Edmunds: Emissions Test: Car vs. Truck vs. Leaf Blower

Because then they couldn't run the line;

Drive a Raptor. Clean the Air


Not sure if this was a deliberate biased article or just bad journalism. No mention was made of other small(er) cars that matched or exceeded the emissions standard of the truck. They just gave the impression that small cars don't meet the tightest standards whereas trucks do (which this truck didn't anyhow).

Typical comparing applies to lemons nonsense.

 

I included 2010 Prius (from CARB cert) into the data from IL.

	Column 1
0	NMHC NOx CO
1	2010 Prius NA 0.002 0.04
2	2011 Ford Raptor 0.005 0.005 0.276
3	2012 Fiat 500 0.016 0.010 0.192
4	Ryobi 4-stroke leaf blower 0.182 0.031 3.714
5	Echo 2-stroke leaf blower 1.495 0.010 6.445

 

No, everyone assumes smaller is cleaner. Its not. It depends on the tech used.

It also points out part of the problem with carb. Leaf blowers, and lawn mowers, and older cars are causing the problem, but CARB ignores most of it, and goes for new laws that make the cleaner vehicles more expensive.

 

But older cars are unlikely to be used as often, esp your classics and even modern classics (20year old+). Garden equipment is very polluting but isn't used for long (in the scheme of things) and rechargeable items are not ideal for commercial use. The only way to improve air quality is improve it on new vehicles; which is what is happening. The CARB model was so successful it is slowly being copied in Europe. Saying that, I thought EU emissions are tighter on smaller engined items - scooters must have catalytic converters etc?

If you want proof CARB works, then I suggest you come over to a European capital city and take a deep breath! You'll be converted towards tighter standards then.

 

What are the numbers of leaf blowers vs. cars/trucks?

 

They should have tested lawn mowers instead. Most people have one and use it every 2-3weeks in the spring and summer.

 

I thought this might have something to do with my last weekend's activity:

I picked an electric, corded leaf blower maybe a month back, and have been finding it very handy, both for dealing with leaves, and various other tasks: cleaning the garage, dusting the porch, and so on.

Last Sunday I used it after washing the car: starting at the front and sweeping the water back. It doesn't produce a bone-dry result, but it really kicks the water out of seams and trim, and leaves the car with just a fine patina of drops, that can be wiped dry without ever needing to wring the cloth. Pretty good for dusting out the engine bay too.

 

Only a tiny percent of the pollution in Southern California comes from cars built in the last 5 years. CARB definitely has the power to regulate older vehicles, and passed a law that medium weight trucks older than 20 years must be retired, and in 2023 trucks made before 2010 must be retired. CARB did have a guy with a fake phd do a dishonest study of diesels. It put some pretty harsh diesel regulations on the books, but has been pushed to push them back part of the way. I don't think europe is following the California ARB, it may be partially following the EPA. I don't see the reason other than politics that CARB favors things like hydrogen vehicles. I'm sure even mid polluting high performance trucks would clean the LA and Bakersfield air, which is always at or near the most polluted in the country. Cars are tested for pollution in california as in texas, and this includes the odometer reading, so it is definitely in CARBs power to read the odometer and outlaw cars that are polluting and traveling more than a certain amount of miles.

I've been there, and in asia, I'm fairly well traveled as part of my past jobs. I am not saying pollution control is bad, I feel quite the opposite. I just don't like some of the expensive political regulations OK rant over

 

According to CARB's data, lawn and garden equipment is responsible for 0.4% of NOx, 5.3% of CO, 1.6% of TOG. They don't show up in the Top 25 categories for PM so it isn't broken out, but it's less than 0.2%.

 

I am not saying that I think CARB should regulate leaf blowers more.

IMHO polution is coming from carbs focus.

IIRC 20 cities in california have banned leaf blowers. Cities like sacrimento say that leaf blowers cause PM including alergans and fecal mater to be blown into the air. IIRC carb has not studied this well, but came up with 1%-5% of PM10 was kicked up by leaf blowers. That is significant.

CARB may actually be mandating more PM2.5 by ignoring this source

 

isn't the problem in europe the extensive use of diesel?

 

Yes

And the poor emission control on diesel up until very recently. The problem is worse in Countries where diesel is much cheaper than petrol (because historically it was mainly for commercial use).

 

Old cars in general.
Sources of air pollution — EEA

Diesel is given a tax incentive in many countries, this is an incentive to buy vehicles that pollute more. Stricter emission control on new diesels will be slow to solve the problem.

 

I agree.

There have been studies which have shown that less than 10% of vehicles (old "high emitters") are responsible for over 50% of the on-road CO and HC emissions.

There have also been studies which show that older "high emitting" gasoline vehicles have very high PM emissions, up to 1400 mg/mile (http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/conference/ei13/mobile/baldauf_pres.pdf). For reference, the current Tier 2/LEV II PM standard is 10 mg/mile @ 120,000 miles.

 

hahahah - i wish my neighbors mowed every 2-3 weeks - 1 side mows every 5 days and the other side 1x a week. Neither is happy with my every 3 weeks or so mowing schedule.... the grass doesn't look bad - just a wee bit longer than theirs....

 

The "Cash for Clunkers" program I wanted would have been based entirely on emissions of the old cars, but that would not have sold Hummers, so Congress was not interested in buying polluters.

Cash for Polluters only moves the poor into newer used cars. The poor do not donate to Politicians, and I suspect neither do used car dealers.

 

The article was fair, and it's point wasn't about truck v. car emissions. They wanted numerical conformation of the common wisdom that lawn equipment are dirtier than cars. Turns out they are even dirtier than what most likely heard. At least for leaf blowers. I suspect a lawnmowers would be worse for reasons why the writers elected to skip them for testing.

We have probably reached to point of diminishing returns in regards to improving vehicle emissions. Some areas, like diesels and particlates, still need work. Regulation should encourage the manufacturers move more of their models into the higher bracket, but raising the bar may not the best of resources while other uses of engine are still exempt from regulation.