[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 183 (Thursday, September 22, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-23455]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: September 22, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

49 CFR Part 538

[Docket No. 94-35; Notice 1]
RIN 2127-AF37

 

Minimum Driving Range for Dual Fueled Electric Passenger 
Automobiles

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This document announces that NHTSA is considering the proposal 
of a minimum driving range for dual fueled electric passenger 
automobiles, otherwise known as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). The 
purpose of establishing the range is to encourage the production of 
HEVs. An HEV which meets the range would qualify to have its fuel 
economy calculated according to a special procedure that would 
facilitate the efforts of its manufacturer to comply with the corporate 
average fuel economy standards. Comments are requested to assist the 
agency in developing the proposed range.

DATES: Comments must be received by November 21, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Comments on this notice must refer to the docket and notice 
numbers set forth above and then be submitted (preferably 10 copies) to 
the Docket Section, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 
Room 5313, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590. (Docket hours 
are 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ms. Yolene Young, Office of Market Incentives, NRM-21, Room 5320, 
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20590. Telephone: (202) 366-6349.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Alternative Motor Fuels Act of 1988 
(AMFA), as amended by the Energy Policy Act of 1992, has two essential 
purposes:
    (1) To encourage the development and widespread use of methanol, 
ethanol, natural gas, other gaseous fuels, and electricity as 
transportation fuels by consumers; and
    (2) To promote the production of alternatively fueled motor 
vehicles.
    To achieve those purposes, the AMFA provides that alternatively 
fueled motor vehicles that meet an appropriate minimum driving range 
qualify for special treatment in the calculation of their fuel economy 
for purpose of their manufacturers' compliance with the corporate 
average fuel economy (CAFE) standards.
    The inclusion of electricity in the list of alternative fuels 
covered by the AMFA necessitates that a minimum driving range be 
established for dual fueled electric passenger automobiles for fuel 
economy credit purposes. The AMFA specifies a minimum driving range of 
200 miles for dual fueled passenger cars (other than dual fueled 
electric) when operating on the alternative fuel, but allows the 
Secretary of Transportation to establish the minimum driving range for 
dual fueled electric passenger cars.
    The purpose of this notice is to seek public comments about HEVs 
that would aid the agency in developing a proposed driving range. The 
AMFA and Energy Policy Act provisions, which are codified at 49 U.S.C. 
sections 32901(c) and 32905, require the Secretary of Transportation to 
establish a minimum driving range for dual fueled electric vehicles. 
This minimum range requirement applies to passenger automobiles only. 
It does not apply to dual fueled light trucks.
    In seeking to carry out its goals, the Act attempts to balance two 
competing objectives:
    (1) Encouraging the production of alternatively fueled vehicles by 
offering CAFE standard compliance incentives; and
    (2) Encouraging the purchase of alternatively fueled vehicles by 
consumers by providing the incentives to only those vehicles whose 
range of operation is large enough to meet consumer needs.
    The setting of a minimum driving range for dual fueled electric 
automobiles must balance the needs of the consumer with the technical 
and economic considerations that are faced by the manufacturers. A low 
minimum driving range eligibility criterion might encourage the 
production of dual fueled cars, but lead to dual fueled electric 
vehicles being designed with such a low alternative fuel driving range 
that consumers do not buy them or, even if they buy them, infrequently 
operate them on the alternative fuel. Conversely, an excessively 
stringent minimum driving range eligibility criterion might discourage 
the production of dual fueled electric cars and unnecessarily 
compromise other vehicle attributes and aspects of performance. 
Manufacturers would be discouraged by an overly-stringent minimum range 
because a vehicle which does not meet the minimum driving range for its 
type is unlikely to be built since the manufacturer would not receive 
any of the benefits or incentives provided by the Act.
    From the viewpoint of the consumer, the necessary driving range may 
be dictated by the convenience of a range that permits a typical 
workweek travel distance, or a daily travel distance for a fleet car. 
Also, if the majority of consumers would use a dual fueled electric 
vehicle in an urban area with more recharging stations or in a fleet 
application with a central recharging station, a large driving range 
may be less critical.
    Whether the range is large or small, the agency will need a method 
of measuring the range of HEVs. NHTSA is considering basing the dual 
fueled electric vehicle driving range on procedures established by a 
Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE) committee. The SAE is currently 
developing procedures for chassis dynamometer measurements of range, 
electrical energy consumption, fuel economy, and exhaust emissions of 
HEVs. In a brief overview, the SAE HEV Test Procedure Task Force 
committee's actions will include:
    (1) Classifying the vehicle by driving range and ability to 
complete the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) driving cycle,
    (2) Testing the vehicle on the appropriate type of cycle,
    (3) Testing at other driver activated control settings, if 
appropriate, and
    (4) Estimating annual fuel economy, emissions, and electric energy 
consumption.
    The overview stated above is from SAE's first rough draft of the 
procedure for HEV testing, and it does not specify when the final 
procedure will be published.
    To aid the agency in relating the data on driving range for dual 
fueled electric vehicles to the unique characteristics of dual fueled 
passenger automobiles, NHTSA is posing a number of questions in the 
following areas on the use of dual fueled electric passenger 
automobiles, as well as any other relevant areas such as:
    (a) Consumer acceptability,
    (b) Economic practicability,
    (c) Technology,
    (d) Environmental impact,
    (e) Safety,
    (f) Driveability, and
    (g) Performance.
Information on other factors is also welcome. The data provided in 
response to these questions will be considered by NHTSA in developing a 
proposed minimum driving range for dual fueled electric passenger 
automobiles. The data will also aid the agency in making preliminary 
judgments about such fundamental matters as the extent to which 
manufacturers would seek to achieve the selected range in designing 
dual fueled electric passenger automobiles, the production volumes or 
schedules for those vehicles, the cost and other implications of 
different ranges, and the likely consumer acceptability of different 
driving ranges. For easy reference, the questions are numbered 
consecutively throughout the document.
    In providing a comment on a particular matter or in responding to a 
particular question, interested persons are requested to provide any 
relevant factual information to support their conclusions or opinions, 
including but not limited to test data, statistical and cost data, and 
the source of such information. The agency is particularly interested 
in quantitative evaluations of anticipated environmental impacts and 
energy conservation impacts.
    NHTSA requests information and comments on the following questions:
    1. How should minimum driving ranges for dual fuel electric 
passenger automobiles be determined? Is there any trend toward 
increased or decreased driving ranges?
    2. Can the vehicle operate solely on electricity or must the 
auxiliary power source be activated in order to follow the EPA driving 
cycle? How would you compute driving range on electricity if the 
auxiliary power source is activated during the driving cycle? What if 
the other power source is also alternative fueled?
    3. Can the SAE procedure be adapted for use with the EPA urban and 
highway cycles for determining driving range? Why or why not? Is there 
some other test procedure that will be suitable for dual fueled 
electric vehicle?
    4. Would dual fueled electric vehicles be generally utilized by 
consumers residing in urban areas and by fleets where it would be 
practical to provide for recharging at centralized facilities as 
opposed to consumers in rural areas? Also, where would it be practical 
to recharge the battery?
    5. What driving range does the consumer expect from the passenger 
cars that he/she operates on electricity? Does the range vary with the 
size or typical use of the car; e.g., a subcompact car as compared to a 
large station wagon, or a car typically used for city commuting 
compared to one used primarily for urban and intercity driving? Does 
the expected driving range vary with the economic or social profile of 
the car operator; e.g., are younger drivers satisfied with smaller 
ranges or do high-income drivers demand greater driving ranges? Would 
the consumer be willing to accept a lower driving range in a vehicle 
with the added flexibility of dual fuel capability or with more 
recharging points and shorter waiting times? What is the minimum 
driving range acceptable to consumers?
    6. Do vehicle manufacturers consider availability of fuel 
distribution or recharging points in establishing driving ranges?
    7. Describe any trade-off for the design of the vehicle with cost 
that would dictate an upper limit of driving range for economic 
practicability.
    8. Discuss reduction in vehicle driving range due to climate 
control energy demand. Discuss any new technology utilized in vehicle 
design and in advanced heating and cooling approaches to mitigate range 
reduction.
    9. Describe how the weight/size of the battery pack will affect the 
driving range on dual fueled electric passenger cars. What determines 
this result?
    10. Does the specific driving range of dual fueled electric cars 
create any environmental impacts that could be mitigated by choosing a 
different range or battery capacity? Please discuss the basis for your 
answer (e.g., (1) setting the minimum driving range so high that 
manufacturers could meet it only with battery technologies that employ 
more harmful chemicals, (2) setting the minimum driving range so high 
that manufacturers would be discouraged from trying to meet it, or so 
low that consumers wouldn't buy it, thus delaying the development or 
use of these cleaner technologies, and (3) setting the minimum driving 
range so low that the consumer would frequently be forced to use the 
more polluting non-electric fuel.)
    11. For longer driving range on electric power, please discuss any 
significant safety or fire problems for the occupants of the dual 
fueled car or any object with which the car may collide. Is there an 
optimum battery capacity that would minimize potential safety problems 
for the electrolyte spillage, shock or fire? Please explain your 
answer.
    12. Would the driveability (i.e., handling and performance) of a 
dual fueled electric car be penalized by a requirement for a driving 
range comparable to that for typical gasoline-fueled cars? Can an 
optimum driving range standard for dual fueled electric vehicles be 
established from driveability considerations? Please explain your 
answer.
    13. Is it likely that dual fueled electric passenger car 
applications may have decreased performance capabilities when powered 
by electricity (e.g., predominately city driving, acceleration, top 
speed, and gradeability limit) and consequently result in lower 
consumer expectations for driving range. Please discuss your answer.
    14. How do style or appearance considerations affect the space for 
the batteries and, therefore, minimum driving range? How will minimum 
driving range limit the storage space in the trunk of the vehicle?
    15. What other factors, if any, should the agency consider in 
establishing the driving ranges for dual fueled electric passenger cars 
when operated on electricity?
    16. What do you recommend as the minimum driving range for dual 
fueled electric passenger cars when operating on electricity?
    17. What safety problems could arise if both battery acid and the 
second fuel spilled and mixed during an accident?
    18. What kinds of range extenders are manufacturers considering for 
use in dual fueled electric vehicles (e.g., flywheels, hydraulic 
accumulators, small range heat engines, fuel cell systems, etc.)?
    NHTSA solicits public comments on this notice. It is requested but 
not required that 10 copies be submitted.
    All comments must not exceed 15 pages in length (49 CFR 553.21). 
Necessary attachments may be appended to these submissions without 
regard to the 15-page limit. This limitation is intended to encourage 
commenters to detail their primary arguments in a concise fashion.
    If a commenter wishes to submit certain information under a claim 
of confidentiality, three copies of the complete submission, including 
purportedly confidential business information, should be submitted to 
the Chief Counsel, NHTSA, at the street address given above, and seven 
copies from which the purportedly confidential information has been 
deleted should be submitted to the Docket Section. A request for 
confidentiality should be accompanied by a cover letter setting forth 
the information specified in the agency's confidential business 
information regulation 49 CFR part 512.
    All comments received before the close of business on the comment 
closing date indicated above will be considered. Comments in response 
to this request for comments will be available for inspection in the 
docket. NHTSA will continue to file relevant information as it becomes 
available in the docket after the closing date, and it is recommended 
that interested persons continue to examine the docket for new 
material.
    Those persons desiring to be notified upon receipt on their 
comments in the dockets should enclose a self-addressed, stamped 
envelope with their comments, the docket supervisor will return the 
postcard by mail.

(49 U.S.C. 32901(c); delegation of authority at 49 CFR 1.50 and 49 
CFR 501.8)

    Issued on: September 19, 1994.
Barry Felrice,
Associate Administrator for Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. 94-23455 Filed 9-21-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-M