**Here are two snippets about federal law, found at www.sema.org,
relevant to PHEV vehicle conversions:*

http://www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?ID=50096 *on vehicle
warranties in the presence of aftermarket parts:**

*The Law*

Federal law sets forth requirements for warranties and contains a number
of provisions to prevent vehicle manufacturers, dealers and others from
unjustly denying warranty coverage. With regard to aftermarket parts,
the spirit of the law is that warranty coverage cannot be denied simply
because such parts are present on the vehicle, or have been used*(see
Attachment A). <http://www.sema.org/Main/SemaOrgHome.aspx?ID=50100>*The
warranty coverage can be denied only if the aftermarket part caused the
malfunction or damage for which warranty coverage is sought. Disputes in
this area usually boil down to arguments over facts and technical
opinions, rather than arguments over interpretations of the law.

*_http://www.semasan.com/Main/Main.aspx?ID=61700_* on federal law
regarding crash testing of vehicles completed by a second manufacturer:
*_
Certifying Vehicles Built in Two or More Stages:_* In February 2005,
NHTSA issued a final rule designed to make it more practical for
multi-stage vehicle manufacturers and alterers to certify their vehicles
when they do not have the ability to perform the same crash tests or
other engineering studies as the large vehicle manufacturers. Examples
of multistage or altered vehicles would include converted vans,
recreational vehicles, specialized trucks, and dealer modified
vehicles. NHTSA will allow the use of pass-through certification so
that it can be used not only for multi-stage vehicles based on
chassis-cabs, but also for those based on other types of incomplete
vehicles. NHTSA has also established a new process under which
intermediate and final-stage manufacturers and alterers can obtain
temporary exemptions from dynamic performance requirements. These
manufacturers and alterers will also be given an automatic one year of
additional lead time for new safety requirements, unless NHTSA deems a
longer or shorter time period more appropriate. The rule becomes
effective on September 1, 2006.

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Ron Gremban, rgremban@...
California Cars Initiative, a nonprofit organization:
http://www.CalCars.org
Moderator & Technical Lead
http://www.priusplus.org
PRIUS+ PHEV Conversion Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/priusplus
Newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news
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