In a recent test at an emissions lab/test center in Southern California, the first scientific test comparing emissions from a modern, so-called "clean" backpack debris blower (the Echo PB-500T) to those from a V-8 Ford Raptor Pickup truck was undretaken. The short video and article link are posted below; you can also watch the video under our Video section here on the Quiet Orinda website.

To summarize the test results:

"The two-stroke Echo leaf blower was worse still, generating 23 times the Carbon Monoxide and nearly 300 times more Non-methane Hydrocarbons than the Raptor crew cab pickup. Let's put that in perspective. To equal the hydrocarbon emissions of about a half-hour of yard work with this two-stroke leaf blower, you'd have to drive a Raptor for 3,887 miles, or the distance from Northern Texas to Anchorage, Alaska!

http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/features/emissions-test-car-vs-truck-vs-leaf-blower.html

Note: On our Videos section, you can watch the full test conducted at the AAA of Southern California's Emissions Testing Facility?

The two-stroke leaf blower was worse still, generating 23 times the CO and nearly 300 times more NMHC than the crew cab pickup. Let's put that in perspective. To equal the hydrocarbon emissions of about a half-hour of yard work with this two-stroke leaf blower, you'd have to drive a Raptor for 3,887 miles, or the distance from Northern Texas to Anchorage, Alaska.

Clearly, engine displacement plays little part in the concentrations of these pollutants. Consider that the Fiat 500 produced more than double the NOx and more than three times the hydrocarbons of the truck. A close look at the vehicles' underhood emissions labels sheds further light — the Fiat 500 is classed as LEV-II, whereas the Raptor in California trim is ULEV-II. The Raptor's emissions control equipment is simply more capable. It's only in the production of carbon dioxide (CO2) — not yet directly regulated by EPA or CARB — where the Raptor is the higher emitter.