May 5 2009
The U.S. regulatory environment is another dynamic facing the automotive industry. To help provide straight talk from the source, DuPont Automotive invited U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Deputy Director Christopher Grundler, of EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality, to speak at a recent seminar. Grundler reviewed recent policy changes from the new Obama administration and updated industry leaders on EPA regulatory activities.
Full transcripts from the event, including presentations from Grundler and other speakers, DuPont test data on fuel compatibility and links to critical resources, are available online at www.seedthefuture.dupont.com.
“President Obama has made transformation to a low carbon economy a core part of his domestic agenda and a key to our economic recovery,” Grundler said during his talk entitled: The Changing U.S. Landscape for Climate Change Policy. “We at EPA are seized by the importance and urgency of the task before us to address the threat of climate change.”
“The vision of U.S. regulatory agencies will shape automotive R&D, engineering and materials development,” said Karla Butler, DuPont Automotive marketing director in North America. “Working collaboratively throughout the value chain, we can accelerate new technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve fuel economy and meet the challenge of using alternative energy sources.”
DuPont is working on solutions to improve sustainability in automotive systems, including solutions to reduce vehicle weight, to enable more output from smaller engines, to enable hybrid electrics and to reduce friction to get more power to the ground. Further, DuPont is developing materials compatible with clean fuels and renewable resourced high-performance polymers.
DuPont and its subsidiary, DuPont Performance Elastomers, annually invite critical policy decision makers to directly address top industry design and materials engineers on information that will help clarify industry drivers that guide new programs and initiatives.
The EPA’s mission is to reconcile transportation and the environment by advancing clean fuels and technology and by promoting sustainable transportation policies. It establishes national emission standards for all vehicles and engines sold in the United States and works with state and local governments on strategies to reduce transportation emissions.
DuPont Automotive offers more than 100 products to the global automotive industry, and through its global application, development network is committed to delivering cost-effective solutions to help reduce vehicle weight for better fuel economy and CO2 emission reductions, to integrate part functionality to simplify assembly and eliminate cost; and to help bring invention to market faster, better and more cost-effectively.
DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.