| Engines Must Get Greener | | Print | |
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High-performance engines sold in California get a whole lot cleaner this month—by law. Orignally published in January 2009 issue By Matt Trulio For decades, the high-performance marine-engine market flew under the radar of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The reason was simple: It’s a small market. 
CARB and the EPA had—pardon the cliché—bigger fish to fry. But anyone with even a passing knowledge of the industry knew it was only a matter of time, and starting this month marine engines solid in California have to meet rigorous standards. Here’s how it goes: In 2009 and 2010, all marine engines from 500 to 650 horsepower sold in California have to produce less than 16 grams of hydrocarbons and NOx (nitrous oxide) and no more than 350 grams of CO (carbon monoxide) per kilowatt hour of operation. To make things a bit more challenging, marine-engine manufacturers have to warranty that the engines will comply with those standards for 150 hours of operation or three years. Marine engines rated at more than 650 hp must produce less than 25 grams of hydrocarbons and NOx and 350 grams of CO per kilowatt hour in 2009 and 2010. Warranty, also known as durability, requirements are for 50 hours of operation or one year. In 2011, hydrocarbon and NOx emissions rules tighten to 16 grams per kilowatt hour on engines rated at 650 hp or more. Then in 2010 and 2011, the EPA will adopt and enforce those regulations for the entire nation. What does this mean to you? First, the good news: Cleaner and more fuel-efficient engines. Second, the bad news: Higher engine prices at a time when they are the last thing even the most well-heeled performance-boat enthusiast needs. And here’s some more news, which is either good or bad depending on your perspective: New carbureted supercharged marine engines will go the way of the dinosaur in the next couple of years. They simply can’t be calibrated precisely enough to comply with the new CARB and EPA emissions standards. The smaller engine shops that specialize in these engines will either have to embrace electronic fuel injection or perish. “It’s unfortunate, but that’s exactly the way it’s going,” said Paul Ray, president of Ilmor Marine, which has brought its 570-, 625- and 710-hp naturally aspirated V-10 engines into compliance with CARB and EPA rules. “The rules are very serious. And they could have been a lot worse. The EPA and CARB won’t set up testing stations, but at any time they can audit an engine and put it on a dyno. If it fails, they can recall every engine that manufacturer has sold, fine the manufacturer for every one sold and have the manufacturer bring the engines into compliance.” Mercury Marine, the largest manufacturer of marine engines in the world, has an advantage thanks to its volume and its move to catalyst systems for all of its engines of 425 hp and less sold in California. That’s because the CARB and EPA restrictions allow for averaging, meaning the emissions standards can be averaged across a builder’s entire engine line to meet compliance. So a Mercury Racing HP1075SCi engine that might or might not be in compliance can be offset by a 3.0-liter MerCruiser small-block. And MerCruiser sells a lot more small-blocks than Mercury Racing sells HP1075SCi packages. Though Ray declined to discuss exactly how Ilmor brought its engines into compliance, he did offer some general information. “Some of the things we did were just general improvements to the engines,” he said. “The changes involved new cylinder heads, different camshafts, different compression ratios and fuel and spark calibrations. We made changes in the combustion cycle, better fuel atomization, better mixing of fuel and air to create more complete combustion. The cylinder heads were part of the bigger picture, not just emissions. The engines are now more fuel-efficient. “The exhaust component was relatively modest in the overall picture,” he added. Ray estimated that meeting the CARB and EPA restrictions cost his company $500,000 in research and development, but that’s just a fraction of the cost of improving the Ilmor line for 2009. Still, he believes the cost and effort were worthwhile. “My feeling is that it’s a very good thing for the marine industry in general,” he said. “It forces us to raise the standard of high-performance boating. The customer will benefit from these rule changes, not just because we’ll have a cleaner environment but because the engines will have to be engineered much better than they have been in the past. Overall, this is a good thing for high-performance boating, not a bad thing.” – Matt Trulio is a freelance writer for Powerboat. Contact Information |