Rolling coal

A Ford F-450 when coal rolling

The Rolling Coal describes a deliberate air pollution practiced in the USA in particular , which by converting a diesel engine by increasing the supply of fuel to the engine creates a particularly sooty cloud of exhaust gas .

Among other things, the diesel engine's particle filter is removed. In addition, vehicle owners who operate the rolling coal often install smoke switches and special exhaust pipes in their vehicles ( coal rollers ). Modifications that enable a vehicle to run the Rolling Coal cost US $ 200 to US $ 5,000 .

background

Rolling coal is a form of deliberate air pollution for entertainment or protest purposes. Some drivers, especially in the presence of hybrid vehicles, turn on their rolling coal (then referred to as " Prius defense") to ridicule their drivers, who are generally considered to be environmentally conscious about their choice of vehicle. The coal is also used against foreign cars, cyclists and pedestrians. The “freedom of America” and the “revolt against unbridled environmental protection” are often cited as justifications for these actions. In addition to environmental concerns, there are major health risks associated with this practice, particularly lung problems. The American Cancer Society associates exposure to diesel exhaust with an increased risk of lung cancer . Furthermore, there are practical considerations that speak against rolling coal , as the thick black smoke in road traffic leads to a deterioration in visibility and can contribute to vehicle collisions and other accidents.

Soot emissions from tractor pulling

Rolling coal has its origins in tractor pulling . In addition, many drivers convert their trucks or tractors so that they achieve more power and torque . A side effect of this is that the engines emit excessive black smoke. For some participants, the main goal of the competitions was to achieve the highest possible level of soot.

Legal situation

In the United States

In July 2014, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced that the Rolling Coal practice was illegal because it violated the Clean Air Act . The Clean Air Act prohibits the manufacture, sale, and installation of "engine parts that bypass, turn off, or render useless any emissions control measure" and "prohibits altering an emissions control measure on a motor vehicle by removing or inactivating it before or after it is sold or delivered to the buyer ". In March 2015, Illinois General Assembly spokesman Will Guzzardi presented a draft of a $ 5,000 fine for anyone who removes or changes emissions control equipment from their own vehicle. Guzzardi wanted to make it clear that "the penalty should have the highest priority under the current punitive measures for emissions modifications". In May 2015, Chris Christie , the governor of New Jersey , signed a bill banning the conversion of diesel vehicles to increase particulate emissions for reasons of coal rolling . Violations are punishable by a penalty from the Department of Environmental Protection . This design was introduced by Rep . Tim Eustace after a pickup truck blew a cloud of smoke against Eustace's Nissan Leaf as it drove down the New Jersey Turnpike . Similar laws were introduced in the states of Colorado and Maryland in 2017 .

Technical aspect

The diesel engine is an internal combustion engine with internal mixture formation , in the engine a chemical reaction takes place between fuel and combustion air, during which the energy bound in the fuel is converted. Fuel and air must be mixed in the correct ratio so that complete combustion takes place without a visible exhaust plume. This optimal state is . In normal operation there is often more air than fuel in the combustion chamber, since the diesel engine is regulated by the amount of fuel injected and not by the amount of fuel-air mixture supplied. If the motor vehicle with a diesel engine is not given full throttle, less fuel is injected than there is air, which means that . The speed and power do not reach the maximum value as a result, the combustion is still complete and no exhaust gases are visible. If there is too little air in the combustion chamber ( ) in relation to the fuel, the hydrogen components of the fuel burn, but the carbon components are released unburned as soot, the combustion becomes smoking and dark-colored exhaust gases get into the exhaust. With this type of combustion, the engine becomes very dirty, which has a negative effect on its service life, but with diesel engines there is hardly any reduction in performance . With the Rolling Coal, the combustion air ratio is set so that it is as small as possible, so that the combustion is as incomplete as possible and accordingly smoking, so that visible deep black exhaust gases are created. This can be achieved by reducing the air supply or increasing the fuel supply. ${\displaystyle \lambda =1}$ ${\displaystyle \lambda >1}$ ${\displaystyle \lambda <1}$ ${\displaystyle \lambda <1}$ ${\displaystyle \lambda }$

literature

• Rudolf Pischinger, Manfred Klell, Theodor Sams: Thermodynamics of the internal combustion engine (= Helmut List [Hrsg.]: The vehicle drive ). 3. Edition. Springer, Vienna 2009, ISBN 978-3-211-99276-0 , pp. XVII, 475 , doi : 10.1007 / 978-3-211-99277-7 .

Web links

Commons : Rolling Coal  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Claus Hecking: souped-up pick-up trucks: throwing dirt against “natural nulps”. In: Spiegel Online . July 10, 2014, accessed January 13, 2017 . 
• Thomas Harloff: Coal Roller Trend in the USA - Dirty Provocation. In: sueddeutsche.de . July 11, 2014, accessed January 13, 2017 . 
• Statement of the diesel industry against the practice of coal rolling

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} US Official News (Ed.): Political Protest Or Just Blowing Smoke? Anti-Environmentalists Are Now 'Rolling Coal' . July 8, 2014 ( galegroup.com ).
2. ^ David Abel: Rules have diesel enthusiasts fuming . Ed .: The Boston Globe . July 28, 2014 ( bostonglobe.com ).
3. ↑ ^{a b} Melissa Dahl: Why Pickup Truck Drivers Are Paying $ 5,000 to Pollute More . Ed .: New York . New York City July 24, 2014 ( nymag.com ).
4. ↑ Elizabeth Kulze: "Rollin 'Coal" Is Pollution Porn for Dudes With Pickup Trucks . Ed .: Vocativ. June 16, 2014 ( vocativ.com ).
5. ↑ EcoWatch (ed.): Colbert Pokes Fun at 'Rolling Coal,' the Insecure Trucker Driver's Response to Environmentalists . July 18, 2014 ( ecowatch.com ).
6. ↑ CTV News (Ed.): Rolling coal: Canadian diesel truck lovers insist they're not like US counterparts . July 16, 2014 ( ctvnews.ca ).
7. ^ Jamie Oberg: Police warn drivers against 'rolling coal' . Ed .: KCTV. July 18, 2014 ( kctv5.com ). Police warn drivers against 'rolling coal' ( Memento of the original from July 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
8. ^ Huffington Post (ed.): Political Protest Or Just Blowing Smoke? Anti-Environmentalists Are Now 'Rolling Coal' . July 6, 2014 ( huffingtonpost.com ).
9. ↑ Tabuchi Hiroko: 'Rolling Coal' in Diesel Trucks, to Rebel and Provoke . Ed .: The New York Times . September 4, 2016 ( nytimes.com ).
10. ↑ Shaun Boyd: Lawmaker Wants To Stop 'Coal Rollers' From Intentionally Blasting Black Smoke . Ed .: CBS Denver . April 4, 2016 ( cbslocal.com ).
11. ↑ Jan H. Wasserziehr: Protest against environmental protection: rights in the USA purposely pollute the air. In: tagesspiegel.de . July 10, 2014, accessed January 13, 2017 . 
12. ↑ US Official News (Ed.): Washington: 'Rolling Coal' by Anti-Environmentalists Dubbed Illegal by EPA . July 9, 2014 ( galegroup.com ).
13. ^ Jonathon Ramsey: Illinois bill would make 'rolling coal' illegal . Ed .: Autoblog. March 27, 2015 ( autoblog.com ).
14. ↑ Chris Bruce: Rolling coal now illegal in New Jersey . Ed .: Autoblog. May 13, 2015 ( autoblog.com ).
15. ↑ LegiScan (Ed.): New Jersey Senate Bill 2418 . ( legiscan.com ).
16. ^ No more 'rolling coal' on Maryland roads . In: The Washington Post , May 26, 2017. 
17. ^ Colorado to outlaw 'rolling coal' nuisance exhaust . In: The Colorado Statesman , May 2, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2017.