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PROPOSAL:

Amend Contract with IMPCO Technologies to Develop and Demonstrate Low-Emission Alternative Fuel Commercial Lawn and Garden Equipment

SYNOPSIS:

At its June 1997 meeting, the Board approved a contract with IMPCO Technologies to develop and demonstrate low-emission alternative fuel commercial lawn and garden equipment. This action followed a competitive solicitation. In 1998, ARB amended its small engine regulations to include emissions durability requirements in 2000 and subsequent model years. A contract amendment to expand the current project to include engine durability testing is proposed to demonstrate compliance with the ARB regulations currently in effect. IMPCO Technologies will provide $65,300 for this $165,300 additional effort. The added cost to the AQMD will not exceed $100,000.

COMMITTEE:

Technology, August 28, 1998. Vice Chair Leonard Paulitz and Roy Wilson communicated their concurrence.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Authorize the Chairman to amend the contract with IMPCO Technologies to conduct engine durability testing of low-emission alternative fuel commercial lawn and garden equipment, in an amount not to exceed $100,000.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Acting Executive Officer

Background

As emissions standards for on-road mobile sources become more stringent, the relative contribution of off-road mobile sources to the overall emissions inventory becomes more significant. The 1993 Basin inventory developed for the 1997 AQMP indicates that lawn and garden equipment, which includes lawnmowers, edgers, trimmers, leaf blowers, and chain saws, produced emissions of roughly 14 tons per day of VOC, 0.5 tons per day of NO_x, and 108 tons per day of CO. Equipment used in commercial applications (e.g., professional gardeners) produce the vast majority of emissions from this category.

During FY 1996-97, a program opportunity notice (PON) was released to seek pre-proposals in a variety of clean fuel and zero-emission project areas, including commercial lawn, garden, and utility equipment. Because several relevant PON responses were received, at their March 14, 1997 meeting, the Board approved the release of RFP #9697-32, Develop and Demonstrate Low-Emissions Alternative Fuel Two- and Four-Cycle Commercial Lawn and Garden Equipment. As a result of this competitive solicitation, IMPCO Technologies (IMPCO) was selected for contract award at the June 13, 1997 Board meeting.

IMPCO has focused on developing and demonstrating electronically controlled liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) conversion kits for the most commonly used commercial lawn and garden engines. This effort includes comparative emissions testing of gasoline engines and those equipped with the conversion kits. The ultimate goal is to install the converted engines on commercial lawn and garden equipment for demonstration purposes.

It is important to note that RFP #9697-32 emphasized compliance with ARB 1999 and subsequent year emission standards, the most stringent in effect at the time the competitive solicitation was drafted and released. In 1998, the ARB amended regulations applicable to small off-road engines, including lawn and garden equipment. These changes replaced ARB 1999 emissions standards with 2000 and 2004 standards and require engine durability testing. With the adoption of revised ARB standards, IMPCO’s current approach will no longer result in the development and demonstration of engines that are compliant with existing ARB standards.

Progress to Date

During the first year of this project, considerable work has been completed, including: (1) development of hardware to convert existing gasoline-fueled commercial lawn and garden equipment engines to operate on LPG; (2) conversion of four popular commercial engines (Briggs and Stratton 5 and 6 horsepower, Kohler 13 and 18 horsepower) from gasoline operation to LPG operation; and (3) emissions testing of the Briggs and Stratton 5 horsepower and Kohler 13 horsepower engines in both gasoline and LPG configurations.

Within the next several months, optimization of all four LPG engines will be completed, as will be emissions testing of both gasoline and LPG engines. Preliminary emissions test results indicate that, when optimized, LPG configurations could meet the ARB 1999 emission standards that were in effect when this project was initiated. In addition, the LPG variants produce considerably lower emissions than the baseline gasoline engines. For example, for the 5 horsepower Briggs and Stratton LPG engine, measured HC + NOx and CO emissions were reduced by 19.4 percent and 58.2 percent, respectively, as compared to the gasoline version. For the 13 horsepower Kohler engine, test results show that HC + NOx and CO emissions were reduced by 42.6 and 44.8 percent, respectively.

It is likely that the advanced LPG small engines could meet the 2000 and 2004 emissions standards recently adopted by the ARB. However, without emissions durability testing, the engines cannot comply fully with ARB requirements.

Proposal

The ARB small engine durability requirements are intended to ensure that engines are emissions-durable for their useful lives. They require that manufacturers conduct a durability demonstration as part of the certification process. Manufacturers are provided flexibility on how to certify engines using emissions durability periods of 125, 250, or 500 hours for engines above 60cc. Manufacturers are required to note the durability period on engine labels, equipment labels, equipment packaging, and in owner manuals.

IMPCO proposes to conduct emissions durability testing on three of the four advanced LPG engines developed under its existing contract with the AQMD. Testing would be done at the IMPCO research facility in Irvine. Testing would be as follows: (1) 5 horsepower, 206cc Briggs and Stratton engine, for a period of 500 hours; (2) 13 horsepower, 398cc Kohler engine, for a period of 250 hours; and (3) 18 horsepower, 624cc Kohler engine, for a period of 250 hours.

Emissions durability testing will allow for comparison of the IMPCO advanced LPG small engines with ARB 2000 and 2004 standards.

Benefits to AQMD

The proposed project is included in the September 1997 update of the Technology Advancement Plan under Project 97M5-3, "Development and Demonstration of Low Emission, Alternative Fuel Technologies for Off-Road Applications." The major benefits of this project include the proof of concept of new technologies, increased exposure and user acceptance of the new technologies, diversification of transportation fuels, direct emissions reductions from demonstrations of these technologies, the potential for increased use and resulting emission reduction, and possibly having the technologies demonstrated through expedited commercialization.

If the proposed effort successfully demonstrates compliance with ARB 2000 or 2004 standards, it is possible that these commercial engines could be available in the Basin in the nearer term. There are an estimated 40,000 commercial gasoline powered lawnmowers in the South Coast Air Basin. Assuming a total of 7,000 commercial lawn and garden equipment equipped with the four types of advanced LPG engines (consisting of 2,500 each of the 5 and 6 horsepower engines and 1,000 each of the 13 and 18 horsepower engines), HC + NOx and CO emission reductions of around 37 tons and 1650 tons, respectively, can be expected over the lives of the engines. For this analysis, engine life cycles for the 5 and 6 horsepower engines are assumed to be 700 hours. For the 13 and 18 horsepower engines, the assumed engine life is 1,500 hours.

There would be greater emissions benefits if additional commercial lawn and garden engine families were modified for use with LPG following the completion of the proposed effort. Ultimately, replacing some or all of the estimated 750,000 gasoline lawnmowers in residential use in the Basin with equipment powered with advanced LPG engines could produce significant emissions improvements for this category.

Sole Source Justification

Section VIII(B)(2) of the Procurement Policy and Procedure identifies four major provisions under which a sole source award may be justified. This request for sole source award is made under provision B.2.c(1): the unique experience and capabilities of the proposed contractor or contractor team.

IMPCO has proposed this project amendment based on promising preliminary emission results. As the developer of the LPG engine conversions, with previous experience in testing the engines, they are in a unique position to conduct additional emissions testing. In addition, because of the proprietary nature of some of the technology incorporated into the IMPCO’s LPG engine prototypes, a competitive solicitation for engine testing and subsequent contract negotiations could delay or jeopardize completion of proposed emissions durability testing.

The IMPCO’s small engine test facility, which was completed in 1998, is state-of-the-art. Incorporating computers to control the dynamometer, constant volume sampling system, and emissions measurement equipment, the facility uses a low-inertia, mobile, hydraulic dynamometer that is designed for small utility engines with either horizontal or vertical shafts. The new facility is dedicated to small engine research and development. A similar facility was used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to obtain small engine data in support of their 1994 regulations.

Resource Impacts

Cost to the AQMD for the proposed contract amendment is $100,000. IMPCO has proposed to provide an additional $65,300. Sufficient funds are available in the FY 1998-99 Budget from revenues received from the state-mandated Clean Fuels Program. The Clean Fuels Program, under Health and Safety Code Sections 40448.5 and 40512 and Vehicle Code Section 9250.11, establishes mechanisms to collect revenues from mobile and stationary sources to support projects to increase the utilization of clean fuels in both sectors, including the development of the necessary advanced enabling technologies. Funds collected from motor vehicles are restricted, by statute, to be used for projects and program activities related to mobile sources that support the objectives of the Clean Fuels Program. The following describes the funding sources:

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