Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Fuel System Integrity of Compressed Natural Gas Vehicles

Resumo

This rule establishes a new Federal motor vehicle safety standard, Standard No. 303, Fuel System Integrity of Compressed Natural Gas Vehicles, that specifies vehicle performance requirements for the fuel system of vehicles fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG). The Standard enhances the fuel system integrity of CNG vehicles by subjecting the vehicles to crash testing and placing a limit on the post-crash pressure drop in the fuel system. The Standard specifies frontal, rear, and lateral barrier crash tests for light vehicles and a moving contoured barrier crash test for school buses with a GVWR over 10,000 pounds. The purpose of this new standard is to reduce deaths and injuries caused by fires resulting from fuel leakage during and after crashes involving vehicles fueled by CNG. This is the first final rule in the agency's comprehensive effort to regulate alternative fueled vehicles. In addition to this final rule, NHTSA anticipates issuing another final rule that will specify performance requirements addressing the strength, durability, and venting of CNG fuel containers. In addition, as a result of public comments on the CNG notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), the agency anti