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glider (automobiles)

{{Short description|Vehicle without a powertrain}}

{{More citations needed|date=September 2014}}

In the United States, with regard to automobiles, a glider is a vehicle without a powertrain (especially without an engine). Gliders are generally sold as unused car bodies, but a second-hand car may also be stripped of its powertrain and sold as a glider. The purpose of such a vehicle is to be used as a base for a non-standard powertrain, to create a novel variation of a conventional vehicle, custom car, exotic vehicle, or homemade electric vehicle conversion. The term is analogous to an aircraft with no engine being a glider.

Glider kit

A glider kit is a term for a kit used to restore or reconstruct a wrecked or dismantled truck or tractor unit. All glider kits include a frame, front axle, and body (cab). The kit may also contain other optional components.

A motor vehicle constructed from a glider kit is titled as a new vehicle in the United States.{{Citation needed|date=November 2018}} An exception to this is the state of Georgia where, when issued, for a tractor cab restored with a glider kit will always be branded "Rebuilt".{{Cite web |url=http://motor.etax.dor.ga.gov/motor/TitleSection/ts_Rebuilt.aspx |title=What is needed to apply for a title for a vehicle that has been rebuilt or restored? |access-date=2014-07-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714122028/http://motor.etax.dor.ga.gov/motor/TitleSection/ts_Rebuilt.aspx |archive-date=2014-07-14 |url-status=dead }}{{Failed verification|date=December 2023}}

Glider truck

A glider truck is manufactured in the United States using a new frame from an original equipment manufacturer and a glider kit. A "pre-emissions" engine which does not meet current EPA emissions standards for a new tractor trailer may be installed. The required exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) technology is replaced by an older engine which doesn't have it, called a "pre-EGR engine."{{cite web |title=About Fitzgerald Glider Kits |url=https://www.fitzgeraldgliderkits.com/about-fitzgerald/ |website=fitzgeraldgliderkits.com |publisher=Fitzgerald Truck Sales |accessdate=July 15, 2018 |quote=We offer Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner and Western Star Glider Kits with pre-emission Detroit, Cummins, and Caterpillar engine options. This process creates a reliable, more fuel efficient truck that requires less maintenance, yields less downtime and has the safety features and amenities owners have come to expect in trucks on the road today |archive-date=August 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829073021/https://www.fitzgeraldgliderkits.com/about-fitzgerald/ |url-status=live }}

Production of heavy duty glider trucks was estimated to be 10,000 in 2015, 4% of all sales. An Obama-era limit on production of 300 units yearly was lifted by the Trump administration. This change by the EPA was widely condemned by environmental groups{{cite news |author1=Eric Lipton |title='Super Polluting' Trucks Receive Loophole on Pruitt's Last Day |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/06/us/glider-trucks-loophole-pruitt.html |accessdate=July 15, 2018 |work=The New York Times |date=July 6, 2018 |quote=glider trucks, which use old engines built before new technologies significantly reduced emissions of particulates and nitrogen oxide |archive-date=July 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707135938/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/06/us/glider-trucks-loophole-pruitt.html |url-status=live }} and was withdrawn by Scott Pruitt's interim replacement facing the prospect of a likely loss in court.{{cite news|author1=Juliet Eileperin|title='EPA reverses course, says it will enforce stricter pollution limits for glider trucks'|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/epa-reverses-course-says-it-will-enforce-stricter-pollution-limits-for-glider-trucks/2018/07/26/705ff4ee-9144-11e8-8322-b5482bf5e0f5_story.html|accessdate=July 27, 2018|date=July 26, 2018|archive-date=July 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727054045/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/epa-reverses-course-says-it-will-enforce-stricter-pollution-limits-for-glider-trucks/2018/07/26/705ff4ee-9144-11e8-8322-b5482bf5e0f5_story.html|url-status=live}}

Used glider

One can obtain a glider by modifying a used car. Parts removed from the vehicle include:

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See also

References

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Category:Modified vehicles