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EPA SC03 Standard As the cost of fuel and the number of vehicles on the highway continue to increase, two issues are becoming critical; greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy. It is a fact that, certainly in the United States, there will not be an effective alternative to individual vehicles for personal transportation. Along with this, it is also accepted that the majority of these vehicles will include air conditioning systems to make our commuting tolerable. The Supplemental Federal Test Procedure (SFTP) was developed to address these environmental issues for vehicles with gross weights less than 5,750 lb (2,608 kg). The procedure includes an air conditioning test, SC03. This portion of the test is designed to measure tailpipe emissions with the air conditioning system operating under load. Although the SFTP is not specifically used to measure fuel economy, it is known that there is a direct correlation between the weight of the air conditioning system and a vehicle's fuel economy. On average, a standard air conditioning system will decrease fuel economy by about 20%. The entire SC03 portion of this test is usually conducted in an environmental test facility. The test includes a pre-conditioning cycle, vehicle soak, and the SC03 emission test. The environmental facility must be capable of providing the following:
Solar Heat Load The radiant energy or solar heat load for this test is defined by the EPA based upon the global reference spectral irradiance standard, global AM 1.5. For this procedure, the radiant energy must be uniform within +/-15% over a 0.5 meter grid averaged at the centerline of the vehicle and at the base of the windshield and rear window. The actual spectral distribution is shown below along with the spectrum comparison graph for the EYE Lighting / Iwasaki 400W HID solar simulation lamp most often specified for this application as seen in the accompanying photo.
In addition to the EPA SC03 test, EYE Lighting / Iwasaki can provide custom solar heat load systems for your specific test and facility requirements. Regardless of your application, if you have a need for a solar chamber or just a portable solar heat array, please contact us. Our goal is to work with our automotive partners to create a more comfortable and safe vehicle.
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