WASHINGTON (CN) - Companies that convert gasoline engines to run on alternative fuels may be able to get their products approved faster, under streamlined regulations adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The agency's rules are to promote engine conversions to fuels such as bio-diesel, electricity and even bio-mass.
While the EPA still will require manufacturers to issue certificates of conformity - which guarantee that the conversion allows the engine to operate within emissions standards already set by the EPA - for new or relatively new engines, the agency will allow manufacturers to carry over data for related engine models and model years, instead of requiring testing for each individual model and year.
The EPA will group its own requirements by the age of or miles placed on an engine, with decreasing stringency as miles increase.
After 120,000 miles, which the agency considers the useful working life of most automobile engines, converters only will have to show that such gas to alternative fuel conversions are feasible and that their products will function with the vehicles existing emission controls and on-board diagnostic systems.
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