BOARD MEETING DATE: October 5, 2007
AGENDA NO. 11
PROPOSAL:
Issue RFP for University Competition to Develop Rechargeable Electric Leaf Vacuum Device
SYNOPSIS:
Gasoline-powered leaf blowers used by commercial gardeners/landscapers are sources of noise, exhaust emissions, and re-suspended dust. To address these environmental concerns, staff proposes to conduct a competition in which university engineering school students would be offered a monetary award for developing a prototype of a battery-powered, low-noise, backpack-style leaf vacuum device that could meet the needs of commercial gardeners. The winning entries could be used as templates to encourage equipment manufacturers to produce an environmentally friendly replacement for the existing leaf blowers used by commercial gardeners. Funding up to $100,000 for this competition would come from the Clean Fuels Fund to provide awards for up to five winning designs.
COMMITTEE:
Technology, September 28, 2007, Recommended for Approval
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
- Approve the issuance of RFP #P2008-08 – “U.S. University Engineering Competition for Design and Development of a Prototype Battery-Powered, Low-Noise, Backpack-Style Leaf Vacuum as an Alternative to the Traditional Gasoline Powered Leaf Blower.” Total funding for this competition will not exceed $100,000, and will be allocated from the Clean Fuels Fund.
- Authorize the Executive Officer to reimburse expenses and distribute monetary awards from the Clean Fuels Fund as follows:
- Reimburse the winners of the top five engineering design proposals to cover their documented expenses of up to $5,000 each for constructing the prototype leaf vacuums based on their winning designs.
Total expense reimbursements not to exceed $25,000.
- Distribute monetary awards to the five winners of the competition for the best completed prototype leaf vacuum. The dollar amounts of the awards will be as follows:
First Place $40,000 Second Place $20,000 Third Place (three awards) $ 5,000 x 3 Total Monetary Awards $75,000
Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer
Background
In February, 2000, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) issued a “Report to the California Legislature on the Potential Health and Environmental Impacts of Leaf Blowers.” That report indicated the three main areas of concern about leaf blowers were the noise levels, the engine exhaust emissions, and the re-suspension of dust (including PM10 and PM2.5).
CARB regulates only the engine emissions. A 2004 CARB Staff Report on the Potential Electrification of Small Off-Road Engines indicated that there are no battery-powered units that are robust and portable enough to meet the needs of commercial gardeners. Many communities have adopted local ordinances limiting the allowable noise levels from leaf blowers. Currently, there are no regulations specifically addressing the re-suspension of dust.
For the past two years, the AQMD has conducted a leaf blower exchange program for commercial gardeners/landscapers. Through this program, participants have traded in a total of 3,000 old leaf blowers and bought new, low-noise, low-emissions backpack blowers (STIHL BR 450) at the discounted price of $200 (the list price is $469). Although this is a gasoline powered blower, it has the lowest noise levels [65 dB(A)] and the lowest engine emissions [19 g/kW-hr of HC +NOx] of any backpack blower currently on the market. But it does not address the issue of re-suspended dust.
Proposal
The AQMD would like to encourage the development of a replacement for the backpack leaf blowers currently used by commercial gardeners that would address all three environmental concerns – noise, engine emissions, and re-suspended dust. To address those three environmental issues, staff proposes to conduct a competition in which U.S. university engineering school students will be offered a financial award for designing and developing a prototype battery-powered, low-noise, backpack-style leaf vacuum device that could meet the needs of commercial gardeners. The winning entries would be used as examples to encourage equipment manufacturers to produce an environmentally friendly replacement for the standard leaf blower used by commercial gardeners.
In order to achieve these three environmental goals, the apparatus should meet the following minimum design requirements:
- It should be a vacuum device rather than a blower.
- It should be powered by rechargeable batteries rather than a gasoline engine.
- Batteries should be rechargeable in eight hours or less using household 110 V current.
- Operating time on a fully charged battery should be at least two hours.
- The exhaust from the vacuum should be filtered to capture particulate matter.
- The noise level of the device operating at full power should not exceed 55 dB(A) as measured using ANSI method B175.2.
- The device should weigh no more than 25 pounds with the vacuum collection bag empty.
- The device should have a mulching capability to chop up collected leaves and debris before discharge into the collection bag.
- Collection bag capacity should be at least one bushel (1.2 cubic feet.)
- The inlet end of the vacuum tube should be at least four inches in diameter.
- Air Velocity of the vacuum at the opening of the inlet tube should be at least 38 mph.
- Air Volume of the vacuum at the opening of the inlet tube should be at least 368 cfm.
Written proposals must be no more than 10 pages long, and must include preliminary engineering drawings, specifications, and descriptions of all components adequate to judge which proposals are the most likely to meet or exceed the minimum design requirements.
The top five initial design proposals will be selected and each winner of this stage of the competition will be asked to construct a prototype unit. Each of the five competitors will be reimbursed for documented expenses incurred in constructing the prototype unit up to a maximum of $5,000 per competitor. A total maximum of $25,000 of the program funds will be set aside to cover these reimbursements.
The five completed prototypes will be demonstrated before a panel of judges at the AQMD and prizes will be awarded as follows:
First Place $40,000 Second Place $20,000 Third Place (three awards of $5000 each) $ 5,000 x 3 Total Prize Money $75,000
All prototypes and designs submitted to the AQMD will become the property of the AQMD.
Resource Impacts
Sufficient funds are available in the Clean Fuels Fund.
Attachment
(DOC 711kb)
RFP #P2008-08 - U.S. University Engineering Competition for Design and Development of a Prototype Battery-Powered, Low-Noise, Backpack-Style Leaf Vacuum as an Alternative to the Traditional Gasoline-Powered Leaf Blower
