Networkcar, a provider of wireless vehicle management, announced Wednesday, Dec. 12, that municipal customers in Southern California are eligible for matching funds from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee.
The MSRC funds are available as part of an effort to reduce harmful emissions produced by fleet vehicles within the South Coast Air Quality Management District. More than 150 municipalities in Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties are eligible to apply for a 50 percent matching on the cost of Networkfleet hardware through March 28.
Networkcar’s Networkfleet product is designed to wirelessly monitor GPS location and engine diagnostic information directly from a vehicle’s onboard diagnostic (OBD-II) system. The technology allows fleet managers to log in to a secure website to view idle time, engine status, GPS location and emissions data for each vehicle in the fleet, 24/7. Networkfleet improves air quality by continuously monitoring emissions as well as reducing engine idle time, unnecessary vehicle use and speeding, the company says.
Rather than checking emissions every two years at a smog check facility, Networkfleet customers can enroll in a free, remote smog check service through the State of California. By instantly identifying vehicles that are out of compliance, remote emissions monitoring is less expensive and more effective at reducing emissions than normal smog checks, according to the company.
“Reducing air pollution as quickly as possible is always a priority,” says MSRC Chair Gwenn Norton-Perry. “We’re excited to be encouraging more widespread use of a technology that enables fleet managers to spot emissions control problems anywhere in their fleet much sooner than normal and fix them right away.”
The MSRC Matching Funds program is part of a new round of Clean Transportation Funding available exclusively for municipalities in the SCAQMD region. With this new funding, MSRC will assist municipal governments in equipping their fleet vehicles with automated fleet management and vehicle diagnostics devices.
“Networkcar is leading the way in emissions monitoring to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases in California and other states,” says Keith Schneider, president of San Diego-based Networkcar. “Our remote smog check service also saves fleets time and money by eliminating physical smog checks and improving vehicle maintenance.”
