Restricted Components Regulations Coming Into Force in Canada
In Canada, the long awaited legislation to regulate the use of restricted components in gasoline and diesel engines will become effective on January 1, 2020.
Canada was one of the last countries in North America to introduce regulations for these components, which have been phased out or are being phased out elsewhere by 2020.
The new regulations require that all diesels and gasoline vehicles manufactured after 2020 must meet regulatory limits. All other vehicles will be required to adopt exhaust treatment devices with an advanced oxidation catalyst that achieve a similar level of hydrocarbon emissions reductions as those used on newer vehicles.
Gasoline and diesel fuel will also have a lower sulfur limit in 2020. In addition, the existing limits for benzene in gasoline and diesel fuel will be increased from 0.1% by volume to 0.5%. The Benzene Emission Regulations coming into force on January 1, 2020 will achieve these reductions through blending of gasoline and diesel fuels with low-sulfur content isoparaffins or isohexanes."
The legislation also calls for the reduction of total particle number emissions with a target of reducing particles per unit of mass of fuel by 40%, with a limitation on particulate matter less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5).
The EPA has estimated that "reducing the average PM2.5 concentration by 40% in gasoline blends from 2007 to 2009 would cost $4.7 billion" (per year) to achieve.
Reference: https://www.cabinet-office.gc.ca/ecc-ccae/rp-ce/?_ga=1.102187957.1046738230.1466151897
TITLE: Restricted Components Regulations Coming Into Force in Canada
"The Restricted Components Regulations require that all gasoline and diesel vehicles manufactured after January 1, 2020 must meet regulatory limits for emissions of air pollutants during their useful life. All other vehicles in operation must have advanced emission control technology that achieves a similar level of emissions reductions as those used on newer vehicles. The new regulations will also require the use of fuel with lower levels of sulfur and benzene, and a reduction in the total number of particulate emissions."
Many automobile manufacturers have implemented automatic "tell-tale" notification systems to alert vehicle owners when maintenance (such as oil or air filter changes) is required. In many cases, a simple warning light will flash on the dashboard indicating that an oil change is due.
The vehicles will usually alert the owner not only by flashing an alert light but also by making a mechanical noise (such as a beep or buzzer).
Some manufacturers have a more "intuitive" approach, in which the vehicle automatically predicts when to service the vehicle and then tells the driver when they need to start driving again. The vehicles may even display a message on the digital instrument panel (while still in motion) that says, "Pour le plein air!" ("Fill up at [fill-up station]", French for " Fill Up").
Beginning in 2004, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) instigated a voluntary program for vehicle manufacturers to lower the sulfur content in gasoline by 10%. Since then, this proportion of sulfur has increased to 15%, with an additional requirement that at least 70% of the fuel must have no more than 10 parts per million (ppm) of sulfur during the summer months.
In 2006, the EPA mandated that all cars and light trucks manufactured after model year 2007 would be required to use E10 without regard to what type of fuel was used in their current engine.
The EPA began requiring use of an ethanol blend in 2001, and in 2005 the amount required was increased from E10 (10% ethanol) to E85 (85% ethanol). The use of ethanol fuel is common in Brazil and the midwest region of the U.S. Ethanol has been used for years as an additive with gasoline to reduce carbon monoxide levels in carbureted engines and as a replacement for leaded fuel that phased out by 1986. E15 is commonly used in agricultural equipment such as small engines and mowers, but such usage is generally prohibited by small engine manufacturer instructions due to safety concerns.
The U.S. EPA projected that a nationwide switch to E85 would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 4.6% in 2020 and 15% in 2030, when compared to gasoline. In the same study the EPA estimated that ethanol use would result in an increase of 185,000 GWh of electricity usage by 2030, but it also anticipated that an additional 112 million GWh could be generated from new generation capacity (mainly wind and solar energies), so the authors concluded that ethanol usage "would not result in an overall net increase" in greenhouse gas emissions during the next two decades.
According to studies conducted by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), ethanol blends have increased the octane rating of gasoline, but not much more than that. In addition, higher engines tend to run more efficiently with ethanol. However, higher blends are often more expensive per gallon (due to the cost of blending ethanol with gasoline), and although it is currently easier to find E85 than leaded fuel, it is still less common.
In much of Europe, the use of ethanol-gasoline blends is gaining ground. At the end of 2006, around three million vehicles were registered to use B5 (5% ethanol) and B10 (10% ethanol) fuel, while around 70 million vehicles can use E5 (5% ethanol) and E10 (10% ethanol). The 10% blends are commonly known as gasohol in the United States.
In Australia, all cars were required by law to run on unleaded petrol from 1996. Some owners of older cars and some manufacturers have opposed this requirement as it means that a certain proportion of cars must run on a fuel that requires modification to the existing engines. Ethanol is being introduced in various countries, such as Brazil and the U.S.
Conclusion
"In conclusion, we can see that the modern motor vehicle is a sophisticated piece of machinery, which requires the use of various fluids to operate it. Over time, these fluids are exposed to chemical degradation that degrades the original chemical makeup of the fluid. All of them have different problems associated with their life span. They not only need to be appropriately replaced at reasonable times but also be maintained at reasonable levels if they are going to work properly in your vehicle."
In addition, in new vehicles there is a very complex network of sensors and control systems that help monitor operation and manage driver inputs. These systems also need regular attention (typically on an annual basis) from somebody knowledgeable about their function, operation and repair requirements.