United States Air and Radiation EPA420-F-02-010
Environmental Protection July 2002
Agency
Office of Transportation and Air Quality
for
In July 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to seek public
comment on the Agency's plan to propose more stringent emission
standards for highway motorcycles. This fact sheet addresses
questions we have heard from concerned motorcycle owners.
Why is EPA proposing new emission for
highway motorcycles?
Motorcycles are regulated under section 202(a)(3)(E) of the Clean Air
Act. This provision calls for EPA to "consider the need to achieve
equivalency of emission reductions between motorcycles and other
vehicles to the maximum extent practicable." EPA has not revised the
motorcycle emission standards for over 20 years. While there have been
many vehicle emission control technology advances over the past two
decades, motorcycles produce more harmful emissions per mile than a
car or even a large sport utility vehicle (SUV). The current federal
motorcycle standard for hydrocarbon emissions is about 90 times the
hydrocarbon standard for today's passenger cars. And, although many of
today's motorcycles actually meet the current California standards, the
California hydrocarbon standard is still about 20 times the current
federal passenger car limit.
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What kind of emission controls may be by
manufacturers?
We are proposing standards that manufacturers would meet on an
average basis, which may encourage manufacturers to use a broader
array of technologies across their product line. The standards would
generally be effective in two "tiers:" a Tier 1 that would take effect in
the 2006 model year and a Tier 2 that would take effect in the 2010
model year. We don't specify what emission controls manufacturers
must use to comply with the regulations, but we anticipate many manu-
facturers will choose to meet them by increasing their use of secondary
air injection, electronic fuel injection, and, in some cases, catalytic
converters. These technologies are used to varying degrees on current
highway motorcycles.
Will catalytic converters be required on all highway
motorcycles?
No. We understand that motorcycles are not cars, and the application of
some passenger car technologies may raise unique issues when applied
to motorcycles. These issues may be more critical with some makes and
models than with others. We will continue to discuss with manufacturers
and other stakeholders the potential role catalytic converters could play
in strategies to reduce emissions. More than twenty percent of the 2002
engine families certified by manufacturers already incorporate catalytic
converters. Our Regulatory Support Document contains a detailed
discussion of the technologies expected to be used to meet the proposed
standards.
Would new highway motorcycle emission
motorcycles on the today?
No. New regulations would only affect new motorcycles produced after
a specified model year. Anything manufactured prior to that model year
would not be affected and would remain legal to own and operate. EPA
generally provides several years of lead time between publication of a
final rule and the effective date of new standards. Thus, new standards
for motorcycles will not have any effect on motorcycles purchased prior
to this year, or in fact purchased for the next several years.
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the term "useful life" mean that my motorcycle
must be or turned over to the government
certain mileage limits are reached?
No. EPA uses the term "useful life" to describe the period (usually years
and/or miles) over which the manufacturer must demonstrate the effec-
tiveness of the emission control system. For example, the "useful life" of
current passenger cars is 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs
first. It does not mean that a vehicle is no longer useful or that the ve-
hicle must be scrapped once these limits are reached. The term has no
effect on the owners' ability to ride or keep their motorcycles for as long
as they want. The current useful life for motorcycles with engines over
279cc is 5 years or 30,000 kilometers (about 18,640 miles), whichever
occurs first. In December 2000, we published an Advance Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking requesting comment on whether this is a represen-
tative number, or whether motorcycles are driven longer and last longer
relative to 20 years ago when these numbers were established. We are
not proposing to make any changes to the useful life definitions.
Are motorcycles a less-polluting alternative to
and
No. In fact, motorcycles produce more harmful emissions per mile than a
car, or even a large SUV. The current federal motorcycle standard for
hydrocarbon emissions is about 90 times the hydrocarbon standard for
today's passenger cars. Although many of today's motorcycles will
actually meet the current California standards, the California hydrocar-
bon standard is still 18 to 24 times the current federal passenger car
limit, depending on the displacement of the motorcycle engine.
Beginning in 2004, all passenger cars, light trucks, and SUVs will be
required to meet even more stringent standards. When these standards
become effective, new SUVs will be meeting hydrocarbon standards
about 95 percent cleaner than today's typical motorcycle.
Would new emission it illegal to
customize my motorcycle?
No. Many motorcycle owners personalize their motorcycles. Indeed, this
is one of the joys of owning a motorcycle, and owners take their freedom
to customize motorcycles very seriously. We are not proposing to change
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existing provisions of section 203(a) of the Clean Air Act, as established
in 1977, in which the U. S. Congress stated that it is illegal:
for any person to remove or render inoperative any device or
element of design installed on or in a motor vehicle or motor
vehicle engine in compliance with regulations under this title
... after such sale and delivery to the ultimate purchaser...
In other words, owners of motor vehicles cannot legally make modifica-
tions that cause the emissions to exceed the applicable emissions stan-
dards, and they cannot remove or disable emission control devices
installed by the manufacturer.
We use the term "tampering" to refer specifically to actions that are
illegal under section 203 of the Clean Air Act; the term, and the prohibi-
tion, do not apply generally to the wide range of things that a motorcycle
enthusiast can do to legally personalize their vehicle, only to actions that
cause the emissions to exceed the standards. New emissions standards, if
adopted by EPA, would not change this "tampering" prohibition. In fact,
it is not within EPAs ability or discretion to change this statutory prohi-
bition, which Congress put in place more than 20 years ago. Owners
would still be free generally to customize their motorcycles in any way,
as long as they do not disable emission controls or cause the motorcycle
to exceed the emission standards.
How much will controls cost?
The cost for emission controls depends on the control technologies used,
manufacturing processes, the size of the manufacturer, and other issues.
We estimate increased costs to manufacturers on average of about $26
per motorcycle for the 2006-2009 model year standards, then an incre-
mental $35 for the 2010 model year standards.
How will controls performance and
safety?
We don't expect the controls to harm performance or safety. Advance-
ments in engine technologies in recent years should allow the use of new
emission control technologies with little to no impact on performance.
Motorcycles meeting the new standards should perform as well or better
than current motorcycles. The use of some of these technologies, such as
fuel injection, may even improve reliability, fuel consumption, and
performance.
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Some people have expressed concern about the high temperatures from
catalytic converters posing a safety hazard. Protecting the rider from the
excessive heat is a concern for both riders and manufacturers. The cur-
rent use of catalytic converters on a number of motorcycles (accounting
for tens of thousands of motorcycles in the current U.S. fleet and over 15
million worldwide) shows that there are engineering solutions to these
concerns on a variety of motorcycle styles and engine sizes. Countries
that have successfully implemented catalyst-based emission control
programs for motorcycles (some of which have many years of experi-
ence) do not report any safety issues associated with the use of catalytic
converters on motorcycles under real-world conditions. According to
sales projections from manufacturers, almost 90,000 2002 motorcycles
with catalytic converters will be sold in the U.S., about one fifth of total
projected sales.
How can I comment on the rule?
We welcome your comments on the proposed rule. You may submit
comments by sending an E-mail to mcnprm@epa.gov, or, for more
detailed instructions on submitting written comments, please see the
Federal Register notice. It is available from the EPA Air Docket by
calling (202) 566-1742; please refer to Docket No. A-2000-02. In addi-
tion, you can access the Federal Register notice and related documents
electronically on our Web page for highway motorcycles at:
www. epa. gov/otaq/roadbike .htm.
Where can I get more information?
Keep an eye on the EPA highway motorcycle web page for more infor-
mation and any developments. For further information, please contact the
Assessment and Standards Division at:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Transportation and Air Quality
2000 Traverwood Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Phone:(734)214-4636
E-mail: ASDInfo@epa.gov
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