Air in the United States could be cleaner in years to come because of a laboratory researchers expect will help in the development of new standards for fuel economy and emissions evaluations. The Vehicle Systems Integration Laboratory provides unprecedented capabilities that will be invaluable to manufacturers of diesel and conventional engines, transmissions, and other drivetrain and emissions components. The payoff is that manufacturers can test different designs under real-world conditions, saving time and money. "We can test virtually every parameter of light-duty vehicles to hybrid heavy-duty rigs and everything in between," said David Smith of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Energy and Transportation Science Division. Partners in this Department of Energy project include the Environmental Protection Agency, Cummins, Meritor, the Society of Automotive Engineers and other national laboratories.
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