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MikeT

ZAP saga continues....

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21912

Document NHTSA-2005-21912-1

This document announces decisions by NHTSA that certain motor vehicles not originally manufactured to comply with all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards are eligible for importation into the United States because they are ...

Am I reading this right? This is allowing the the importation of the smart into the us? Im on my way to Canada if this is true.

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That's the Safety folks, you'll have to check with the EPA (Emissions) folks as well. They are often a bigger hurdle. There were also 'proprietary' modifications to the bumpers mentioned, too.

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British-specification MPH-km/h speedometer

ignition interlock for the steering (the car has a gearshift interlock now)

Speedometer marking can be in either or both. There is no requirement for miles.

The anti-theft interlock can be on the transmission rather than the steering as on Saab 99, 900, 9-3.

Ah. We have a seatbelt law in the US so I would think that would cover it. Not that many people pay attention, but the law is there.

There is no federal law requiring seatbelt use. Each state has its own policy on this.

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There is no federal law requiring seatbelt use. Each state has its own policy on this.

I think this changed last year. I think there is a federal law now as so many states refused to legislate one

PS if you are in an accident in a smart without your seat belts connected, you are in serious do-do. The safety system assumes you are belted in. The airbags are not designed for a non-belted person

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The US federal government can not (rather, has so far refused to claim the right to) dictate state laws. The federal government can threaten to withhold (and actually did withhold) federal highway money from those individual states for failing to enact some form of seat belt use law, but does not have a nationwide seat belt policy. Federal employees may have a requirement for seat belt use, but that is based on their employer, not the political entity.

New Hampshire has a mandatory seat belt use law, but only for those under a certain age (18 I think).

Massachusetts has a mandatory seatbelt use law for all, but can't enforce compliance unless another infraction prompts a traffic stop. No seat belt? no ticket. Speeding and no seat belt? Now you get fined for no seat belt.

Some states (VA?) require seat belt use for front seat, outboard position passengers only. Sit in the middle of the front bench seat and be exempt.

Motorcycle helmet laws? Same hodge-podge of varying laws. Emissions control testing? Same situation.

UNITED states? Hardly.

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Smart will have a hard time passing crash tests without a seat belt. The safety systems assume the passengers are belted. The seat belts are the first active belts sold in North America. The airbags are not built to handle non-belted.

In Canada as of a 2001 study, over 90% use belts. I would say that number is up now as enforcement is up also.

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The smart dissipates a lot of the crash energy by distortion of the metal clad seats, deforming them with the assistance of the belted occupants in a programmed way. Obviously if the occupants are eating windshield sandwiches, this feature will not be at work :booty:

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That's the Safety folks, you'll have to check with the EPA (Emissions) folks as well. They are often a bigger hurdle. There were also 'proprietary' modifications to the bumpers mentioned, too.

I have not seen anything in the forum index about biodiesel. Have any of the Canadians tried biodiesel on their Smarts? I'm posting about biodiesel to this comment because:

* B100 produces significantly less CO2 than any other alternative or conventional fuel

Gasoline Engine Emissions as Compared to Diesel Engines running on pure Biodiesel (B100)

* Gasoline produces 460 percent more Poisonous Carbon Monoxide Gas than B100

* Gasoline produces 225 percent more Toxic Volatile Organic Compounds than B100

* Gasoline produces 105 percent more Green House Gasses than B100

* Gasoline produces 15 percent less Particulate Matter than B100 (Particulate matter from B100 is of a less toxic nature than that from petroleum products)

* Gasoline produces 50 percent less Smog Producing Nitrogen oxide Gasses than B100

from: http://www.grassolean.com/index.html?textFile=emissions

And in case those of you in cold weather climates such as myself are wondering or have wondered (biodiesel in cold weather - yes it works):

http://www.grassolean.com/index.html?textFile=wad

This leads me to believe that if one were able to obtain a Smart from Canada, in it's brilliant diesel form, one could fill it with biodiesel and should be able to easily pass the state emissions test. In Wyoming, however, we have no emissions testing - there is no "emissions passed" sticker required for operation of your motor vehicle. Can anyone please refer me to a good place in Canada to purchase a diesel Smart that is mapped or purchase and have it mapped? Also, I'd appreciate any suggestions as to how, who, and where I could have the other US standards met, i.e.:

* ditch H7/H1 E-Code headlights with electric adjusters in favour of DOT compliant fixed lights (of course the E-Codes are better)

* passive knee restraints for unbelted drivers (all the better to shatter their hips and knees in a collision, but the NHSTA requires it)

* alter the door structure so the car will pass the US side-impact test (the smart meets Canadian and EU side impact test requirements of course)

* crash test the car

Will there be any issues with driving it across the Canada/US border (going south)? As far as I understand, in Wyoming all that is needed to license a vehicle is a valid notarized vehicle title and a notarized bill of sale. Sometimes when transferring title from state to state, they require a VIN inspection, but that is the extent of the inspecting as far as I have experienced. I have to eat my words and say "congratulations" to the Canadians for kicking our butts at making Smart cars happen in North America! Unbelievable sometimes how ignorant our country can be. Just know that it's our government and not the great citizens of the US. I think there are apparent ties between our oil/energy industry, the automotive industry, and our government - which is why we are nowhere near as progressive as we could be when it comes to our fuel situation that seems to be a plague on our country. Anyway, I'm sure all of you "Smart" owners already know this... thanks for the enticing forum!

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I would say that we are not positioned well to give comprehensive, reliable advice on importing a smart to the USA.

Getting a new headlight assembly source would be relatively easy - I think Michalak makes the US type headlight.

The crash tests etc would be hard to overcome ;)

Maybe you need to have a very serious and open chat with Wyoming's DMV and see what they say about the chances of licensing a smart that is run on B100 fuel. M-B and smart do not recommend that, but if that was the only way to get the car in the USA and I lived there, I'd do it!

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The seat belts are the first active belts sold in North America. The airbags are not built to handle non-belted.

No airbag is designed to be used without seatbelts. That's why for years after airbags were introduced, airbag shrouds were stamped with "SRS" (Supplementary Restraint System) instead of "AIRBAG".

Rich, what do you mean by "active" belts? Are these any different from belts with pretensioners that deploy in the event of a collision?

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Actually the US law requires large airbags because they have to restrain unbelted occupants under US law (so-called passive restraint law). IT's the same law that gave them those annoying and ineffective electric seat belts. Of course it's a sham, but it's their law.

The active belts have force limiters to reduce peak deceleration loads on the occupants.

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... is run on B100 fuel. M-B and smart do not recommend that, but if that was the only way to get the car in the USA and I lived there, I'd do it!

Yeah, I know it will be an uphill battle if I decide this is worth pursuing. Thanks for the reply though. In regards to your statement above and other statements I have seen on the biodiesel forum:

http://www.vw.com/contactus/faqs.html#5.1

Has VW approved any biodiesel fuels for use in any of its vehicles?

Volkswagen of America's Statement ? Biodiesel Fuel

Volkswagen of America, Inc. is proud to be the automobile industry?s leader in diesel technology for passenger cars and light-duty trucks. Many customers have expressed interest to us in operating their Volkswagen TDI vehicles on ?biodiesel? fuel. As you may know, this is a special fuel that is made from renewable agricultural resources, mostly originating in North America from soybeans. Biodiesel is most commonly used in a blend with conventional petroleum-based diesel fuel. We are very pleased to inform you that just as Volkswagen has been a leader in passenger car diesel technology, we now also lead in the development and use of biodiesel fuel.

As a result of a major joint research project between the Volkswagen Group and the prominent agricultural products firm Archer Daniels Midland Company, and improvements in the specifications for biodiesel fuel in North America, Volkswagen has determined that diesel fuel containing up to five percent biodiesel meets the technical specifications for Volkswagen vehicles equipped with TDI engines imported to the United States. Therefore, the diesel fuel commonly known as ?B5 biodiesel? is acceptable for use in all our TDI vehicles.

Volkswagen hopes that by approving B5 biodiesel for usage in our TDI vehicles, we will encourage biodiesel development and increase the biodiesel industry?s role in developing high quality renewable fuels for motor vehicles. This, combined with the exceptional fuel economy that Volkswagen TDI owners already experience, has the potential to be a small part of the energy independence we all seek. Volkswagen sees biodiesel as a key element of a comprehensive long-range fuel strategy that relies on efficient, clean diesel technology and the use of an increasingly broad portfolio of renewable fuels.

We do want to take a moment to speak to you about fuel quality. While this historic decision by Volkswagen is a first step in a renewable fuel strategy for our cars, it is not a departure from our strong recommendation that you use only high-quality fuel, nor from our long-standing fuel requirements for warranty purposes, whether diesel, biodiesel, or gasoline. We will continue to view fuel issues in the same fair manner as we always have in the past, but we must stress that vehicle damage that results from misfueling or from the usage of substandard or unapproved fuels cannot be covered under our vehicle warranties.

As you know, today?s motor vehicle engines, including our very advanced TDI engines, are engineered with great precision and are sensitive to the fuel they use. Biodiesel fuel can be refined from a wide variety of raw materials, having a wide range of properties and specifications. The U.S biodiesel industry has adopted a new standard for biodiesel fuel (ASTM D6751), and most of the biodiesel already being produced in the United States and Canada, as much as 95% of current supplies in the U.S., meets this specification. Biodiesel fuel which does not meet the latest specification, however, has the potential to damage your vehicle?s fuel delivery and fuel injection system.

Volkswagen recommends that you use standard diesel fuel, or biodiesel blend fuels of up to five percent (B5), purchased from a mainstream retailer through a commercial pump. Should the use of substandard fuels, or higher level blends of biodiesel, damage your engine or fuel system, such damage cannot be covered under warranty. If a fuel problem related to substandard diesel fuel or biodiesel blend fuel occurs with your vehicle, you may be asked to provide the source or sales location of the fuel.

Volkswagen and Archer Daniels Midland continue to conduct research regarding the use of biodiesel blend fuels, including higher level blends such as ?B20? (20 percent biodiesel, 80 percent petrodiesel), as well as to develop appropriate specifications that will assure the suitability of such fuels for use in our vehicles. Should this result in Volkswagen recommending the use of such fuels and deciding to cover their use under warranty, we will notify you at a later date.

In summary:

1. Volkswagen recommends the use of standard diesel fuel or commercially supplied biodiesel blends of no more than five percent (?B5?) biodiesel.

2. Never use any fuel, whether diesel, B5 biodiesel, or otherwise, that fails to meet the latest petroleum industry specifications or that is not purchased from a commercial retail diesel pump. If you are unable to determine whether a particular fuel blend is B5 biodiesel that meets the latest biodiesel industry specifications (ASTM D6751), ask your service station for more information.

3. Never use any fuel for which the contents cannot be identified.

This latest step by Volkswagen is a major advancement in our effort to advance diesel engine technology and to contribute to the development of clean, renewable energy. If you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear them. Please direct them to Volkswagen Customer Care, 3499 W. Hamlin Road, Rochester Hills, Michigan 48309, or at 1-800-822-8987. You can also learn a great deal about biodiesel, and identify biodiesel retailers, at http://www.biodiesel.org, the official website of the U.S. National Biodiesel Board.

Nothing comes up when I search for "biodiesel" on http://www.smartcar.co.uk/, however, in a previous pursuit to obtain a VW Jetta TDI I had emailed a biodiesel manufacturer about the voidance of warranty for using their fuel and their response was: "Biodiesel will not make the engine malfunction, in fact it is better for your diesel engine and prolongs the life of it. Anytime you have a problem with your engine and you take it in for service, if they find that the problem is caused by the fuel - whatever you maybe using (even regular diesel) - the problem will not be covered under the vehicle's warranty. However, if you are running biodiesel and a problem occurs - they assured me this will not happen - but just in the incident that something happened, the biodiesel company will cover damages caused by their fuel." Also, I have read that on new diesel engines you don't have the problems that some have reported on the older engines with seals and whatnot. I think that if you were to further research biodiesel, you would not find any reason NOT to be running it in your new high mpg diesel engine. Here are some additional biodiesel links that may be useful:

http://www.biodieselamerica.org/biosite/in...d=141,0,0,1,0,0

http://www.wnbiodiesel.com/

http://www.grassolean.com/

http://www.biodiesel.org/

In the meantime, I guess I'll sit and wait for Honda to penetrate the market with their fully self-contained hydrogen home generator with storage tank for refueling at home of your personal hydrogen powered Honda... I can't wait until that technology is fully developed! Then I can give a big middle finger to the oil industry, the energy industry, and possibly receive a tax cut from our government for driving a hybrid. Wahoo!

Edit: Just found this - http://world.honda.com/news/2005/c051114.html

Cheers.

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