Detroit 3 seek EPA credits for paint, glass

WASHINGTON -- When it comes to technologies used to clean up vehicle emissions, glass and paint might not be the first things that come to mind.

But if they reflect rather than absorb the sun's infrared rays, a vehicle can stay cooler on a hot summer day. That means the air conditioner can work less, which in turn uses less energy from the vehicle's fuel-burning engine.

That's the general idea behind the latest round of requests for "off-cycle" emission credits made by Ford, Fiat Chrysler and General Motors under the EPA's program to reduce tailpipe emissions.

FCA's application seeks off-cycle credits for glass and paint that reflect solar rays, for ventilated seats and for LED lights that use less energy than conventional bulbs. Ford seeks credits for those technologies, as well as for active grille shutters that close at high speeds to improve aerodynamics, engine stop-start systems and technologies that warm engines and transmissions more efficiently.

GM has requested credits for using a more-efficient air conditioner compressor from Denso that it debuted on the 2013 Cadillac ATS and has since added to all full-size trucks, including the Chevrolet Silverado.

The requests, which await EPA approval, highlight some of the many tools automakers can use to comply with the agency's regulations that seek to cut fleetwide carbon dioxide emissions in half by the 2025 model year from 2012 model year levels, the equivalent of achieving a fleetwide average of 54.5 mpg, and the flexibility that's built into the tougher standards.

"It's not just about downsizing and turbo-charging," said Roland Hwang, director of the energy and transportation program at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "There are all of these interesting technologies that you may not think about but are actually gas-reducing technologies." 

Still, Hwang says, his group is concerned about automakers earning a "credit windfall," and says the EPA needs to make sure the technologies cut emissions in the real world, not just on paper. 

Emissions credits act as a sort of currency under the EPA rules. After calculating the total amount of carbon dioxide emitted by each vehicle sold in a given year, automakers can offset their carbon footprint with emission credits earned by using certain technologies. For example, hybrids and electric vehicles receive emissions credits. 

The off-cycle credits sought by GM, Ford and FCA are for technologies that improve efficiency and reduce emissions but don't show up on the city and highway driving test cycles used by the EPA to measure tailpipe emissions. 

Starting with the 2014 model year, all vehicles equipped with the technologies in Ford's and FCA's requests automatically earn the emissions credits being sought; the companies are seeking retroactive credits for model years before 2014, which requires a special request with the agency. 

By themselves, the credits look small compared with a vehicle's overall emissions output. For example, ventilated seats reduce the Ram 1500 HFE's carbon dioxide emissions of 425 grams per mile by 1.3 grams per mile. 

But for automakers looking to comply with the toughening regulations, every credit counts. 

Margo Oge, the former head of the EPA's Office of Transportation Air Quality who helped craft the current emissions rules, says she was pleased to see companies pursuing off-cycle credits for a range of unconventional fuel-saving technologies. 

"That's the whole point of what we tried to establish," Oge said. "We wanted companies to invest in and develop these technologies."