EPA begins to kill its next outboard brand

[hitace]

Due to 2006 Federal E.P.A. regulations Mercury Racing is no longer able to build complete Drag 280 R.O.S., 280 Consumer or ProMax series motors. heres the link http://www.diamondmarine.com/web_pages/home_page.htm

after the EPA killed OMC( http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQK/is_2_6/ai_71766946 ) they begain working on there next brand.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: EPA begins to kill its next outboard brand

The EPA didn't kill OMC -- they shot themselves in the foot and in a knee-jerk reaction also put one into their head which finished the job.

 

[hitace]

Re: EPA begins to kill its next outboard brand

i beg to differ

"OMC's Ficht fuel injected engines were introduced in 1997 in response to EPA"however, these outboards were plagued with problems that OMC has admitted helped put them in the red due to numerous costly "upgrades" and engine redesign. The resulting customer ill will led to decreased sales"
At least one member of the marine industry blamed OMC's bankruptcy in part on the rigor of meeting federal Clean Air Act emission reduction requirements. George Buckley, chairman and CEO of Brunswick Corp., says the EPA rushed engine makers to meet requirements that couldn't be met in the time frame given."

if you would like to read the full articel go to the link

 

[Silvertip]

Re: EPA begins to kill its next outboard brand

Releasing a product before its ready for the market is a classic way to sour the buying public. I disagree that the EPA determined they were going to kill OMC. I do feel they had an ulterior motive in that they wanted to eliminate two-stroke motors regardless of technology. OMC and Mercury both decided they could meet EPA requirements, which they did technically, but in the end they produced a batch of bad engines. That's not the EPA's fault. That's the manufacturers fault. BRP proved that with proper engineering and testing a new engine can be brought to market without the "teething problems" both OMC and Merc have had in the past. The EPA can specify that certain environmental qualities must be met, given a reasonable time for the manufacturers to accomplish that goal. They cannot however, dictate technology which BRP took advantage of. It's called thinking outside the box.

 

[Skinnywater]

Re: EPA begins to kill its next outboard brand

So in essence the EPA was responsible for prompting BRP to develop a superb, reliable, clean, and fuel efficient 2 stroke outboard.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: EPA begins to kill its next outboard brand

The EPA did not prompt or target BRP! They prompted the industry! If it weren't for safety and economy regulations in the auto industry for example, we would not have transmissions with one and two overdrive gears, lockup torque converters, efficient engines, low drag bodies, air bags, etc. And if it wasn't for the EPA, outboards would still be smoke belching two strokes with carbs and there would be no more efficient four strokes or FI two strokes. You can bet the next round of emissions requirements will result in additional hand wringing over where the manufacturers put the catalytic converter on a four stroke. Will emissions requirements and higher fuel costs result in new technology such as a hybrid drive system for example? Rest assured there are people behind closed doors at Yamaha, Merc, OMC, and Tohatsu that are looking at just that scenario. Just so you understand -- I own a smoke belching, carbed 75 HP two stroke and I'm eagerly awaiting the next technological breakthrough in outboards.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: EPA begins to kill its next outboard brand

Hey Silver your 75 isn't all that bad. As a matter of fact, once your variable oiler gets to 50:1 you probably don't see or smell any oil at all.

I can remember when you putted out of the marina and when you hit the throttle, or any time you hit the throttle for a hole shot, there was this cloud of smoke you mentioned.

But the last time I was out I was just fooling around and happened to notice that when I punched out there was no smoke. Bet yours is like that too.

Mark

 

[Silvertip]

Re: EPA begins to kill its next outboard brand

Mark -- I agree but compared to an E-tec where none of the oil gets out of the engine it's still an emissions pig. Don't get me wrong I like the motor. This is merely a philosophical discussion of how the EPA is/is not killing manufacturers. To add just a bit more to this discussion, when the government issues edicts, a manufacturer don't have to sit back and just say "yes-sir". If they do, they best be able to meet that requirement. Nobody knows how to counter the government better than the auto and aircraft industries. They get their collective heads together quickly and lobby the government to ease the requirement or provide more time for implementation. I suspect the outboard manufacturers did neither when the EPA imposed the emissions requirements. The government does not want businesses folding as it affects many aspects of our lives, not to mention the voters attitude. Social Engineering is one thing certain agencies seem to be meddling more with and it requires that we as voters push back against.