[Federal Register: May 21, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 97)]
[Notices]
[Page 23928-23929]
[DOCID:fr21my09-145]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2009-0068]

Notice of Technical Workshops and Demonstrations (One or Two Days
During the Week of June 22, 2009)

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of technical workshops and demonstrations.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces that NHTSA will hold two compliance test
program workshops to discuss and demonstrate the Office of Vehicle
Safety Compliance (OVSC) Laboratory Test Procedures (TPs) for the
agency's Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) No. 216a, Roof
crush resistance, and 49 CFR part 537, Automotive Fuel Economy Reports,
vehicle foot print determination. Vehicle manufacturers and other
interested persons who wish to participate in either of the workshops
are asked to pre-register (the number of attendees may need to be
limited due to space constraints) and are invited to submit test
procedure related technical issues to be considered for discussion
during the workshops. Attendance requires registration and is free.

Date and Time: The workshops and demonstrations for the test procedures
will be held on one or two days during the week of June 22, 2009,
beginning each day between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The workshops and demonstrations will be held at General
Testing Laboratories (GTL) in Colonial Beach, Virginia. Directions to
the meeting location and final agenda will be sent to registered
participants.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For registration to one or both
workshops, media representatives should contact Rae Tyson at (202) 366-
9550 or via e-mail at<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Congressional staff should
contact Will Otero at<PHONE_NUMBER> or via e-mail at
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>All other interested parties should contact either
Ms. Maritza Marshall or Ms. Elena Sonsev, contractors for the Office of
Vehicle Safety Compliance, NVS-220, National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590,
telephone<PHONE_NUMBER> or<PHONE_NUMBER> respectively, or via
electronic mail at<EMAIL_ADDRESS>or<EMAIL_ADDRESS>
For technical issues relating to roof crush resistance testing, contact
Mr. James Jones, at the same address, telephone<PHONE_NUMBER>, or via
electronic mail at<EMAIL_ADDRESS>For technical issues relating
to vehicle footprint measurements, contact Mr. John Finneran, at the
same address, telephone<PHONE_NUMBER>, or via electronic mail at
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    FMVSS No. 216a: On May 12, 2009, the agency upgraded FMVSS No.
216a, Roof Crush Resistance, as part of its comprehensive plan for
reducing the serious risk of death and injury in rollover crashes. For
the vehicles currently subject to the standard, passenger cars and
multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks and buses with a GVWR of 2,722
kilograms (6,000 pounds) or less, the final rule doubles the amount of
force the vehicle's roof structure must withstand in the specified
test, from 1.5 times the vehicle's unloaded weight to 3.0 times the
vehicle's unloaded weight. The final rule also extends the
applicability of the standard to vehicles up to a GVWR of 4,536
kilograms (10,000 pounds), establishing a force requirement of 1.5
times the vehicle's unloaded weight for these heavier vehicles.
Vehicles must meet the specified force requirements in a two-sided test
instead of a single-sided test, i.e., the same vehicle must meet the
force requirements when tested first on one side and then on the other
side of the vehicle. The final rule also establishes a new requirement
for maintenance of headroom, i.e., survival space, in addition to the
existing limit on the amount of roof crush. The final rule includes
special provisions to address the needs of multi-stage manufacturers,
alterers, and small volume manufacturers. NHTSA issued a TP indicating
the protocol for the conduct of these tests.
    49 CFR Part 537: In the effort to substantially improve Corporate
Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, NHTSA published a final rule on
April 6, 2006, (applicable only to light trucks) and a final rule on
March 30, 2009, (applicable to passenger cars and light trucks). The
revised CAFE requirements specify that vehicle manufacturers must begin
to derive target average fuel economy standards for each vehicle model
type based upon the vehicle attribute known as, ``footprint.''
Footprint is defined as the product of the vehicle measurements for
wheelbase and average track width. In the notices, NHTSA also required
that

vehicle manufacturers report wheelbase, track width and footprint
measurements for each vehicle configuration in their annual CAFE
reports starting in model year (MY) 2008 for light trucks and MY 2011
for passenger cars.
    To validate manufacturer's reported vehicle wheelbase, track width
and footprint information, NHTSA issued a TP indicating the methods
that will be used to physically measure these corresponding dimensions.
    Workshops: To enable interested parties and NHTSA personnel to
discuss the questions concerning TP-216a and TP-537, NHTSA believes
that it would be desirable to hold two technical workshops and
demonstrations on these test procedures. The scope of these workshops
is strictly limited to issues surrounding implementation of OVSC
Laboratory Test Procedure TP-216a and TP-537. TP-216a and 537 are
posted on the NHTSA Web site at http://www.dot.gov (under ``Test
Procedures'' on the ``Vehicles and Equipment'' page).
    Agenda for the workshops and demonstrations: The workshops will be
held one or two days during the week of June 22, 2009. The agenda
includes technical discussions about the execution of the compliance
tests, lunch (to be paid for by each participant), and physical test
demonstrations. The following is a preliminary agenda for the
workshops.

FMVSS No. 216a Workshop and Demonstration

I. Check-In
II. Welcome and Introductory Remarks
III. FMVSS No. 216a Final Rule Highlights
IV. OVSC Test Procedure TP-216a Content
V. Discussion of Technical Issues With Test Procedure
VI. Physical Demonstration of Roof Crush Test
VII. Questions & Answers

Part 537 Workshop and Demonstration

I. Check-In
II. Welcome and Introductory Remarks
III. CAFE Program Highlights
IV. OVSC Test Procedure TP-537 Content
V. Discussion of Technical Issues With Test Procedure
VI. Physical Demonstration of Foot Print Determination
VII. Questions & Answers

    Submission of Agenda Items: Written suggestions regarding test
procedure technical issues to be included in the agenda(s) should be
submitted to the address below and must be received by the agency on or
before June 8, 2009. You may submit comments identified by DOT DMS
Docket Number NHTSA 2009-0068 by any of the following methods:
     Web site: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments on the DOT electronic docket site.
     Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., West Building, Room W12-140,
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery: Room W12-140 on the Ground Level of the
West Building, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC, between 9
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the Online instructions for submitting comments.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and
docket number for this technical workshop notice. Note that all
comments received will be posted without change to http://
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read comments received, go to
http://www.regulations.gov at any time or to Room W12-140 on the ground
level of the West Building, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC,
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
    To Register for this Workshop: Each person wishing to participate
in one or both of the workshops must register with NHTSA by June 8,
2009. You can register by contacting Mr. Rae Tyson (for media
representatives), Will Otero (for Congressional members), Ms. Maritza
Marshall or Ms. Elena Sonsev (for all other interested parties) on or
before June 8, 2009; contact information for Mr. Rae Tyson, Mr. Otero,
Ms. Marshall and Ms. Sonsev is listed above. To register, you must
provide NHTSA with the name, title, organizational affiliation (if
applicable), contact information (mailing address, phone numbers (Voice
and fax), and email address), and specify if available lunch will be
purchased. Food options on site are limited. Participants may purchase
lunch in cash upon check-in each day. Ms. Marshall or Ms. Sonsev will
have information about the lunch options and associated costs at time
of registration. Due to space limitations, NHTSA may have to limit the
number of participants per organization.
    You will be contacted only if this meeting is postponed or
cancelled.

    Issued: May 15, 2009.
Harry Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance.
[FR Doc. E9-11839 Filed 5-20-09; 8:45 am]

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