Passenger Automobile and Light Truck Greenhouse Gas Emission Regulations: Consultation Draft

Definitions

1. (1) The following definitions apply in these Regulations.

"Act"

means the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.

"advanced technology vehicle"

means an electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid vehicle or a fuel cell electric vehicle.

"alcohol fuel"

means a fuel mixture containing 85% or more by volume of methanol, ethanol, or other alcohols.

"alcohol dual fuel vehicle"

means a vehicle that

1. is designed to operate either on
   1. alcohol fuel or gasoline, or
   2. alcohol fuel or diesel fuel;
2. yields equal or greater energy efficiency, calculated in accordance with section 510(g)(1) of Title 40, chapter I, part 600, subpart F, of the CFR, while operating on alcohol fuel as it does while operating on gasoline or diesel fuel; and
3. meets or exceeds the minimum driving range set out in section 5(a) of Title 49, subtitle B, chapter V, part 538, of the CFR.
   
   

"approach angle"

means the smallest angle, in a plan side view of a vehicle, formed by the level surface on which the vehicle is standing and a line tangent to the front tire static loaded radius arc and touching the underside of the vehicle forward of the front tire.

"automobile"

means any four-wheeled self-propelled vehicle that is designed for use on highways and that has a GVWR of less than 4 536 kg (10,000 pounds), except

1. a vehicle manufactured in different stages by two or more manufacturers, if no intermediate or final-stage manufacturer of that vehicle manufactures more than 10 000 multistage vehicles per year; or
2. a work truck.
   
   

"axle clearance"

means the vertical distance from the level surface on which a vehicle is standing to the lowest point on the axle differential of the vehicle.

"basic vehicle frontal area"

means the area enclosed by the geometric projection of the basic vehicle, which includes tires but does not include mirrors or air deflectors, along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle onto a plane perpendicular to that axis.

"break-over angle"

means the supplement of the largest angle, in the plan side view of a vehicle, that can be formed by two lines tangent to the front and rear static loaded radii arcs and intersecting at a point on the underside of the vehicle.

"CFR"

means the Code of Federal Regulations of the United States as amended from time to time.

"CO₂"

means carbon dioxide.

"car line"

means a group of vehicles of the same make and, if applicable, the same car division, which have a similar body or chassis.

"curb weight"

means the actual or manufacturer's estimated weight of a vehicle in operational status with all standard equipment and including the weight of fuel at nominal tank capacity and the weight of optional equipment.

"departure angle"

means the smallest angle, in a plan side view of a vehicle, formed by the level surface on which the vehicle is standing and a line tangent to the rear tire static loaded radius arc and touching the underside of the vehicle rearward of the rear tire.

"EPA"

means the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

"EPA certificate"

means a certificate of conformity to U.S. federal standards issued by the EPA.

"electric vehicle"

means a vehicle that is powered solely by an electric motor drawing current from a rechargeable energy storage system, provided that

1. recharge energy is drawn from a source that is not on-board the vehicle; and
2. the vehicle conforms to the emission standards of bin 1 set out in a horizontal row in Table S04-1 in section 1811 of Title 40, chapter I, subchapter C, part 86, subpart S, of the CFR.
   
   

"footprint"

means the result of the product of the average width (measured in inches and rounded to the nearest tenth of an inch) of the lateral distance between the centrelines of the front and rear base tires at ground, multiplied by the longitudinal distance between the front and rear wheel centrelines (measured in inches and rounded to the nearest tenth of an inch), divided by 144 and rounded to the nearest tenth of a square foot.

"fuel cell"

means an electrochemical cell that produces electricity through the reaction of a fuel on the anode with an oxidant on the cathode in the presence of an electrolyte.

"fuel cell electric vehicle"

means a vehicle propelled solely by an electric motor and energy for the motor is supplied by a fuel cell.

"GVWR"

means the gross vehicle weight rating specified by a manufacturer as the maximum design loaded weight of a single vehicle.

"hybrid electric vehicle"

means a vehicle that is powered by an electric motor drawing current from an on-board rechargeable energy storage system and by an internal combustion engine or heat engine.

"light truck"

means an automobile that

1. has four-wheel drive or that has a GVWR of more than 2 722 kg (6,000 pounds), and that has at least four of the following characteristics calculated when the automobile is at curb weight, on a level surface, with the front wheels parallel to the automobile's longitudinal centreline and the tires inflated to the manufacturer's recommended pressure:
   1. approach angle of not less than 28 degrees,
   2. break-over angle of not less than 14 degrees,
   3. departure angle of not less than 20 degrees,
   4. running clearance of not less than 20 centimetres,
   5. front and rear axle clearances of not less than 18 centimetres; or
2. is designed to perform at least one of the following functions:
   1. transport more than 10 persons,
   2. provide temporary living quarters,
   3. transport property on an open bed,
   4. provide greater cargo-carrying than passenger-carrying volume; if a vehicle is sold with a second-row seat, its cargo-carrying volume is determined with that seat installed, regardless of whether the manufacturer has described that seat as optional,
   5. permit expanded use of the automobile for cargo-carrying purposes through the removal or stowing of seats to create a flat surface extending from the forwardmost point of installation of those seats to the rear of the automobile's interior. Such automobiles of the 2012 and subsequent model years must be equipped with at least three rows of designated seating positions as standard equipment.
      
      

"model type"

means passenger automobiles or light trucks that have the same combination of car line, basic engine and transmission class.

"model year"

means the year, as determined under section 4, that is used by a manufacturer to designate a model of vehicle.

"natural gas dual fuel vehicle"

means a vehicle that

1. is designed to operate either on
   1. natural gas or gasoline, or
   2. natural gas or diesel fuel;
2. yields equal or greater energy efficiency, calculated in accordance with section 510(g)(1) of Title 40, chapter I, part 600, subpart F, of the CFR, while operating on natural gas as it does while operating on gasoline or diesel fuel; and
3. meets or exceeds the minimum driving range set out in section 5(a) of Title 49, subtitle B, chapter V, part 538, of the CFR.
   
   

"passenger automobile"

means any automobile, other than a light truck, that is designed for use in the transportation of not more than 10 persons.

"plug-in hybrid vehicle"

means a hybrid electric vehicle that has the capability to recharge its energy storage system from an electric source that is not on-board the vehicle and that has an equivalent all-electric driving range of no less than 16.1 km (10 miles).

"running clearance"

means the vertical distance from the level surface on which a vehicle is standing to the lowest point on the vehicle, excluding any point on a component that forms part of the vehicle's unsprung weight.

"static loaded radius arc"

means a portion of a circle whose centre is the centre of a standard tire-rim combination of a vehicle and whose radius is the distance from that centre to the level surface on which the vehicle is standing, measured with the vehicle at curb weight, the wheel parallel to the vehicle's longitudinal centreline and the tire inflated to the manufacturer's recommended pressure.

"temporary living quarters"

means a space in the interior of an automobile which includes sleeping surfaces and household conveniences and in which people may temporarily live.

"transmission class"

means a group of transmissions having the following common features:

1. basic transmission type;
2. number of forward gears used in the tests conducted for the purposes of subsection 16(2);
3. drive system;
4. type of overdrive, if applicable; and
5. torque converter type, if applicable.
   
   

"useful life"

means the period of time or use, whether full or intermediate, in respect of which an emission standard applies to a vehicle as set out in section 1805 of Title 40, chapter I, subchapter C, part 86, subpart S, of the CFR.

"work truck"

means a vehicle that has a GVWR of more than 3 856 kg (8,500 pounds) and less than or equal to 4 536 kg (10,000 pounds) and does not include a medium-duty passenger vehicle as defined in subsection 1(1) of the On-Road Vehicle and Engine Emission Regulations.

(2) For the purposes of the definition "model type", passenger automobiles or light trucks have the same basic engine if

1. in the case of vehicles other than electric vehicles, their engines have the same
   1. manufacturer,
   2. engine displacement,
   3. number of cylinders,
   4. fuel system, and
   5. catalyst; or
2. in the case of electric vehicles, their engines have the same
   1. manufacturer,
   2. electric traction motor,
   3. motor controller,
   4. battery configuration,
   5. electrical charging system, and
   6. energy storage device.