Nanotech Cars Face European -- And Perhaps U.S. -- Regulation
Nanotechnology, the commercial use of tiny particles that have varied and useful physical properties, is increasingly seen as a key to automotive innovation. But it's also drawing regulators' attention. Plans to impose rules on its use in Europe don't necessarily mean that U.S. legislation will follow, but it should concern auto companies that are investing in the technology -- and using it on production cars (in everything from paint to tires to high-tech catalytic converters).
The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission is considering regulating nanoparticles that are between one and 100 nanometers in size (a nanometer is a billionth of a meter). Regulation's first step will be to precisely define "nanoparticle," and the European Commission is now attempting to do that. Although nanoparticles are found in many common products, from tennis rackets to food supplements, they're not meaningfully regulated in the U.S.
"In general it's not surprising that the Europeans are talking about regulation," says Kelly Carnes, president and CEO of TechVision21, a Washington-based technology strategy firm. "They have more of a regulatory culture than the U.S. does."
"It's a tricky area," says Jim Hurd, director of the Green Science Exchange. "Regulation by government bodies is usually ham-handed," he says. "Europeans tend to over-react and over-protect, and the U.S. appears bent on doing the same thing, but more slowly."
John Finley (photo at right), president of MemPro Ceramics, is out to build a better (and cheaper) catalytic converter using tiny ceramic nanofibers. His Copper Mountain, Colo.-based company's design, which is under study by several major auto suppliers (one of which has made three visits to MemPro), dramatically reduces the amount of precious metal needed for the catalyst. And its "SootBuster" captures tiny soot particles, which are a significant human health hazard.
"Air quality regulations are better enforced in Europe than they are in the U.S.," says Finley. He acknowledged "growing concern about how nanotechnology fits into the whole environmental issue," but added that MemPro's products "are manufactured in the safest possible way."
Of course, European car companies are also employing nanotechnology. According to Wards Auto, using increasingly commercially important carbon nanotubes, BMW has developed a nanotech cataltytic filter for diesels that removes 99 percent of particles that are smaller than a micrometer across. A123, a major battery supplier for EVs, also uses nano-engineering to achieve greater durability and range. German company Lanxess's Technical Rubber Products division uses nano particles to make Nanoprene, a tire rubber that lasts longer and has 15 percent better grip than standard tires, plus a reduced rolling resistance (the amount of friction between the tires and the road). And, working with Mercedes Benz, American paint company PPG Industries has produced a new nano-engineered, scratch-resistant paint.
Nanotechnology regulation may come to other U.S. industries as well. The EPA has considered requiring pesticide makers to notify it when nanoscale ingredients are present. And it has also told carbon nanotube importers and manufacturers that they must submit a Premanufacture Notice before starting commercial operations.
Proposals from Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) have caused some alarm in nanotech circles. Lautenberg's revision to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) may not pass anytime soon, but it points out that there are 88,000 chemicals in commerce, and only 200 have been tested. Nanotech advocates worry that widespread chemical review would lead to huge animal testing bills (if in-vitro testing is not developed and approved).
As a result, Jim Hussey, CEO of Nanolink, which specializes in nanoscale products for life sciences and semiconductors, proposes that the industry regulate itself by "determining which nanomaterials are toxic, how they might become toxic, and under what conditions." It would be a pre-emptive strike, but probably a prudent one.
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