-
EPA
on the BCM board this is a new discussion Started by Don Farchild probably on of the foremost experts on 2 stroke engines and bringing them up to emission standards. The just of it all is all diesel power RV included will have to meet standards by 2014 in California and possibly country wide. There is no provision for our vehicles to be Grandfarthered in. This is one reason Detroit and Cat got out of the truck/bus engine business. So it effects almost all of us. It refers to a suit filled by the trucking industry trying to stop this. This is just starting so I will update as more info become available. If you are aware of more info please chime in… Anyone can visit busconversionmagazine/bulletinboard without being a member. Can’t see how they could do it! But they are the Goverment>>> Bob
-
9 Replies
-
That is scary… Please keep us informed.
It is hard to believe that our investment could be taken away from us like that but the government has been limiting what people can do with their own land because of environmental reasons for years. Some have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in land only to be told they could do NOTHING with it.
God help us…
DKO
-
Looks like more folks in California will have to title ther rides in Montana if this happens. Hard to believe that the whole country would have to meet EPA standards by 2014 but stranger things have happened, Guess I need to start looking for a strong rubber band!
-
With all due respect to our Calfornia friends, I think the State of California is nuts.
My former company fulfilled an order for picnic tables which required providing those tables with pressure treated wood seats and table top. The order was made and shipped to their specifications. A few years after that the State of California sued the company for selling them pressure treated wood which according to their laws was illegal, despite the fact their order specifications required it.
The company will no longer do any business with the State of California. Since that episode I have not been in California.
The only response if the law as described does in fact exist is to not go to California. There is no doubt in my mind if the law is upheld anyone not meeting it will end up getting their coaches confiscated, or will be required to have it towed or trailered out of the state. Do any of our California members know the details, if we are grandfathered, how the law will be enforced, and if there are exceptions? I seriously doubt if we are as impacted as commercial truck or bus operators whose entire fleets could be affected.
-
Will share: The other board seems to think the cut off date would be impossible to do. It would require parking probably 90 % of all transportation food chain mfg goods mass transit not enough manfacturing base to replace. what is a hungry no-gas at gas station no-citybus California resident?
-
I had the opportunity to learn a little about the smog technology standards engine manufacturers are currently meeting. The graphic representation of the earliest standards and what was allowed could be represented as being the size of a typical door. A door like you would find in your home. That represents emissions that were allowed.
The current standards would be represented by a postcard placed on one corner of that door. The reduction of emissions when viewed like that is attention getting to say the least. The engineering effort required to take a Series 60 (which was pretty clean as an engine) and make it as clean as the post card on a door represents is tremendous and was not possible. Because of the tightening of the standards There are no Series 60 engines in our buses. No Caterpillar engines sold for highway use. Volvo has met the current standards with a very sophisticated engine and system and to install that engine and system in a coach has required substantial changes to the coach itself, including the use of a large portion of the rear area (usually a closet) for the exhaust stack as well as the inclusion of DEF for injection into the engine at a rate equal to about 2 or 3% of the fuel volume. I have no clue what will be involved to bring engines up to the next level but as the post card gets smaller the effort and technology required gets disproportionately more difficult, expensive and out of reach for all but coaches engineered around the engine. On my coach I have no clue how I could fit a diesel exhaust fluid tank or make room for the EGR system that exhausts through the roof or if the electrical system could support the needed driver warning and message center.
Since all engine manufacturers must have the engine and emission system designs finished now to meet the timing of the law you can bet they are up to their butts in alligators and any questions regarding retrofits go to the very bottom of the to-do list so we will never get timely answers to a solution. I’m guessing every coach now based in CA is going to be housed in AZ, NV, OR or any other convenient location by 2014.
-
California does exempt personal MotorHomes. I was at a Cummins shop about 4 years ago, and they had rows of 07 spec. ISL engines that were being placed in trucks that were going to the port. The State of California was paying over $45K per truck to have the new engines installed. Most of the trucks I saw were worth about $10K and were 10 year old beaters with 1M miles & Dual Registration (US & Mexico) WHAT A STATE! I just filled my Jeep up today @ $3.89 a gallon with gas that is 10% ethanol, that reduces my mileage, and 25% of that fuel bill was tax. I have to drive a Jeep as a daily driver because our roads are so beat-up it tears up a normal car. My neighbor just had to put a new wheel & tire on his Audi R8 @ almost $1,500 because of a pot hole he hit on PCH. I had to replace a wheel, tire, inner fender, rocker panel on my Lexus because of the holes in I-40 while delivering a coach to Arizona. Somethig I have to do on all of our out of State sales because California requires Sales Tax to be paid if an out of State buyer takes delivery in California. But the weather is nice LOL.
-
We still need to keep an eye on this. California is often the canary in the mine when it comes to crippling national standards that impact us.
-
Something we ALL can do to help stop this stupid globale warming crap is to remember to vote in Nov.
It may be too late for CA. but maybe not the rest of the country.
Log in to reply.