With environmental regulations, like PZEV, applying to an increasing number of vehicles on the North American market and rising end-user demand for non-polluting vehicles, the race is on to design and manufacture environmentally cost effective solutions.
Currently, vehicles sold in the United States must meet «Tier II/LEV II» evaporative emission standards regarding hydrocarbon (HC). Tier II/LEV II standards, limiting evaporative emissions to 0.5g/day, are the most stringent evaporative controls in the world.
Facing a high level of pollution, California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted even stronger environmental policies to promote ZERO Emission Vehicles (ZEV). Under ZEV, carmakers are obligated to sell some advanced technology vehicles with significantly fewer pollutants. Some of these advanced techniology vehicles include PZEV (Partial Zero Emission Vehicles). PZEV vehicles nearly match the low environmental impact of an electric vehicle with an advanced internal combustion engine and fuel system. The fuel system evaporative emissions of PZEV vehicles is limited to 0.054g/day, barely 10% of the vehicle limit for TierII / LEVII.
This PZEV regulation is applied only to a portion of vehicles sold in California and a few US states, thus limiting the PZEV production volume. The challenge is then to have a solution adapted to these small volumes.
INERGY, with its PZEV process, offers to OEMs a way to upgrade conventional blow-molded fuel systems to PZEV fuel systems with very few changes in the production line.
Several innovating add-ons were developed to reduce the permeation of various components or areas of the fuel systems:
 SNAPIN, a zero permeation molded-in feature used to retain internal components within ~300mm of the module opening,
INFILM, a multi-layer coex film laser welded over fuel system components, reducing permeation path,
INPINCH, a low permeation pinch detail formed during blow molding, reducing pinch emissions by 4,
Since 2006, INERGY has already equipped more than 340,000 PZEV vehicles in the United States.
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