty vehicles.  The Hybrid-Electric Drive Heavy-Duty Vehicle Testing Project is the first independent demonstration of near-term commercial hybrid-electric technology in real world urban driving cycles. The project was managed by the NAVC and conducted by an independent team of engineers and scientists from M.J. Bradley & Associates and West Virginia University, with participation from several hybrid bus manufacturers and transit operators in Boston and New York City. 

Two hybrid bus models, three CNG bus models, and one diesel bus model were selected for testing, with each model representing the most current, commercially-available version of each technology. The buses were evaluated in over six different emission test cycles with average speeds ranging from 3 to 17 mph and with duty cycles ranging from 4 to 18 stops per mile.  In addition, various fuel types were used in order to evaluate the effects of fuel sulphur levels with respect to particulate emissions. The tests measured nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), volatile organic compounds (VOC) and particulate matter (PM). Fuel economy for each vehicle was calculated on a mile per gallon basis.  The program results demonstrate that hybrid-electric and CNG vehicles offer significant emission reductions from that of conventional diesel buses. Hybrids showed the greatest benefits when they were operated on low-sulphur fuel. PM emissions from the low-sulphur diesel hybrids were 50 to 70 % lower than conventional diesel while NOx emissions were 30 to 40 % lower than conventional diesel. 

The hybrid electric buses also exhibited the lowest CO emission of any of the buses tested, with a 70 % reduction from a conventional diesel bus. The hybrid results are especially encouraging since heavy-duty hybrid technology is relatively new and will improve as the technology matures.  The testing also verified the significant benefits that CNG bus technologies offer in lowering emissions, making CNG a good choice in transit fleets. For example, PM emissions from the CNG buses showed a 80 to 90 % reduction from conventional diesel, and CNG NOx emissions were 50 to 60 % lower than conventional diesel.  The project demonstrated significant fuel economy benefits for hybrids with 30 to 65 % fuel economy improvements over conventional diesel and as much as 100 % over a comparable CNG bus when operated on severe duty cycles. The hybrid vehicle also demonstrated significantly lower total greenhouse gas emissions than that of a conventional diesel or CNG bus. 

The NAVC is a public-private partnership of companies, public agencies, and university and federal laboratories working together to promote advanced vehicle technologies in the Northeast United States. The NAVC Board of Directors is appointed by the eight Northeast governors, the mayor of New York City, the New England Governors' Conference, and the Northeast States for Co-ordinated Air Use Management.  The participants have initiated over 50 projects, spanning a wide range of technology areas including electric, hybrid-electric and fuel cell propulsion systems, electric and natural gas refuelling, energy storage and management, and lightweight structural composites.  The NAVC receives funding from the DARPA Electric and Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Program and the Department of Transportation's Advanced Vehicle Technologies Program, as well as other sources. 
 

 
Cleaner Bus Technology Is Here Now, Says NAVC Feb. 15 /PRNewswire/ 
Company Press Release SOURCE: Northeast Advanced Vehicle Consortium

BOSTON, -- Results from a year-long testing project show that hybrid-electric, compressed natural gas, and low-sulfur diesel buses all offer significant benefits over current diesel buses in lower emissions and improved fuel economy, according to a report on the project released today by the Northeast Advanced Vehicle Consortium (NAVC). The project, which was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, put ``state of the art'' clean bus technologies through extensive tests to demonstrate energy efficiency and emission performance in comparison with conventional diesel heavy-duty vehicles.

The Hybrid-Electric Drive Heavy-Duty Vehicle Testing Project is the first independent demonstration of near-term commercial hybrid-electric technology in real world urban driving cycles. The project was managed by the NAVC and conducted by an independent team of engineers and scientists from M.J. Bradley & Associates and West Virginia University, with participation from several hybrid bus manufacturers and transit operators in Boston and New York City. Two hybrid bus models, three CNG bus models, and one diesel bus model were selected for testing, with each model representing the most current, commercially-available version of each technology. The buses were evaluated in over six different emission test cycles with average speeds ranging from 3 to 17 mph and with duty cycles ranging from 4 to 18 stops per mile. In addition, various fuel types were used in order to evaluate the effects of fuel sulfur levels with respect to particulate emissions. The tests measured nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), volatile organic compounds (VOC) and particulate matter (PM). Fuel economy for each vehicle was calculated on a mile per gallon basis.

The program results demonstrate that hybrid-electric and CNG vehicles offer significant emission reductions from that of conventional diesel buses. Hybrids showed the greatest benefits when they were operated on low-sulfur fuel. PM emissions from the low-sulfur diesel hybrids were 50 to 70 percent lower than conventional diesel while NOx emissions were 30 to 40 percent lower than conventional diesel. The hybrid electric buses also exhibited the lowest CO emission of any of the buses tested, with a 70 percent reduction from a conventional diesel bus. The hybrid results are especially encouraging since heavy-duty hybrid technology is relatively new and will improve as the technology matures. The testing also verified the significant benefits that CNG bus technologies offer in lowering emissions, making CNG a good choice in transit fleets. For example, PM emissions from the CNG buses showed a 80 to 90 percent reduction from conventional diesel, and CNG NOx emssions were 50 to 60 percent lower than conventional diesel.

The project demonstrated significant fuel economy benefits for hybrids with 30 to 65 percent fuel economy improvements over conventional diesel and as much as 100 percent over a comparable CNG bus when operated on severe duty cycles. The hybrid vehicle also demonstrated significantly lower total greenhouse gas emissions than that of a conventional diesel or CNG bus.

Copies of the report will be available for a fee from the NAVC (contact Mark D'Amico at 617-482-1770 ext. 11 or mdamico@navc.org).

The NAVC is a public-private partnership of companies, public agencies, and university and federal laboratories working together to promote advanced vehicle technologies in the Northeast United States. The NAVC Board of Directors is appointed by the eight Northeast governors, the mayor of New York City, the New England Governors' Conference, and the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management. Our participants have initiated over 50 projects, spanning a wide range of technology areas including electric, hybrid-electric and fuel cell propulsion systems, electric and natural gas refueling, energy storage and management, and lightweight structural composites. The NAVC receives funding from the DARPA Electric and Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Program and the Department of Transportation's Advanced Vehicle Technologies Program, as well as other sources. 
For more information, contact:  Sheila Lynch Northeast Advanced Vehicle Consortium
112 South Street, 4th Floor Boston, MA 02111
TEL (617) 482-1770 ext. 12 FAX (617) 482-1777  http://www.navc.org/StateProj.html