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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 1980)
THE BATTALION FRIDAY. OCTOBER 24. 1980 Page 3 ocal TI to test EPA estimates somel ty is tern l Nations atisfiedwi ericana] at in Iran ; thouglii By NATHAN R. HINES Battalion Reporter Car advertisments tell people to buy a car because of its high gas “Vniieage. Statements like “with an EPA-estimated 32 miles per gallon” gave become household common places. ■The Environmental Protection gency is responsible for these num- ars, but they aren’t very represen- itive, says Rick Tonda, a research ngineer at the Texas Transportation istitute. “These numbers (estimated miles r gallon) are correct as far as lab onditions go, but they aren’t very curate for road driving condi- ns,” Tonda said. Tonda and researchers at TTI, fhich is a part of the Texas A&M tlniversity System, have been asked by the EPA to evaluate the proce- (jures currently used to determine ileage and to see if a procedure be found that is more represent- ive of actual highway mileage. “One of the main problems, as far accuracy goes, is that the test cars e tested at 40 percent fill weight,” Tonda said. “This means if a car’s gas ink holds 10 gallons, only four gal lons are used. This cuts down on the weight of the car and allows it to get better mileage.” “Another difference is the tests are run on a dynamometer. This machine allows the car’s wheels to turn, simulating driving, while the car remains still. This allows the car to run on an infinitely smooth sur face, no wind resistance, and a con stant temperature. “The constant temperature plays a major part in fuel economy. Running on the dynamometer doesn’t allow wind to pass under the car and cool the running gear. The car will run more efficiently when the fluids are hot, and we are trying to determine if this is a factor. “Another factor involved is that the test procedure the EPA de veloped was based on the way cars were driven in Los Angeles. This procedure (called the LA 4) produces accurate numbers, but not factual numbers. “Reports show the driver’s MPG will be from 15 percent less to five percent more than the EPA’s esti mates. The variation comes from dif ferences between the EPA fuel effi ciency determinations and how the average motorist drives his car. It’s the difference between the lab and test track or road." Tonda, who is the head of TTI’s Emmissions Testing Lab, and his crew of researchers are using eight automobiles ranging in size from economical compacts to full-sized luxury cars to test the EPA’s proce dure. “First, we tune the cars to the fac tory specifications. Then we will run the car on the dynamometer and get the results,” he said. “After that we will run the car on the test track, using the same procedure as before. If the procedure is correct, the num bers should be the same. “When we receive the test results we can determine whether the EPA’s tests are accurate or not. “The American public is being forced to make decisions about num bers pasted in a car window that they know nothing about. This isn’t the fault of the car manufacturers or the EPA. It’s the fault of Congress for requiring the numbers to be there. “My suggestion is to take the num bers from all the cars, rank the cars, and then put the cars in one of 10 categories. Then we can tell the peo ple buying the car how the car ranks instead of giving them some num bers that are hard to understand.” Tonda offered some advice in reading the EPA milage estimates. “This sounds like a commercial, but use the numbers as an estimate^ Your actual mileage will vary.” 9 OUT OF 10 PUFPIES PREFER THE BATTALION M S C LOST & FOUND AUCTION Going once Going twice \ Featuring KEYES CARSON, Auctioneer MSC Main Lounge Wednesday, October 29 10 am - 3 pm previews at 9am %• For further information call 845-1515 (MSC CUNCII- CASH ONLY sked for, s country rter recen r like that ike a posit g, andvoti will' | $50,000 foun da tion ere a ted yet? City wants more industry By DEBBIE NELSON Battalion Staff The College Station city council ipproved a request for $50,000 to dek off a program promoting indust rial growth in the county at Thurs day’s council meeting. The soon-to-be incorporated Col- ege Station Industrial Foundation vill use the money to hire a staff and let up an office. Foundation President D. H. Goehring and Mayor Gary Halter both said the organization will be Iboking for high-technology elec- ihonic and research-oriented indus- | tries. The foundation will be playing off the strengths of Texas A&M Univer sity in attracting industries here. Halter said. “College Station has been accused of not wanting industry in the past. I don’t think that anyone can accuse us of that anymore, ” he said. One aim of the organization is to expand the tax base in both College Station and the school district. Secondarily, the thirteen- member board of directors will seek out industrial development else where in Brazos County. The already-existing Brazos Coun ty Industrial Development Founda tion and Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce will work closely with the new organization soheiting and advertising for indust rial development in the county. Goehring said the foundation has no plan for developing a city-owned industrial park like the one in Bryan at this time. But privately-owned in dustrial parks would be a possibility. Halter foresees no problem in funding the organization with $50,000 from the 1980-81 hotel- motel tax fund. The 4 percent tax on hotel rooms rented in the city in creases every time the cost of renting a room rises. One-fourth of the fund is spent on tourist promotion, with the remainder spent on city build ings, activities and facilities. In other action, the city council approved $2,000 for the city’s parks department — $1,500 for the Spring Arts Festival in Oaks Park, $200 for a Spring 10,000-meter run and $300 for police tournament trophies. These are exciting, fast-moving times for Sohio. And for talented, ambitious individuals who will join us. We occupy a unique position among American oil companies. Our 4 billion barrels of Alaskan crude oil reserves constitute the nation’s largest domestic petroleum reserves. WeTe the only major oil company completely indepen dent of foreign supplies! All of which points to unusual financial strength and stability—and growth opportunities. Annual sales of over $8 billion place us in the top 40 of Fortune magazine’s 500 largest corpo rations, and we’re 18th in total assets. We have launched aggressive, far-reaching expansion programs, financed by revenues from our Alaskan oil. The programs include: 2^ • Exploration and development of new North Slope oil and gas fields, as well as on-shore and off-shore sites in the lower States. 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