NEWSBREAKTom Nash

Ford Tests Hydrogen-Fed EnginesScientists and environmentalists gen-erally agree that hydrogen may be theultimate fuel available to mankind to-day. Its clean burn, efficiency ratioand lack of toxic emissions is un-matched by any other current energysource. How to best implement hy-drogen to drive vehicles of the nearfuture is the question.

While a huge emphasis has beenput on developing fuel cells that cre-ate electricity to drive motors, there isanother choice. The technology re-quired to alter currently produced in-ternal combustion engines (ICE) tooperate on compressed hydrogen isstarting to evolve. While this is not anew concept (the May 1918 issue ofMOTOR Magazine featured an articledescribing hydrogen gas being used

by a taxicab fleet in Holland), thetechnology for vehicles to operate ef-ficiently is only now possible.

The technology of hydrogen-fueledinternal combustion engines (H2ICE)is being explored at Ford Motor Co.,among other manufacturers. FordPower Products (FPP), a division ofFord Powertrain Operations, is intro-ducing H2ICEs to the marketplace.

An initial pilot lease program hasbeen established to place preproduc-tion commercial hydrogen-poweredshuttle buses in target markets. TheE-450 shuttle bus is equipped with a26-gal.-equivalent, 5000-psi hydrogenfuel tank withan expectedrange of about150 miles. Amodified 6.8LTriton V10 in-ternal combus-

tion engine, that’s supercharged andintercooled for maximum efficiency,propels the 12-passenger vehicle.With near-zero emissions, the E-450shuttle bus will meet the most strin-gent applicable emissions standards.The engine produces 188 hp at 2600to 3600 rpm.

“These products are coming tomarket,” stated Jack Damron, execu-tive director of Ford Power Products.“They are one of the solutions tocleaner air and environment. We havethe capability to delve into the mar-ketplace.”

Ford believes H2ICE technologywill make hydrogen powermore practical and supportthe development of a hy-drogen infrastructure. Forddoes warn, however, thatproduction timing and vol-umes will be dictated bymarket demand.

New Coalition Opposes Auto Repair Legislation

Three organizations repre-senting independent auto ser-vice facilities and automobilemanufacturers have formed acoalition to support existingvoluntary efforts, rather thanfederal legislation, in provid-ing access to technical repairdata.

The Coalition for Automo-tive Repair & Fair Informa-tion Xchange (CARFIX) con-sists of the Automotive Ser-vice Association (ASA), theAlliance of Automobile Man-ufacturers (AAM) and the As-sociation of International Au-tomobile Manufacturers(AIAM). Its mission is to edu-cate legislators about the cur-

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Propelled by a supercharged and intercooled 6.8L hydrogen-fueled internal combus-tion engine, or H2ICE (inset), Ford’s 12-passenger E-450 shuttle bus is equipped with a26-gal.-equivalent, 5000-psi fuel tank that provides a range of about 150 miles.

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rent voluntary program, whichCARFIX claims is working, wherebyautomobile manufacturers make in-formation available to technicians viawebsites. The coalition feels that leg-islation forcing automakers to complyis not needed.

CARFIX opposes the Motor VehicleOwners’ Right to Repair Act, H.R. 2735,in the U.S. House of Representatives,and its Senate companion, S. 2138. Itbelieves that, while the bill would re-quire automobile manufacturers tomake available to car owners and repair-ers the “information necessary to diag-nose, service or repair” vehicles, includ-ing all such information currently madeavailable to franchised dealers, it couldallow for an extensive range of frivolouslawsuits.

The three members of CARFIX arealso among the founders of the Na-tional Automotive Service Task Force(NASTF), and plan to continue theirparticipation in that organization.

Mobile A/C Industry Honors LeadersThe mobile a/c industry presented itsPioneer awards during the recent Mo-bile Air Conditioning Industry AwardsLuncheon as part of the Mobile AirConditioning Society (MACS) World-wide 25th Anniversary Conventionand Trade Show.

This year, five industry notableswere honored with the Mobile AirConditioning Industry Pioneer award:Mitchell Armentrout of Auto Air VA;Brian Taylor, retired from Sanden In-ternational; and Masayoshi Ushikubo,president of Sanden International. Si-mon Oulouhojian, Sr., Speedway AutoRadiator, and Charles Braswell, Sr.,Rocky Mount Radiator & A/C, werehonored posthumously.

Also, the MACS CommunicationsAward was presented to Wayne Juch-no, managing director of ServiceTechnology Programs for the Societyof Automotive Engineers (SAE).Juchno was recognized for his manycreative efforts in communicatingstandards and critical information tothe mobile a/c and engine cooling sys-tem heat transfer industries. Prior tojoining the staff of SAE, his career in-cluded positions as managing director

of the Service Technicians Society(STS) and management positions withother industry trade groups. His workhas included creation and develop-ment of technical publications, orga-nizational governance structures,technical training seminars andvideos, magazines, newsletters, web-sites, research tools, standards, exposi-tions, symposiums, as well as businessmanagement tools and market re-search.

Suppliers Contribute to Car Care CampaignThe Automotive Aftermarket Suppli-ers Association (AASA) has donated$5000 to the “Be Car Care Aware”automotive maintenance educationcampaign in honor of the AutomotiveWarehouse Distributors Association(AWDA), the automotive aftermarketmanufacturers’ ally in supplying con-sumers the parts they need to main-tain their vehicles. AASA is the after-market segment of the Motor &Equipment Manufacturers Associa-tion (MEMA) and AWDA is a seg-ment of the Automotive AftermarketIndustry Association (AAIA).

“Automotive parts manufacturersand warehouse distributors are part-

ners in keeping America’s motor vehi-cles running smoothly and safely,”said Bob McKenna, president andCEO of MEMA. “Through the after-market supply chain, manufacturersand distributors keep the parts andproducts flowing to the auto serviceproviders and consumers throughoutthis country. It is our pleasure to hon-or the AWDA and its members withour donation to this worthy industry-wide effort.”

House Bill to Help Protect Small BusinessesA bill to better protect small businessfrom burdensome federal regula-tions—the Regulatory Flexibility Im-provements Act (H.R. 682)—hasbeen introduced in the U.S. House ofRepresentatives by Rep. DonaldManzullo, R-IL, chairman of theSmall Business Committee. The billhas six co-sponsors: U.S. Reps. SteveChabot, R-OH; Mike Pence, R-IN;Ric Keller, R-FL; Steve King, R-IA;Todd Akin, R-MO; and Lynn West-moreland, R-GA.

The Regulatory Flexibility Act(RFA) enacted in 1980 requires fed-eral agencies to assess the impact ofproposed regulations on small busi-

Wayne Juchno, managing director of Service Technology Programs for the So-ciety of Automotive Engineers, was awarded the MACS CommunicationsAward for his many creative efforts in communicating standards and criticalinformation to the mobile a/c and engine cooling system industries.

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nesses before implementing them.It requires federal agencies to exam-ine alternatives that can lessen theburdens on small businesses. Theproposed new legislation will pre-vent agencies from ignoring theharm some regulations do to thosebusinesses.

If passed, H.R. 682 would require

federal agencies to complete a moredetailed economic impact analysis,including examining the indirectcosts to small business, before enact-ing new regulations. In addition, thebill would give more enforcementauthority to the U.S. Small BusinessAdministration’s Office of Advocacy.

“America’s small employers face a

heavy regulatory burden, whichharms their bottom line and makesit much more difficult for them tocompete in the world marketplace,”said Rep. Manzullo. “This legislationsimply requires federal agencies totake a closer look at proposed regu-lations.”

Innovative Tool ManufacturersReceive RecognitionChina’s first-ever tool awards werepresented recently during MOTORChina Magazine’s inaugural Top 20Tools Awards ceremony. The presen-tation took place in Beijing, at a lun-cheon attended by the winners,members of the Chinese press andgovernment officials. Kevin Carr,Motor Information Systems Presi-dent, and Tom Stryker, Motor Infor-mation Systems Director of NewBusiness Development, also attend-ed the ceremonies.

A panel of expert automotive pro-fessionals chose the winners basedon criteria established by MOTORMagazine for its annual Top 20 ToolsAward competition, which has al-ready completed its 13th year. Theawards were presented by MOTORChina Publisher Daphne Liu andManaging Editor Victor Li.

“The U.S. tradition of recognizingexcellence in tools is welcomed inChina’s growing automotive repair in-dustry,” stated Ms. Liu.

MOTOR China plans to make itsTop 20 Tools Awards an annualevent—one that promises to be an in-dustry high point. The winners were:FSA740 Vehicle System Analyzers,Bosch Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.BX-05N AutoPro for Non-ContactTemperature Measurement, RaytekChinaNHA-505 Automotive Emission Ana-lyzer, Nanhua Instruments Co., Ltd.X-431 Auto Diagnostic Scan Tool,Launch Tech Co., Ltd.MTS 1100 Gas Analyzer, VetronixCorp. & Beijing Acme Auto Tech Co.,Ltd.K81 Multifunction Automotive Di-agnostic Tool, Shenzhen Weicon In-dustrial Co., Ltd.ADD330 Automotive Short/Open Finder, Beijing ADD - Tech Co.,Ltd.

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To order by credit card call 800-426-6867 or mail a check for $14.95 to Motor Magazine, 5600 Crooks Rd., Suite 200, Troy, Michigan 48098, Attn: Veronica Knight. Please include your name,

mailing address and phone number. For more information please contact Veronica Knight at 248-312-2712.

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Micro 460 Digital Battery Ana-lyzer, Guangzhou HKACO Co.,Ltd.Touch Electronic MeasuringSystem, Beijing Spanesi Equip-ment Co., Ltd.Car-O-Tronic Classic, Car-O-Lin-er & Josam Alignment Systems(Beijing) Co., Ltd.BL Intelligent Two Post Lifts,Bantam Automobile Test & RepairEquipment Manufacture Co., Ltd.ART106 Bench with UniversalJ ig, Beijing Spanesi EquipmentCo., Ltd.JTC-1839 Multi-purpose InnerTie Rod Tool, Wenzhou HongshiTechnology Trade Co., Ltd.16900 Refrigerant Identifier,SPX ChinaJTC-1812 Universal Hose ClampRemover, Wenzhou Hongshi Tech-nology Trade Co., Ltd.Swell Platinum Socket Sets, Kun-shan Tool Bar Co., Ltd.SP2035 MIG Weld for Aluminum,Beijing Spanesi Equipment Co., Ltd.

16350 Leak Detector, SPX ChinaHandlamp with 15m Cord Attached,

Nanhai Greenland Liquid MechanismCo., Ltd.

MOTOR China Managing Editor Victor Li (right) presents a Top 20 Tools award to one ofthe winners. Judging panel member and independent engineer Zhu Jun (left) assists.