Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Foss Retrofit System Receives EPA Verification

Clean hybrid technology pioneered by Foss Maritime and Aspin Kemp & Associates of Stratford, PEI recently received verification from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

After a rigorous process, the EPA verified the XeroPoint Hybrid Tug Retrofit System, which was installed and extensively tested on a Foss harbor tug in the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

The verification means the XeroPoint hybrid system is certified as an effective choice for use on any US harbor tug seeking to meet the nation’s highest environmental standards.

The hybrid retrofit Campbell Foss has been working in southern California since 2012, using ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. The University of California-Riverside, which has been testing the Foss Maritime/AKA system, found a fuel savings of roughly 30 percent; a 25 percent particulate matter reduction; a 30 percent reduction in nitrogen oxides produced during combustion; a 30 percent reduction in carbon dioxide; and a 35 percent reduction in carbon monoxide.

“The hybrid retrofit reduces fuel costs and pollution,” Foss Maritime President and CEO Paul Stevens said. “EPA verification of the California test results is what the maritime industry has been looking for.”

On the Campbell Foss, the XeroPoint system integrates electrical and mechanical devices onboard to provide optimal modes of operation for power and propulsion. The hybrid system’s energy management system strives to eliminate the unnecessary idling of diesel engines by determining the most efficient configuration of the electrical and mechanical devices on board.

“The Foss/AKA XeroPoint system is a great example of technology innovation to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy in the marine sector,” Jim Blubaugh, Deputy Director of the Transportation and Climate Office at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said. “By reducing diesel emissions at ports, the XeroPoint Hybrid Tugboat Retrofit System can help improve air quality and energy independence in one of our nation’s most important supply chain sectors. We look forward to the broad deployment of this technology in harbor tugboat vessels.”

The technology is now included on EPA’s Verified Technology List. For more information about verified technologies and the Verified Technology list, please visit: http://epa.gov/cleandiesel/verification/ .