FORD "RUBBERED" WITH $551 MILLION Q2 LOSS: The tread marks on the second-quarter financials that Ford Motor Company reported yesterday are the imprints left by 13 million tires. That's the number of Firestone Wilderness AT tires the automaker recalled from its vehicles in May.
Federal investigators in the U.S. have linked the tires to about 200 deaths and 700 injuries, many of them involving Ford Explorer SUVs. Ford's recall of the tires prompted Firestone to file for divorce in its long marriage to the automaker, vows taken by the companies' founders Harvey Firestone and Henry Ford nearly 100 years ago.
Bridgestone/Firestone contends that the rollover problem with the Explorer has more to do with design flaws in the SUV than from the risk of tread separation in its tires. The war of words between the two companies in the media has likely taken a toll on Explorer sales figures.
The Q2 earnings report caps a dark three months for Ford. Posted July 19/01
HAS TEXACO SEEN THE FUTURE? Major oil company Texaco, Inc. is pumping $150 million into a joint venture to produce electric car batteries. Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD), a designer of a high technology battery used to power electric cars, said yesterday that they had formed an agreement with the oil company to make their battery widely available on a commercial basis.
ECD's advanced nickel metal hybrid (NiMH) battery has higher power and a longer life than conventional batteries, is used to power hybrid electric vehicles and is included in automaker designs for upcoming models, the companies said. Posted July 19/01
A 36 PERCENT DECREASE IN VEHICLE EMISSIONS was the greatest contributing factor in an overall 30 percent reduction of smog-forming pollutants in California between 1985 and 1999, according to an air quality study. The Road Information Program (TRIP), a non-profit highway research organization, based its findings on recent air quality data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
"TRIP credits increased vehicle inspection and maintenance among the more successful measures taken in California to reduce its air pollution," said AARO's executive director Bill Burkimsher. "Findings like this should leave the critics of Ontario's Drive Clean emissions IM program hanging their heads in shame."
Larry Fisher, the executive director of Transportation
California, the state's leading highway advocacy group, is elated
about TRIP's findings: "This isn't
just a story of a significant drop in emissions, this is a remarkable
improvement in light of the state's dramatic growth in population,
vehicle miles traveled and economic output," he enthused.
Posted July 19/01
SUMMER SCHOOL FOR DODGE, HYUNDAI? An insurance industry research firm has given the Chrysler 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan and Hyundai's Elantra small car low marks in crash tests.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says the Chrysler minivan got its poor rating for crashworthiness because a fuel leak developed after a crash test. The Hyundai Elantra vehicle got a failing mark because in two out of three tests, the driver's air bag deployed too late in the impact. In one test, the crash dummy's head hit the steering wheel, they say.
DaimlerChrysler contends it was unable to recreate the problem the Institute found with their vehicle - a crack that developed in a plastic piece that holds the Caravan's gas tank fuel pump - in over 50 of its own tests. Nonetheless, they have agreed to change the part in the 2002 models, a move that the Insurance Institute said would raise the vehicle's rating to "acceptable".
Hyundai has apparently not yet responded to the low ranking given its Elantra model. Posted July 19/01
A NEW HANDS-FREE CELL PHONE SYSTEM will be available in many 2002 model-year Ford vehicles according to its manufacturer, Cellport Systems. They describe their Cellport 3000 with Voice Command as being a breakthrough universal, voice-activated hands-free system. It allows a driver to operate a cell phone "while keeping both (his/her) hands on the wheel and eyes on the road", they say.
The product features a speaker-independent voice recognition system that enables any driver to use simple English commands to place or answer calls without the need to look at, or touch the cell phone. A patented Universal Docking Station and phone-specific Pocket Adapters can be used with various makes and models of cell phones. This means that drivers can dock different cell phone models to take advantage of voice-activated, hands-free operation. Now all family members can use their own preferred cell phones while driving, without the expense of installing different car kits, the company says.
The development of hands-free automotive wireless communication systems has been fast-forwarded as the result of growing traffic safety concerns. Studies have shown that distracted drivers using conventional cell phones are accident prone. Legislation restricting their use in mobile vehicles has already been passed in several North American jurisdictions, and is under consideration in many others.
Jonathan Lawrence, a telematics analyst with Dain Rauscher Wessels, says a majority of the over 600 million wireless phones in use today are being used in vehicles. He predicts that the growth in cell phone safety legislation could drive the global hands-free market from $3 billion today to over $9 billion in the next five years. Posted July 19/01
BELEAGUERED GAS RETAILERS FACE NEW THREAT from the cut-throat competition of mega retailers like Wal-Mart and Costco. In the USA, many of these so-called "superstores" are selling gas up to a dime-a-gallon cheaper than independent station owners. Currently, this predatory pricing is mainly a stateside concern, but retailers here wonder how long it will be before the problem spreads north into Canada.
These companies, dubbed "hypermarkets", are using gasoline as a loss-leader to attract people to their other products. They have already used the appeal of "one-stop shopping" to capture 3.5 percent of the U.S. retail gasoline market, or more than 12.6 million gallons every day. According to industry watchers, their market share will grow to 16 percent by 2005.
The cut-rate pricing of gas at these superstores mimics a trend that has been established in Europe for 20 years where the fierce competition forced a huge restructuring of the retail gasoline marketing sectors. In France and the United Kingdom, the hypermarkets have garnered fully 25 percent and 55 percent of the market, respectively.
In the U.S., Wal-Mart has added fueling stations
at 356 of its 2,600 stores, and 103 of its 480 Sam's Club "big
box" venues. Costco got into the act at its big box stores
four years ago, and now offers gas at 125 of its 260 U.S. locations.
Both companies have an expanding Canadian exposure.
Posted July 18/01
DANA Q2 EARNINGS SLUMP 83 PERCENT: DANA Corp., one of the world's biggest OEM parts and aftermarket parts suppliers, says it is now less optimistic about the rate of recovery for the automotive industry than they were at the turn of the year.
Chairman and CEO Joe Magliochetti said, "Looking ahead to the second half of 2001, we expect to continue benefiting from our rightsizing efforts." However, the company cautions that high new vehicle inventory levels and production shutdowns by several of its major customers will continue to impact OE auto parts sales.
Dana, which operates 300 plants in 35 countries, plans to use the proceeds from three, second-quarter divestitures to reduce its debt. Posted July 18/01
A CONSULTING FIRM IS SUING TOYOTA alleging it has not been compensated for helping the carmaker to avoid an Afro-American boycott of its products. The Alabama-based agency Calhoun and Associates says it is owed a mutually-agreed upon $1 million service fee.
The firm's lawyer, Jere Beasley contends that Calhoun has not been reimbursed for some image-restoring work they did to neutralize charges made in late May by the Rev. Jesse Jackson that Toyota was guilty of racist advertising. At issue was an ad featuring a close-up photo of a smiling black person with a gold Toyota RAV4 SUV etched on one of his upper teeth. The carmaker withdrew the ad on May 14 to avert a boycott in June. Jackson had also accused the carmaker of excluding blacks from jobs at its dealerships, boards of directors, and advertising staffs.
Toyota spokesperson Mike Michels said the company has no formal comment to make as they have not yet been served with the complaint. He conceded they'd been in discussion with Greg Calhoun, the ageny's president, but contends they were unable to agree on the terms of his proposal.
Jere Beasley said that he doesn't think Toyota ever intended to pay his client for the work.
Editor's Note: Perhaps Calhoun and Associates should offer their services to the Rev. Jesse Jackson and help him to restore his public image. Posted July 18/01
FORD FACING A NEW PR CHALLENGE OVER TIRE RECALL: The world's second-largest automaker must figure it can't win for losing. Mounting pressure from politicians and consumer advocacy groups forced them to recall 13 million Firestone Wilderness AT tires from their vehicles in May, and now environmentalists are raising their eyebrows and are asking, "what will become of them?"
Their concerns are valid. Trapped rain water in discarded tires is an ideal breeding ground for disease-carrying insects. And moreover, as folks in the Hagersville, Ontario area will attest, old tires in landfills and dumps can catch fire and spew toxic smoke for miles. Ford is again under an intense public microscope. Disposing of the recalled tires in an irresponsible manner is simply not an option. What to do, what to do?
Ford has made arrangements with Recovery Technologies Group (RTG) to collect and recycle about half of its recalled tires. If they were all lined up, they'd stretch from Detroit to San Francisco. RTG's president Marty Sergi appears not to be intimidated by this: "We're not losing any sleep over Ford's recall of Firestone tires," he said. "In fact, I'm sleeping like a baby."
Under the agreement, RTG will pick-up all of the recalled tires that have been returned to Ford and Lincoln car dealerships. They will be processed into rubber crumb, which looks like black talcum powder and can be used in recyclable products like auto parts and athletic turf.
Rubber crumb was traditionally made by buffing, or shaving off the treaded part on old tires, a procedure hampered by the steel and fibre in the tires. Separating the rubber in this manner was not an exact-science, but RTG claims to have found a better way. They slice the tires into 2-inch-by-2-inch bits, and use liquid nitrogen to freeze the chunks to minus 100 degrees f. The brittle rubber chips are shattered into millions of pieces, the steel, fibre and rubber components are then separated and sold for different uses.
Raining on the Ford/RTG parade, a major U.S. tire collector and recycler - who asked not to be identified - dismissed the plan as a public relations ploy. He said Ford's plan is unworkable because RTG will be forced to subcontract the collection of tires to firms it can't regulate. Because of this, he said there is a probability that the tires will end up back on the road. He added that RTG does not have the plant capacity to turn all the tires into crumb, and if it did, would flood a small market. (Sour grapes?)
Marty Sergi conceded that subcontractors would be collecting the tires but denied the plan is unworkable. While RTG shreds and sells as fuel supply more than two-thirds of all the tires it collects - tires burned as fuel produce air pollution - Sergi contends that none of Ford's recalled tires will be either burned or reused on vehicles. He pointed out that Ford was working with RTG to create new markets for rubber crumb, and said that all of its tires would be processed accordingly.
"Ford could have taken the easy way out, throwing the tires in a landfill," said Sergi. "But it decided (instead) to do something that makes environmental and business sense." Posted July 17/01
MR. RENT-A-WRECK, MEET MR. CHEAP HEAP: Cheap Heap Auto Rentals of Regina, Saskatchewan, a relative newcomer to the low cost vehicle lease and rental market, has been "sold-American". The company had over $100,000 net earnings in its first year of operation, and that was enough to attract a suitor. Firstline Poly Products International, Inc. of Wilmington, Delaware has executed a share purchase agreement and has acquired 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of Cheap Heap.
Firstline says it plans to expand the 'Cheap
Heap Rental System' across Canada and the U.S. within the next
3-5 years. They will continue to target the low and medium income
customer group which they say comprises the largest segment of
potential customers in the auto rental market.
Posted
June 25/01
MITSUBISHI IS FEUDING WITH CONSUMER REPORTS over the "Not Acceptable" rating the magazine is hanging on its 2001 model-year Montero Limited, a mid-size SUV.
The publisher, Consumers Union (CU) claims the vehicle tipped up on two wheels during 8 out of 9 passes through its short-course emergency avoidance-maneuver test track. The test report and a sidebar describing CU's avoidance maneuver will be in the August issue of the popular consumer magazine. The article about the Montero will caution readers, "If you're shopping for an SUV, we advise you not to buy the 2001 Montero Limited until this safety problem has been corrected. In our opinion, there are safer choices."
The disgruntled carmaker was invited to visit CU's Auto Test Facility in East Haddam, Connecticut to view videotape of the tests, and inspect the tested vehicles and the test track. They accepted, but the nine company representatives who made the sojourn returned crying foul and otherwise disputing CU's findings and methodology. Pierre Gagnon, the president and COO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America was not amused.
Mitsubishi struck back, and the ensuing war of words provided much fodder for the always hungry automotive media. On June 19, 2001 CU's senior VP and technical director, Dr. R. David Pittle had heard enough. He took pen in hand and dashed-off an indignant letter to Pierre Gagnon.
"It is unfortunate that, in the absence of any credible evidence and in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Mitsubishi seems bent on accusing CU of misconduct and deliberately manipulating its test results," he wrote. And that was just for openers. A further excerpt from Pittle's letter:
"The Mitsubishi claim that physical evidence demonstrates that CU's silver Montero was driven improperly (so wide to the left as to be off the course - in Mr. Spencer's words "hitting parked cars or trees" - with extreme steering inputs made for no discernible reason) is utterly baseless and untenable."
Consumer Reports is standing by its condemnation
of the 2001 Montero. They point out that six other similarly-sized
SUVs were tested on the same day, (May 16, 2001) on the same course
and with the same drivers, but contend only the Mitsubishi test-vehicles
experienced tip-ups.
Posted
June 25/01
YAMAHA UNVEILS "ROAD STAR WARRIER" BIKE, describing it as "part muscular street fighter and part athlete, but with the style and character of traditional cruisers". The powerful 102 cubic-inch air-cooled, fuel-injected, pushrod V-Twin engine is the largest production air-cooled motorcycle engine ever built, they say.
"We've been hearing lots from riders, particularly those who grew up with sport bikes and dirt bikes, who said they wanted something more in a cruiser than was currently out there - more performance and better handling in particular," said Derek Brooks, Yamaha's motorcycle product manager. "At the same time, they didn't want to lose things that make cruisers great, like the traditional styling; character, feel and design that can be customized to their own tastes. This motorcycle has it all."
The new Road Star Warrier features a tubular and cast aluminum frame - a material never before used on a cruiser motorcycle. Its suspension and brakes are inspired by Yamaha's class-leading YZF-R1 sport bike. The company is claiming that these features make Road Star Warrier the nimblest cruiser in its class. Another "first" they are claiming is that it comes equipped with a 200 series rear tire - the fattest production motorcycle tire currently on the market.
You can pick up one of these babies at Yamaha dealerships in November in your choice of three colours, Metallic Titanium, Imperial Red or Indigo. Start feeding your piggy bank real soon, the Road Star Warrier will retail for $11,999 - and we ain't talking loonies, here. Still interested? More information is available at >>> www.yamaha-motor.com Posted June 19/01
BELTS, HOSES, GASKETS AND SEALS AFTERMARKET is slowing due to technological advances by OEMs, according to some new analysis by the Frost & Sullivan consulting firm. While traditional repair cycles were three to five years, longer-lasting parts have extended these cycles to six to eight years. The move by OEMs to multi-layered steel (MLS) and molded rubber in the gasket and seal segment is cited by example.
Editor's Note: Keep a sharp eye on those inventory levels. Posted June 19/01
A NEW ABS WHEEL SPEED SENSOR developed using a grade of polyphthalamide has met tough performance criteria in testing, says Hi-Stat Manufacturing. The sensor is a cap assembly that mounts on the end of the wheel bearing and provides wheel speed data to the ABS computer. The company says its engineers chose Amodel A-1145 grade polyphthalamide from BP Amoco Polymers to replace the thermoplastic material they had used previously.
"Amodel resin gave us the stability we needed and it provided a cost benefit over the other material," explained Mike Beane, product engineer with Hi-Stat. "It also turned out to be easier to mold than the other material," he added.
The components in the wheel speed sensor made from Amodel PPA passed design verification tests with flying colours, the manufacturer claims. Part of the process involved a thermal cycling test, requiring the material to withstand six weeks of hourly temperature cycling between -40 degrees C to 120 degrees C. The part was also installed in a fixture that simulates a wheel bearing for thermal cycling, and is subjected to 10 psi of air pressure applied to the part internally while the assembly is monitored for leakage.
Amodel PPA is described as a unique semi-crystalline engineering polymer that bridges the cost-performance gap between traditional engineering thermoplastics - such as polycarbonate, polyamides, polyester and acetals - and higher-cost specialty polymers, such as liquid crystal polymers, polyphenylene sulfide and polyetherimide. It has excellent mechanical properties - strength, stiffness, fatigue and creep resistance - over a broad temperature range. Posted June 19/01
VENEZUELA MAY BAN SALE OF FORD EXPLORERS if that country's consumer protection institute (INDECU) has its way. They are reportedly petitioning the Venezuelan Public Prosecutor to ban sales of the SUV because of suspected faults that have allegedly caused fatal crashes.
The move by INDECU has further inflamed the widely publicized corporate cat fight between Ford and Firestone over who is responsible for Explorer rollovers. Firestone spokespersons quickly seized the opportunity. They've been pointing out that investigations by the institute disclose that since August of last year, only one out of 50 Ford Explorer accidents in Venezuela involved a vehicle using Firestone tires.
"This raises the idea that it's not the tires, that it's problems in the vehicle," speculated INDECU Director Samuel Ruh Rios. More than 35 people died in the accidents, some of which were caused by a faulty pivot in the Explorer steering system according to the consumer institute. Their study found that the pivots had broken causing the vehicles to lose control, they claim.
Firestone has found additional ammunition to fire in its media war with Ford in a study conducted by Dr. Dennis A. Guenther, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Ohio State University. Guenther's study shows that in most circumstances, certain models of the Explorer will experience an "oversteer" condition following a tread separation on a rear tire, a clearly foreseeable event. Firestone quotes the professor saying: "An oversteer vehicle is not safe at highway speeds in the hands of an average driver. This must be regarded as a safety defect ... "
Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. President and CEO John T. Lampe says that Dr. Guenther's investigation has found that:
The Explorer as designed has a significantly lower amount of understeer than other SUVs. In fact, the Explorers that were tested had less than half the amount of understeer as the Jeep Cherokee and Chevrolet Blazer.
"Understeer" is a cornering situation where the front of the vehicle turns less sharply than the driver intends. (Virtually all passenger vehicles are designed for understeer rather than for oversteer so the vehicle can be easily controlled by the average driver. Car designers can increase or decrease the amount of understeer in a vehicle by many different means - by adjusting spring rates, shock absorber stiffness, frame stiffness, roll damping, tire properties, tire pressure weight distribution, and other component functions.) Understeer is compensated for by the addition of more steering input.
The Explorer loses much of what understeer it has when it is loaded to the vehicle design limit while the Cherokee and Blazer do not.
Following a tread separation on a rear tire, the Explorer loses its small amount of understeer. This results in an oversteer condition. A vehicle with an oversteer situation is generally not controllable by most drivers, particularly at highway speeds. "Oversteer" is a cornering condition where the front of the vehicle turns more sharply than the driver intends during a turn while the rear of the vehicle skids around.
For example, if a vehicle is in a turn and an oversteering condition exists, the driver may have the impression that the rear end of the vehicle is swinging out. A vehicle with an oversteer condition is increasingly difficult to control as speed increases.
The dispute between Ford and Firestone took yet another turn yesterday when Ford said it may demand that the tiremaker foot some of the multi billion-dollar cost of replacing 13 million tires on its vehicles. This open conjecture from Ford came as the carmaker's Chief Executive Jacques Nasser and Bridgestone/Firestone CEO John Lampe make ready to testify before the U.S. Congress next week. The stakes are high. Each will attempt to hold the other accountable for deaths and injuries from blown tires and rollovers of Ford's popular Explorer sport utility vehicles.
The fallout from what has to be considered the most volatile corporate break-up in the history of the automotive industry will be with us for many more months, perhaps years. Posted June 15/01
APPRENTICES TO GET TOOL TAX RELIEF IN FALL: So said Karl Littler, Federal Finance Minister Paul Martin's senior tax advisor in a recent telephone call he placed to CARS President Dan Bell. After 15 years of lobbying by various associations - including AARO, AIA, CADA, CAMPE and the CARS Institute - this is welcome news. Unfortunately, however, it is hardly cause to break-open the champagne.
According to Littler, the new policy will apply only to registered apprentices, and provide for a tax credit not to exceed $500 per year. There's nothing in it for journeymen whatsoever. This falls far short of the tax concessions we have lobbied for, but as Dan Bell points out, "it is a step in the right direction".
"I personally don't expect our certified journey people to get too excited as there is nothing in this for them. I did however tell Mr. Littler that I thought the new policy will be seen as positive by many, as it will assist in removing another barrier for youth entering our trade," said Bell.
Karl Littler did not know if there will be a special announcement from the Minister, or if he will simply include the tax policy change in his next budget. He told Bell that caucus has been made aware of it, and confirmed that he was free to release the information to the trade. Bell feels sure we will learn more about it in the coming weeks.
Stay tuned.
Editor's Note: We have our foot in a door that has been closed to us for fifteen years. Now that it has finally opened a crack, it is time to lean our shoulders to it, "and push". Posted June 15/01
THE OLD AARO PHILOSOPHER SAYS:
"The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was."
Editor's Note: "Debbie, kindly check Accounts Payable to see
if we've paid him for this yet."
Posted June 15/01
WE CONTINUE TO SIDE-STEP THE U.S. SLOWDOWN according to the latest economic numbers from Statistics Canada (StatsCan). Growth figures of an annualized 2.5 percent in the first quarter of this year beat expectations, and our current account surplus reached a huge new record.
"Canada's surplus on current account transactions jumped $4.2 billion to $12.7 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis, extending a run of record surpluses since the first quarter of 2000," StatsCan reported. Posted June 14/01
HYDROGEN LEAK DETECTION TECHNOLOGY developed by the Boeing Co. to increase safety for rockets will also benefit the automotive industry, say spokespersons for the aerospace conglomerate. Boeing, in partnership with Intelligent Optical Systems, recently tested its new fibre-optic system in a real-world environment.
"While the new system is designed to greatly improve the ability to detect explosive hydrogen vapors on space launch vehicles, it can also bring benefits to many other industries including the automotive sector where car makers are developing clean-burning, hydrogen-fuel automobiles," said Dr. Alex Kazemi, a leading micro-technologist.
The system can detect leaking hydrogen and relay the data at the speed of light for computer analysis. According to Kazemi and a team of rocket scientists, engineers and technical specialists, this was clearly demonstrated during a static hot fire test of the Delta IV common booster core (CBC) at a NASA space centre in Mississippi.
The safety, speed and increased capability of the new Boeing system comes from spark-free, fibre-optic cables and special sensors. Apparently it is capable of measuring hundreds of locations at once. By comparison, the devices currently in use, called mass spectrometers, are capable of measuring only a handful of locations, they say.
The Boeing system uses an optical sensor called an optrode coated with a proprietary chemical substance. Light is sent down the fibre-optic cable and through the optrode. If the light returns as a different colour, that colour, along with the intensity of the signal, correlates to amounts of hydrogen present.
When safe levels of hydrogen vapors are exceeded, a rocket launch can be stopped immediately with the leak quickly pinpointed. Conversely, false alarms can be prevented in the last seconds of countdown because the system responds with great precision in only one second versus two to six minutes for a conventional mass spectrometer.
Leak detection of hydrogen at low levels is
also vitally important to fuel cell industries. This would seem
to auger well for potential automotive applications of Boeing's
new system. Posted June 14/01
BUMPER STICKER WATCH:
|
|
Editor's Note: Have YOU seen a Bumper Sticker recently
that made you chuckle? To share a smile with the rest of us, send
it to >>> aaro@aaro.ca
Posted June 14/01
TWO TECHNICIANS FROM THE SAME SHOP made the Central Region - comprised of Ontario and
part of Manitoba - semi-finals in AC Delco's "Technician
of the Millennium" contest. Jeff Taylor and David Jaggard
of Bruce Eccles Auto Service in Dundas both made the cut. And
it was hardly a walk in the park. To move-on to the next leg of
the competition required them to finish among the top five in
a timed, 100-question exam taken by 237 contestants.
To say that Bruce Eccles, an AARO member since 1993, was proud of his charges would be an understatement. His was the only shop in Canada to send two technicians to the regional finals. And his pride was destined to grow further - to the bursting-point.
On May 26th in Pickering, 38-year-old Taylor aced the regional finals making him one of the top auto technicians in North America. He is now qualified to head for Charlotte, North Carolina in October where he'll compete for $100,000 in prizes and a shot at the title, "Technician of the Millennium".
Jeff Taylor has been employed by Bruce Eccles since he was fresh out of university, still uncertain about a career path. He began working part-time, changing batteries, rad hoses, fan belts and the like, to make ends meet while he sorted his life out. His aptitude for things mechanical was soon apparent, however, and at the age of 22 he began the five-year apprenticeship to become a licensed automotive technician. Topping his class in the final year, Taylor soon became one of Eccles' ace techs.
Eccles, who recently served on the association's Member Web sites Advisory Committee, certainly has bragging rights when it comes to the expertise of his technicians. Jeff Taylor and David Jaggard have earned him that right. And through his membership, like "extended family", all of us here at AARO cannot help but partake in his pride.
Congratulations, Bruce. Well done, Jeff and David.
Editor's Note: Bruce Eccles was last seen wielding a large club at the AARO Charity Golf Tournament. We're not sure if his ball carried as far as the divots - we'll have to check his score. If it turns out that he finished among the leaders, it will indicate he's really "on a roll" and would be well-advised to buy a few lottery tickets. Posted June 13/01
A DISCUSSION WITH THE ENVIRONMENT MINISTER on Drive Clean issues was productive according to AARO lobbyist Leonard Domino. The association's current position regarding the emissions IM program, and our concerns for its future were aired on Monday, June 4, 2001. The occasion was a lunch meeting Domino organized with the Honourable Environment Minister, Elizabeth Witmer and her key political staff.
"Ms. Witmer was very understanding of our situation, and I feel it's likely we'll receive some necessary help from her," commented AARO President Jim Angier. "She is committed to improving the environment and strongly believes in Ontario's vehicle emissions IM program. It is for that reason I think we'll see some positive changes to the benefit of the many AARO members who've invested heavily in Drive Clean," he said.
Angier and Len Domino were accompanied by the association's Advocacy Committee chair Gino Paccione, and board member Rex Sarson who rounded out the AARO contingent at the meeting in Toronto.
"I feel great about the progress made, it was one of the most successful meetings I've attended to date," enthused Domino. "The Minister quickly picked up on the issues involved from our perspective, and she clearly explained her issues and proposals. I now feel we are closer together on some solutions that can benefit both parties."
The open discussion was based around the six consultation points on which the Ministry has invited stakeholder input:
The AARO representatives introduced another topic - the need for additional revenue for Drive Clean Facility Operators.
The Minister also expressed interest in hearing the association's views concerning requests made by CAA that more newer cars be exempted from testing. "We made Ms. Witmer aware that AARO totally disagrees with that suggestion, and told her 'why' it would be a mistake," exclaimed Rex Sarson.
"We conceded that most newer cars pass the Drive Clean test, but pointed out that those failing are still a significant number of vehicles. And more importantly, that the toxin they release is typically excessive and of the nox-related variety. We cautioned her that it is odourless, it's invisible, and how the driver of such a polluting vehicle would not even be aware of it," said Sarson. "Once we explained the 'Oxidation of Nitrogen' issue to her, I think she realized that to properly protect the environment we must continue to test the newer cars."
While on the topic of CAA recommending that more newer cars be exempted from testing, Gino Paccione offered another reason why this would not be in anyone's best interest, even from a 'consumer's point of view'.
"I told the Minister that conversely, it would be beneficial to consumers if we continue testing newer vehicles," said Paccione. "I explained that since most would still be warranted, it would therefore be the manufacturers' responsibility to pay for any emission-related repair costs. By exempting these vehicles until later, the consumer gets stuck footing the bill."
Turning to the matter of the cap on Drive Clean-related repair costs, Jim Angier stressed that this thorny issue must be resolved. He feels Ms. Witmer understands that.
"The Minister assured us that the repair cost limit is on top of her Drive Clean agenda. She realizes that the cap is clearly too low, but insisted that a limit must be in place for the so-called 'hardship cases', poor people that need their car to earn a living, but who can't afford high repair costs," explained Angier. "We told the Honourable Minister that we understand the sensitivity of the issue from a political perspective, but stressed that in most cases $200 is simply not enough to adequately fix the failing cars - they just end up back on the roads still polluting."
Len Domino recalls that during the discussion, Ms. Witmer pointed out that the repair cost limit averages $450 in U.S. juristidictions with an emissions IM program. "While we asked that the cap on Drive Clean repair costs be removed altogether, or at the least be raised to $800, her comment indicates to me that we do not have any guarantees," he said.
Domino and the other AARO spokespersons are
certain of one thing. They succeeded in convincing the Environment
Minister that a repair cost limit of $200 is totally inadequate
- it returns cars to the streets still polluting, and it would
be safer for the environment to raise that limit substantially.
Posted June 12/01
REVOLUTIONARY IMPROVEMENT IN AIRBAG inflator
technology is the claim of Simula Inc.of Arizona, a self-described
"company that designs and makes systems and devices that
save human lives".
In a recent press release, Simula announced that it intends to bring to market an innovative safety product that is designed to inflate certain types of automotive airbags more effectively and more efficiently than conventional gas generator systems. They say their patented "distributed charge inflation" (DCI) product is in the final stages of investment and will be made available in the marketplace within twelve months. Production will be located with Simula's high-volume airbag production facility in Ashington, UK.
The DCI product is designed to improve the performance and simplify integration of automotive side-impact head-protection airbags. It is a thin, flexible tube that lies inside the airbag and contains the material that generates gas along its entire length to inflate the surrounding airbag. By contrast, conventional gas generators for head airbags typically create gas at a location outside of the airbag, and inflate the bag through one or more ports. Simula says that in side-impact collisions, its DCI technology deploys the airbag up to 50 percent faster and claims that the resulting inflation may be less aggressive because of the uniform gas generation from the product.
Several other improvements over conventional gas generator systems are claimed by the company for its DCI product:
Installation of its combined airbag and gas generator assembly is easier than that of two separate components; space required in the vehicle is minimized, a critical factor in vehicle design; the DCI product is lighter (by about 50%) than the weight of the current industry standard gas generators for similar airbag applications; the DCI technology can be easily tailored to inflate airbags of varying lengths and shapes for various occupant protection solutions.
Simula also contends its product will be "very cost competitive with conventional gas (airbag) generators". Posted May 31/01
SLEEPY DRIVERS ARE AS DANGEROUS as intoxicated drivers
according to a recent study. Researchers at Stanford University
say sleep deprivation impacts reaction time and driving performance
just as much as alcohol.
"Our study demonstrates that driving while sleepy is at least as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than driving while intoxicated," claims Nelson B. Powell, MD, co-director of the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Center.
In collaboration with General Motors Corp. and NBC News, researchers from Stanford and the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis conducted experiments with 16 healthy, adult volunteers. The objective was to ascertain changes in their reaction times and driving performance when they were either sleep-deprived or alcohol-impaired.
During the first round of the study, the volunteers drove a 1.4-mile performance course at GM's proving grounds in Arizona while in a fully rested, non-sleepy state. The drivers encountered several hazards and were judged in part by their reaction to them.
After the initial round, they were split into three groups to repeat the tests. The first group was tested after spending one night without sleep, the second after sleeping for no more than two hours for seven consecutive nights, and the third group after consuming alcohol. The mean blood-alcohol level of the third group was 0.089 percent, which is slightly above the legal limit in most jurisdictions of 0.08 percent.
As expected, reaction times and driving performance for all three groups diminished significantly during the second round of tests. Members of the alcohol-impaired group took an additional 61 milliseconds to react to the hazards. Surprisingly, however, the difference in the results for the sleep-deprived groups was minimal. Powell noted that the average reaction time for the alcohol-impaired volunteers was 294 milliseconds, a marginally better performance than the 300 millisecond average time that was tallied for the two sleep-deprived groups.
"These results should raise awareness about the seriousness of sleep deprivation," said Powell. "It's crucial that people recognize the danger of driving while sleepy and that people stay away from their cars while they're tired." The research team is hopeful their experiment will promote public dialogue that will lead to additional studies about the dangers of sleepy driving, he added. Posted May 31/01
PROJECTED WINDSHIELD DISPLAYS that
may include road maps and a vehicle's speed are in the development
stage at Ford Motor Company. Similar to systems used in military
aircraft, the projected images will appear to float in mid-air
in front of the driver.
The technology to display transparent maps and other images on car and truck windshields is being developed for Ford by Microvision Inc.of Bothell, Washington. A spokesman for the optical scanner maker said the windshield displays will be operable both day and night, and available in various Ford models.
"The system will be designed to keep a driver's eyes focused in the direction of the road in an effort to make it less hazardous than dashboard displays or handheld maps," explained Microvision's Matt Nichols.
The joint project reflects increasing competition among the world's automakers to provide more in-vehicle features such as Internet access and global-positioning systems. Terms of the agreement between the two companies were not disclosed. Posted May 31/01
EXHAUST SYSTEMS AFTERMARKET IS RISING according
to analysis by Frost & Sullivan, a leading market consulting
firm. In particular, a successful niche for the performance exhaust
aftermarket is developing in North America, they say. Their research
indicates the rapid growth is a result of drivers investing more
in their cars out of desire rather than necessity.
"The performance exhaust segment has seen strong growth due to the market's ability to increase its customer base from performance car enthusiasts to a much wider base of customers including SUV and import vehicle owners," said Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Frank Querido.
Stock, OEM exhaust systems are being replaced to increase horsepower and torque as well as to improve fuel economy. In this quest, vehicle owners often choose to replace an otherwise acceptable OE system with performance products. And when consumers restore this equipment on their vehicles, many are opting for entire cat-back systems (catalytic converter to tailpipe). As a result of this trend and the expanding consumer base, cat-back systems are the fastest growing segment of the performance aftermarket.
"Customers understand that replacing the muffler alone will have a minimal effect on the vehicle's performance. Rather, a complete cat-back system must be installed to optimize the vehicle's performance," contends Querido. Posted May 31/01
"INCREASED REVENUE FOR DRIVE CLEAN FACILITIES will
be our chief objective when we meet with the Minister," exclaimed
AARO president Jim Angier. His comment came at the conclusion
of a discussion with several of the association's board officers.
It centered around an upcoming meeting - June 4, 2001 - with Ontario's
Minister of Environment, Honourable Elizabeth Witmer.
"Many facility operators out there are pretty upset, and we feel that's understandable. They put up serious money with an expectation of a return on their investments, and due to 'politics' it just hasn't materialized. They feel they've been let down, and in the case of some that's putting it mildly," said Angier.
Facility operators in Phase I areas invested in the program with the expectation that effective January 1, 2001 there would be "no cap" on repair costs. Instead, there have been two, three-month extensions to the original $200 repair cap as a result of wrangling about Drive Clean in Cabinet. Many operators have lost patience with the continuing uncertainty and mixed signals from the government.
AARO lobbyist Leonard Domino has advised the association's Advocacy Committee that his research inside Queen's Park indicates the Minister will not totally remove a cost limit for emission-related repairs. Asked what he believes the new repair cost limit will be, he speculates that it will be set somewhere within a range of $300 to $750.
"Assuming Len (Domino) has those numbers right, our board members feel we have to discuss with the Minister some options for facility operators to recoup that lost revenue," said Angier. "We would like Ms. Witmer to seriously consider the following recommendations:"
1) An increase in the test fee to $40, and the opportunity to provide alternative service such as the insurance photo, or issuing license stickers through the Drive Clean facilities, and
2) Alter the "cut point" to reduce the tolerance for exhaust emission pollutants. The effect would be a slight increase in failure rates leading to a higher reduction in pollutants.
Advocacy Committee chairman Gino Paccione said he feels it is important to make the Minister aware AARO members support Drive Clean. "We want to help ensure public acceptance for the program," he said. "At the same time, she has to appreciate that we've made significant investments to become accredited facilities. Drive Clean operators view the program somewhat like a franchisee/franchisor relationship."
Paccione said problems are bound to arise when a franchisor makes promises to his franchisees, and then fails to keep them. In the case of Drive Clean, the government is much like a franchisor, he suggests. They laid out the initial agreement to the "franchisee-like" garage operators, and then changed the terms after they'd bought their franchises.
Jim Angier says the association and its members understand how difficult it would be, politically, for the Minister to go ahead with "no cap" on repair costs as was originally envisioned. "Having conceded that, we will try to impress upon her that if we're going to get some of the worst polluting vehicles fixed properly, the cap should not be lower than $750," he asserted.
"Honourable Elizabeth Witmer has demonstrated concern for the 'little guy'. I feel confident she will listen to us on June 4th, and act to assist the Drive Clean facility operators who have been suffering financially," predicted AARO executive director Bill Burkimsher. Posted May 17/01