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# OAR Box 1830 Prepped byOllie Stewart



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Number: 

# 150 ) IV-C-117 Docket Number: 

# A-87-1 1

Printed 11/13/20087:20:59AM Sheet 150of 232P. 2

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^ UNITE D STATE S ENVIRONMENTA L PROTECTIO N AGENC Y VSZi yAN N ARBOR . MICHIGA N 4810 5 

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### U H 6 198

8 OFFIC E 

### O F O U M AI R AN D RADIATIO N

Mr . Sam

Leonar d Aut o Emissio n Contro l Environmenta l Activitie s Staf f Genera l Motor s Corporatio n 3040 0 Moun d Roa d Warren , M I 48090-901 5 Dea r Mr . Leonard : W e hav e recentl yreceive d a cop yo f you r Ma y6, 198 8 lette r t o Administrato r Stee d o f NHTS Arespondin g t o issue s raise d b

y^Mobll ' abou t you r safet ytestin g o f a prototype . ^onboar d contro l syste mdesigne d b yMobil . Whil e no t desiri r It o tak e a positio n a t thi s tim e o n th e issue s raise d b y Mob j o r th e validit yo f th e testin g whic hG Mha s performed , w « fe < compelle d t o respon d t o som e item s i n you r lette r Ms . Steed . Thi s i s necessar ybecaus e w e believ e tha t your' , lette r implie s tha t th e syste mwhic hyo u teste d wa s on e typical , .-o f wha t EP Awoul d expec t t o se e use d o n productio n vehicle s fo r Vonboar d refuelin g control . I n you r lette r yo u stat e tha t thi s ^syste m,wa s "endorsed " byEPA , and tha t ou r recen t developmen t 'o f a simplifie d onboar d syste mimplicitl yacknowledge s tha t th e Mobi l typ e o f onboar d syste mwoul d no t b e acceptabl e fro ma safet ystandpoint . Give n th e overal l context , bot ho f thes e assertion s ar e false . .«

Firs t o f all , EP Aha s neve r "endorsed " anyspecifi c manufacturer' s syste m fo r onboar d control . W e hav e identifie d generi c type s o f system s whic hmigh t b e used , bu t i t ha s alway s bee n clea r tha t th e serviceabilit yo f a specifi c syste mi s a functio n o f detail s o f th e design , material s an d packagin g a s relate d t o th e particula r ca r lin e o n whic hi t i s t o b e used . I t i s thi s aspec t o f you r testin g o f th e Mobi l syste mwhic hi s mos t troublin g t o us . GMfaile d t o tak e anystep s t o adap t .wha t wa s a n earl ydesig n prototyp e t o prope r vehicl e use . Thi s wa s -i n spit e o f you r acknowledgemen t tha t Mobi l describe d it s syste ma s on e whic hshoul d b e adapte d t o "commo n automotiv e productio n method s an d materials. " I f thi s simpl e ste p ha d bee n taken , on e v/ou V • no t hav e use d a commo n pain t thinne r ca n fo r a 1 iquic-vapc- ; -*~aratcr , o r coppe r tubin g connecte d t o rubbe r hcse Gvit hy.-S : yyyycl.a.'r.o s r o r -/apc

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cras hfailure s whic hresulte d from you r testin g woul d i n al l probability . no t hav e occurred , sinc e the y resultedfro

m thes e inadequat e approache s t o prope r material s selectio nfo r a production-type system . T o ou r knowledge , al l partie s t o th e safety debat e ove r onboar d control s hav e alread yagree d tha t a vehicl e ca n readil yb e designe d t o pas s cras htest s suc ha s thos e whic hyo u hav e conducted . You r statemen t tha t EP Aha s implicitl yacknowledge d tha t system s o f th e typ e chose n b yMobi l ar e unacceptabl e froma safet ystandpoin t i s als o incorrect . Ou r previou s safet y analyse s hav

e deal t wit hal l known safet yquestion s raise d abou t suc hsystem s an d show n tha t ther e ar e straightforwar d engineering solution s available . You r cras htest s d o no t chang e tha t situatio n sinc e suc hsolution s wer e no t incorporate d int o th e systemwhic hyoutested . No r doe s ou r developmen t o f a simplifiedsyste m imply tha t w e conside r previou s system s t o be unsafe . As we hav e clearl y state d a t al l o f our presentation s abou t thi s hardware , i t wa s develope d t o dea l wit hth e so-calle d "complexity " argument , advance d b

y G M an d others , tha t increase d complexity inherentl y implie s degradationo f safety . EP A doe s no t agre e wit h'this lin e o f argument , bu t chos e t o developa simplifiedsyste m in orde r t o satisf ythos e partie s wh o do . I t evenappear s t o u s tha t man

ymanufacturer s d o no t actuall yaccept thi s argument since , a s w e hav e note d i n our presentations , th e complexit yo f fue l tank ventin g system s ha s increase d dramaticall yi n recen t years . Presumabl ythi s ha s bee n don e withou t compromisin g safety . Incidentally , our ne whardwar e i s no t a "completel y redesigned " onboar d system . Rather , i t i s an evolutionary improvemen t o f earlie r designs , an d i s quit e simila r t o design s submitted , fo r example , b yAP I i n it s comment s o nour proposa l an d mos t recentl yb yToyot a a t th e SAE Government/Industry meeting . I n you r lette r yo u mentio n th e underhoo d fir e demonstratio n testin g whic hyo u als o ha d done . You r lette r seem s t o impl ytha t yo u hav e satisfactoril yresolve d th e question s raise d b yEP Awit hregar d t o thi s testing . Thi s i s no t the . case . A s w e hav e note d i n our correspondenc e t o yo uo n thi s subject , you r explanation s o f th e sourc e o f vapor s fo r th e underhoo d fir e ar e no t full ysatisfactory . Th e vapor s seemt o b e relate d a s muc ht o evaporativ e emission s a s t o th e refueling operation . I n follow-o n testing whic hyo u ha d conducte d a t our request , Failur e Analysi s Associate s demonstrate d tha t curren t evaporativ e system s wil l creat e fire s unde r th e same tampering mode . Thi s wa s demonstrate d unde r condition s whic hwoul d onl y produc e minima l evaporativ e vapo r generatio n rate s fromth e fue l tan

k (vehicl e idle) . Fo r othe r conditions , i t i s possibl e tha t mor e sever e fire s coul d b e produced .P. 5

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Pleas e b e advise d tha t w e ar e placin g you r letter , along wit hth e accompanying opinion s o f Mr . Rober t C . Lang e o f Failur e Analysi s Associates , i n th e publi c docket . The ywil l bot hb e give n ful l consideratio n i n our continuing evaluatio n o f th e onboar d safet yissue . Sincerel yyours , ,-"" . o-

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7 / ^Charle s L . Gray , Jr / Directo r Emissio n Contro l TechnologyDivisio n

cc : Publi c Docke t A-87-1 1 Th e Honorabl e Dian e K . Steed , NHTS A 6054 W