NEWS BRIEFS FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 17, 2007SPX Receives Awards from EPA CHARLOTTE, NC (May 3, 2007) - At a ceremony in Washington, DC, SPX Corp. and one of its engineering managers were recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for their work toward reducing atmospheric pollution caused by R-134a refrigerant, a greenhouse gas commonly used in automobile air conditioning units. SPX received the Agency's "2007 Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award" for the company's development of its Robinair 34788 Refrigerant Recovery and Recharging Unit. The equipment is presently the only one of its kind that is fully compliant with the Society of Automotive Engineers' (SAE's) new standard J2788 requirements. Under these requirements, refrigerant recovery and recharging equipment must recover at least 95 percent of the refrigerant from an automotive air conditioning system and recharge the system to an accuracy within 0.5 ounce of refrigerant capacity. Previously, refrigerant recovery machines left behind as much as 30 percent of the refrigerant, which would then escape into the atmosphere. The EPA also honored Gary Murray, manager, Mechanical Product Engineering for SPX Service Solutions, with the 2007 Climate Protection Award for his work as a member of the Improved Mobile Air Conditioning Service Emissions Reduction Team. The team researched new methods for reducing refrigerant emissions. Murray's contribution provided critical assistance, according to the Agency, using the testing and engineering resources of SPX to expedite the development of the new design and validation of the equipment to meet the new SAE standard.(Source: SPX Corp.)Raybestos Launches
Spring Sizzle Promotion MCHENRY, IL (April 23, 2007) - It's heating up for installers and counterpersons with the launch of Raybestos brand brake products Spring Sizzle Promotion. Through July 31, with the purchase of each Raybestos brand brake products promotional kit, installers will receive a toolbox BBQ grill, a free goods certificate and a sweepstakes entry form. The Spring Sizzle Sweepstakes entry form gives installers the chance to win:(1) Grand Prize: Snap-on Classic Series 19-drawer Triple Bank Roll Cabinet and a complete Snap-on tool set(2) Second Prize: Snap-on Classic Series 19-drawer Triple Bank Roll Cabinet(5) Third Prize: A Raybestos(r) neon sign Installers may choose from a select listing of free pad sets to fulfill the free goods certificate included within the promotion. The free goods redemption is valid through Sept. 30, 2007. Sweepstake winners will be drawn in early September. Additionally, counterpersons have the opportunity to receive a George Foreman outdoor electric grill for selling 50 Raybestos(r) brand friction pad sets.(Source: Affinia Under Vehicle Group)Is There a Balance between Speed
and Fuel Economy? NEW YORK (May 11, 2007) - When it comes to speed with fuel economy, finding a vehicle that offers some of both isn't easy. Forbes magazine says it doesn't have to be a tradeoff of one for the other, however. Recently, it published a list of the Top 10 cars that it says are speedy and sporty and also provide fuel efficiency. Top Cars with Speed and Fuel EfficiencyModelZero-60 mph (seconds)Average EPA
estimated mpgBMW 335i5.523BMW Z4 3.0si5.624Lexus GS 450h5.226Lexus IS 3505.623Lotus Elise Exige4.926Lotus Exige4.926Nissan 350Z5.423Pontiac Solstice / Saturn Sky5.525Porsche Carrera S4.622Porsche Boxster Cayman5.223Subaru Impreza WRX5.623(Table source: Forbes magazine)
R2R Legislation WASHINGTON (May 8, 2007) - Florida state Senate Bill 2890, the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act, has died in the Florida legislature, after failing to make it through the committee process. The bill would have relied on a state government agency and the Florida court system to assist repairers in acquiring automotive service information. It also would have required the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to "adopt rules setting forth a method by which a manufacturer of motor vehicles must provide certain information." (Source: ASA) Platinum Nanocrystals Boost
Catalytic Activity ATLANTA (May 12, 2007) - A research team composed of electrochemists and materials scientists from two continents has produced an important new form of platinum nanocrystals. These nanocrystals have a catalytic activity per unit area that can be as much as four times higher than existing commercial platinum catalysts. Platinum plays a vital role as a catalyst for many important reactions, and is used in industrial chemical processing, in motor vehicle catalytic converters that reduce exhaust pollution, in fuel cells and in sensors. Researchers say the new platinum nanocrystals could improve the efficiency of chemical processes such as those used to catalyze fuel oxidation and produce hydrogen for fuel cells. Currently, commercially available platinum nanocrystals have been limited in effect by their low surface area shapes, the inability to control their size at a manageable level and instability at higher temperatures. The new nanocrystals, produced electrochemically from platinum nanospheres on a carbon substrate, offer three major advantages over existing catalysts: * Their 24-facet, high surface shape greatly improves their activity. * The nanoparticle size can be controlled. * They remain stable at high temperatures. "If we are going to have a hydrogen economy, we will need better catalysts," says Zhong Lin Wang, a regents professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "Not only do we have a beautiful, but we also have a very valuable catalyst. And because these nanocrystals are stable, the shape is preserved after the catalytic reaction, which will allow us to use the same nanocrystals over and over again." (Source: Georgia Institute of Technology) EPA Debuts Web Site for
Good Environmental Stewards WASHINGTON (May 12, 2007) - Earlier this month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched its latest Internet tool, www.epa.gov/stewardship. It is designed to help business, government and private citizens make intelligent choices on sustainable environmental benefits. Following a 2005 presidential directive, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson and his staff developed a strategic plan to achieve this goal. As part of the framework, the EPA recognized that environmental stewardship - from pollution control to pollution prevention and sustainability - would be the next phase in an ongoing evolution of environmental policy. The new Web site features: * Lists of simple, everyday decisions that organizations and individuals can make on such issues as recycling, reuse or choice of fuel support pollution prevention and environmental stewardship. * Descriptions of assorted EPA partnership programs, such as the Energy Star energy saving program, which best align with their needs and interests. * A search engine for EPA programs based on a business' industrial category, environmental issue of interest, and geographic area. One specific Web site, for example, shows businesses how they can help employees reduce the environmental impacts of commuting. * Information links that individuals can use to protect the environment in different settings, such as home, work, school and shopping. One Web site even shows citizens how they can use pesticides safely. (Source: EPA)CEI: CAFE Tosses Safety to the Curb WASHINGTON (May 3, 2007) - According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), members of the Senate - who have begun hearing testimony on the effects of the federal government's fuel economy regulations - will likely fail to address one of the program's most glaring flaws: its deadly effect on safety. The CEI says that while the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hears testimony on the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rules for new cars, it should consider, first and foremost, the tens of thousands of passenger deaths to which the program has already contributed. "With today's high gas prices, CAFE could not be more irrelevant, because consumers are demanding greater fuel economy on their own," says CEI General Counsel Sam Kazman. "The fact that CAFE has become such a high-profile issue indicates that the problem is not consumers' alleged addiction to oil, but rather the addiction of politicians to regulating oil. As for the notion that new technologies will allow CAFE to be raised without a lethal effect on traffic safety, that is nonsense, pure and simple." Kazman says that CAFE's adverse impact on vehicle safety has long been established, and it was extensively documented in a National Academy of Sciences 2002 study. In a nutshell, it's simple physics: Automakers are creating lighter-weight vehicles to meet the fuel economy standards, and the lighter the car, the more lethal the effects on passengers in a crash. In 1992, CEI won a federal appeals court ruling that the U.S. Transportation Department had illegally ignored CAFE's deadly effects, which have been estimated to cause between 1,300 and 2,600 deaths a year. (Source: CEI) Goodyear Launches
Ultra-High Performance Tire DAYTONA BEACH, FL (May 13, 2007) - The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is using carbon fiber technology to produce its ultra-high performance Eagle F1 All Season tire. Shipments of the new tire to retail outlets are scheduled to begin this summer, with consumer availability in July. Designed to provide crisp, responsive handling on dry roads along with all-season performance, the tire is constructed with high-tech carbon fiber-reinforced inner and outer sidewalls. The carbon fiber helps stiffen both sides of the tire to help maintain enhanced contact with the road during hard turns. It also features aggressive shoulder blocks and a continuous center rib designed to provide confident handling and steering precision through twisting curves and sharp corners. (Source: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.)
Spring Sizzle Promotion MCHENRY, IL (April 23, 2007) - It's heating up for installers and counterpersons with the launch of Raybestos brand brake products Spring Sizzle Promotion. Through July 31, with the purchase of each Raybestos brand brake products promotional kit, installers will receive a toolbox BBQ grill, a free goods certificate and a sweepstakes entry form. The Spring Sizzle Sweepstakes entry form gives installers the chance to win:(1) Grand Prize: Snap-on Classic Series 19-drawer Triple Bank Roll Cabinet and a complete Snap-on tool set(2) Second Prize: Snap-on Classic Series 19-drawer Triple Bank Roll Cabinet(5) Third Prize: A Raybestos(r) neon sign Installers may choose from a select listing of free pad sets to fulfill the free goods certificate included within the promotion. The free goods redemption is valid through Sept. 30, 2007. Sweepstake winners will be drawn in early September. Additionally, counterpersons have the opportunity to receive a George Foreman outdoor electric grill for selling 50 Raybestos(r) brand friction pad sets.(Source: Affinia Under Vehicle Group)Is There a Balance between Speed
and Fuel Economy? NEW YORK (May 11, 2007) - When it comes to speed with fuel economy, finding a vehicle that offers some of both isn't easy. Forbes magazine says it doesn't have to be a tradeoff of one for the other, however. Recently, it published a list of the Top 10 cars that it says are speedy and sporty and also provide fuel efficiency. Top Cars with Speed and Fuel EfficiencyModelZero-60 mph (seconds)Average EPA
estimated mpgBMW 335i5.523BMW Z4 3.0si5.624Lexus GS 450h5.226Lexus IS 3505.623Lotus Elise Exige4.926Lotus Exige4.926Nissan 350Z5.423Pontiac Solstice / Saturn Sky5.525Porsche Carrera S4.622Porsche Boxster Cayman5.223Subaru Impreza WRX5.623(Table source: Forbes magazine)
To make the cut, vehicles had to accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than six seconds and provide an average fuel economy (as estimated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) of 22 mpg or higher. The list is varied and includes roomy sport sedans, nimble roadsters, sleek coupes and even a hybrid.
Two of the fastest models on the list, the little Lotus Elise roadster and Exige coupe, are also the most fuel-efficient. In addition to being the smallest and lightest cars - weighing in at 1,984 lbs. each, several hundred pounds lighter than a Toyota Yaris hatchback - the cars are powered by a 190-hp, 1.8L four-cylinder engine. Surprisingly, the vehicles accelerate to 60 mph in a mere 4.9 seconds, while returning an EPA-estimated 24 mpg city/29 mpg highway mileage rating.
R2R Legislation WASHINGTON (May 8, 2007) - Florida state Senate Bill 2890, the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act, has died in the Florida legislature, after failing to make it through the committee process. The bill would have relied on a state government agency and the Florida court system to assist repairers in acquiring automotive service information. It also would have required the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to "adopt rules setting forth a method by which a manufacturer of motor vehicles must provide certain information." (Source: ASA) Platinum Nanocrystals Boost
Catalytic Activity ATLANTA (May 12, 2007) - A research team composed of electrochemists and materials scientists from two continents has produced an important new form of platinum nanocrystals. These nanocrystals have a catalytic activity per unit area that can be as much as four times higher than existing commercial platinum catalysts. Platinum plays a vital role as a catalyst for many important reactions, and is used in industrial chemical processing, in motor vehicle catalytic converters that reduce exhaust pollution, in fuel cells and in sensors. Researchers say the new platinum nanocrystals could improve the efficiency of chemical processes such as those used to catalyze fuel oxidation and produce hydrogen for fuel cells. Currently, commercially available platinum nanocrystals have been limited in effect by their low surface area shapes, the inability to control their size at a manageable level and instability at higher temperatures. The new nanocrystals, produced electrochemically from platinum nanospheres on a carbon substrate, offer three major advantages over existing catalysts: * Their 24-facet, high surface shape greatly improves their activity. * The nanoparticle size can be controlled. * They remain stable at high temperatures. "If we are going to have a hydrogen economy, we will need better catalysts," says Zhong Lin Wang, a regents professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "Not only do we have a beautiful, but we also have a very valuable catalyst. And because these nanocrystals are stable, the shape is preserved after the catalytic reaction, which will allow us to use the same nanocrystals over and over again." (Source: Georgia Institute of Technology) EPA Debuts Web Site for
Good Environmental Stewards WASHINGTON (May 12, 2007) - Earlier this month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched its latest Internet tool, www.epa.gov/stewardship. It is designed to help business, government and private citizens make intelligent choices on sustainable environmental benefits. Following a 2005 presidential directive, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson and his staff developed a strategic plan to achieve this goal. As part of the framework, the EPA recognized that environmental stewardship - from pollution control to pollution prevention and sustainability - would be the next phase in an ongoing evolution of environmental policy. The new Web site features: * Lists of simple, everyday decisions that organizations and individuals can make on such issues as recycling, reuse or choice of fuel support pollution prevention and environmental stewardship. * Descriptions of assorted EPA partnership programs, such as the Energy Star energy saving program, which best align with their needs and interests. * A search engine for EPA programs based on a business' industrial category, environmental issue of interest, and geographic area. One specific Web site, for example, shows businesses how they can help employees reduce the environmental impacts of commuting. * Information links that individuals can use to protect the environment in different settings, such as home, work, school and shopping. One Web site even shows citizens how they can use pesticides safely. (Source: EPA)CEI: CAFE Tosses Safety to the Curb WASHINGTON (May 3, 2007) - According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), members of the Senate - who have begun hearing testimony on the effects of the federal government's fuel economy regulations - will likely fail to address one of the program's most glaring flaws: its deadly effect on safety. The CEI says that while the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hears testimony on the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rules for new cars, it should consider, first and foremost, the tens of thousands of passenger deaths to which the program has already contributed. "With today's high gas prices, CAFE could not be more irrelevant, because consumers are demanding greater fuel economy on their own," says CEI General Counsel Sam Kazman. "The fact that CAFE has become such a high-profile issue indicates that the problem is not consumers' alleged addiction to oil, but rather the addiction of politicians to regulating oil. As for the notion that new technologies will allow CAFE to be raised without a lethal effect on traffic safety, that is nonsense, pure and simple." Kazman says that CAFE's adverse impact on vehicle safety has long been established, and it was extensively documented in a National Academy of Sciences 2002 study. In a nutshell, it's simple physics: Automakers are creating lighter-weight vehicles to meet the fuel economy standards, and the lighter the car, the more lethal the effects on passengers in a crash. In 1992, CEI won a federal appeals court ruling that the U.S. Transportation Department had illegally ignored CAFE's deadly effects, which have been estimated to cause between 1,300 and 2,600 deaths a year. (Source: CEI) Goodyear Launches
Ultra-High Performance Tire DAYTONA BEACH, FL (May 13, 2007) - The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is using carbon fiber technology to produce its ultra-high performance Eagle F1 All Season tire. Shipments of the new tire to retail outlets are scheduled to begin this summer, with consumer availability in July. Designed to provide crisp, responsive handling on dry roads along with all-season performance, the tire is constructed with high-tech carbon fiber-reinforced inner and outer sidewalls. The carbon fiber helps stiffen both sides of the tire to help maintain enhanced contact with the road during hard turns. It also features aggressive shoulder blocks and a continuous center rib designed to provide confident handling and steering precision through twisting curves and sharp corners. (Source: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.)
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