A Little Good Clean Fun?-The Michelin Challenge Bibendum 2001 Pollution Results Announced

FONTANA, Calif., Oct. 27 -- As technicians began putting the vehicles of the Michelin Challenge Bibendum through their performance trials, the results of the event's pollution testing were announced this morning at California Speedway in Fontana (results attached).

As with all events of the Michelin Challenge Bibendum, the pollution trial pits the vehicles against predetermined performance thresholds, not against each other. In this trial, the evaluation was based on vehicle emissions levels supplied by the participants. Data for vehicles in the US market were obtained using the Federal Test Procedure (FTP) also called the CVS 75, LA4 and the urban cycle. Vehicles for markets other than the US followed the Pollution test procedures from the markets they were destined for. Electric vehicles and hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicles were not part of the emissions testing since they emit no environmental pollutants.

This, in itself, is impressive, but what is equally or perhaps even more significant is the progress that has been made by gasoline and diesel powered vehicles. Direct injection, electronically controlled engines and particle filters are among the factors accounting for this ``greening'' of the internal combustion engine.

Hybrid technologies have also drastically reduced the tail pipe emissions in a way that was unthinkable when the first Michelin Challenge Bibendum was run in France just three years ago.

So which technologies are the most effective in eliminating or reducing polluting gases and particles?

    Ask Bibendum about pollution

    Q.  Why did the Michelin Challenge Bibendum ask the participants to submit
        data on pollution rather than perform the tests at the event?
    A.  Pollution testing can be somewhat time consuming.  To be accurate, it
        needs to be performed under controlled conditions.  The testing
        equipment required for such precise measurement is extremely
        sensitive.  All these reasons were taken into account in the decision
        to have the pollution test performed prior to the event.

    Q.  How are the results reported?
    A.  Vehicles were awarded "A", "B," "C" and "D" values, depending on the
        market to which they are destined and by category of vehicle.  For
        instance, an "A" would be awarded to light duty vehicles in the US
        market scoring an 8 or better (LEV-II, ULEV-II, SULEV-II and ZEV) on
        the EPA's Rating system. To review the system, go to,
        http://www.epa.gov/autoemissions/about.htm .  Vehicles meeting this
        designation would receive a "B" if they score a 6 or a 7, a "C" if
        they score a 5 or a 4, or a "D" if they score less than 4.
        Comprehensive tables can be found pages 40-41 of the rulebook, which
        can be downloaded at: http://www.challengebibendum.com .

    Q.  What exactly is being measured?
    A.  The U.S. Federal Test Procedure tests for Nitrogen oxides, carbon
        monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons and residual particles, sulfur
        dioxide, lead, and ozone.  While carbon dioxide (CO2) is also of
        environmental concern in terms of greenhouse effects and global
        warming, private cars are estimated to produce just over 10-percent of
        all CO2 emissions attributable to human activity.

    Q.  Why did you use EPA's emission standards and why are they important?
    A.  Cars, trucks and other mobile sources account for almost a third of
        the total air pollution in the United States.  Over the years,
        emission standards for cars and trucks have been strengthened to
        address this national air quality problem.  View the current vehicle
        emission standards at http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stds-ld.htm.  The
        emission standards are in effect from the time the vehicle is produced
        until the vehicle reaches the end of its useful life -- manufacturers
        are responsible for selling cars that will pollute no more than the
        emission standard limits.

    Q.  Why do some apparently identical vehicles have different ratings?
    A.  A few vehicles have different ratings even though they are for all
        outward appearances identical.  This is because the manufacturer chose
        to certify the identical vehicles to different standards.  For the US,
        there are two standards:  California and Federal.  Different parts of
        the world also have different standards.

    Q.  Why is it that trucks, SUVs and vans are not compared using light duty
        vehicles standards?
    A.  Some heavier passenger vehicles like the largest vans, pickup trucks,
        and sport utility vehicles are officially classified as heavy-duty
        trucks because they are heavier than their light-duty counterparts.
        Heavy-duty trucks have different emission standards since they can
        carry more passengers and/or cargo than regular light duty vehicles,
        over the same distance in a given time.

Q. How are vehicles tested for emissions?

A. Before a vehicle manufacturer can offer a new vehicle for sale, EPA

requires that various laboratory emission tests be conducted on

vehicles representative of the vehicles that will be sold to car

buyers, to ensure that vehicle is meeting the emission standards. The

tests are conducted to simulate a wide variety of actual on-road

operating conditions (such as highway driving and city driving). The

data from these tests are also used to calculate city and highway fuel

economy (mpg) values which appear on the window sticker of new

vehicles. planet. In 2000e of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy duty trucks, motorcycles and the space shuttle. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America ( www.michelin.com ) employs 27,000 people and operates 23 plants in 21 locations.