ArvinMeritor’s New Suite of Clean Air Solutions Meet Stringent New Emissions Standards
Advanced technologies help fleet operators,
OEMs and engine makers face challenges
TROY, Mich., (June 11,
2004) — ArvinMeritor, Inc. (NYSE:
ARM) today introduced a broad portfolio of innovative Clean Air
Solutions to help North American fleet operators and original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs) face strict new emission standards scheduled to take effect
in 2007 and 2010. The global automotive supplier, with more than 90 years
of design, manufacturing and integration expertise for light and commercial
vehicles, has developed an emissions management product line to meet the needs
of its commercial vehicle customers.
“Increasingly stringent emission regulations around
the world are a major concern for fleets, operators and the manufacturers from
whom they purchase trucks and tractors,” said Tom Gosnell, president of
ArvinMeritor’s Commercial Vehicle Systems business group. “ArvinMeritor is
uniquely positioned to provide effective solutions for emissions
management. We have made tremendous progress in the last 18 months in
applying our experience and expertise in exhaust emission solutions in light
vehicles to commercial vehicles.
“This is, without question, the most exciting
synergy that has come out of the ArvinMeritor legacy. We’re a major
player, and these products are highly complementary to our complete drivetrain
system, Drivetrain Plus, that we’ve offered since ’92,” Gosnell
added.
Responding to the need to reduce particulate matter
(PM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx), ArvinMeritor has developed a portfolio of
solutions that can be tailored to specific applications of every engine builder
and truck OEM. This portfolio includes:
For Particulate Matter
- Thermal Regenerator - Available now for retrofit; 2007
for OEM. Actively regenerates the filter, using diesel fuel as a heat
source
- Catalyzed Diesel Particulate Filter - Available in
2007. Meets EPA 2007 PM emissions standards
For NOx
- Selective Catalytic Reduction -
Available 2005 in Europe; 2007 in United States. Assists the catalytic
reduction of the NOx on an ongoing basis, when liquid urea supplied from a
separate tank is metered into the exhaust stream
- NOx Filters enabled through ArvinMeritor’s
Plasma Fuel Reformer technology - Available in 2010.
Hydrogen-rich gas is generated onboard and on demand, using the vehicle’s
diesel fuel as a source and supplied directly to the NOx trap, as
required. The hydrogen-rich gas has proven to be an outstandingly
efficient regenerator of the trap.
For Hydrocarbons
- Diesel Oxidation Catalysts -
Available now. A catalyst in the exhaust system removes up to 90 percent
of hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions.
The company has signed contracts to supply a major
North American commercial truck manufacturer with PM diesel exhaust filters to
satisfy the 2007 standards, and has signed similar supply contracts with a
number of diesel engine manufacturers. In addition, ArvinMeritor was
recently awarded supply contracts for the SCR system to IVECO (Turin, Italy) and
another major European commercial vehicle manufacturer.
ArvinMeritor has also announced plans with Gillig
Corporation, based in Hayward, Calif. and one of North America’s largest
producers of transit buses, to collaborate on the development and testing of new
emission control technologies for the North American transit bus industry.
Through the partnership, the two companies will first introduce technologies
designed to reduce PM and NOx emissions, which are common pollutants in
urban areas. These technologies are ArvinMeritor’s Thermal Regenerator,
which is ideally suited to solving the filter regeneration issues normally
related to duty-cycle of transit buses, and ArvinMeritor’s Plasma Fuel
Reformer. The Plasma Fuel Reformer produces on-demand hydrogen gas that
can be used reduce NOx to levels compatible with the U.S. 2010 requirements,
when applied to 2004 model diesel engines.
“These contracts and developmental programs reflect
our customers’ confidence in our technology and our abilities to offer emission
solutions that meet their needs,” Gosnell said. “Our customers depend on
us to deliver, and we do.”
The Clear Air Solutions products will be supported
by the company’s strong and highly respected North American Field Organization –
a group of close to 100 sales and service professionals. The organization
serves fleets and dealers with specification and product information, as well as
provides service troubleshooting diagnostics.
Background
The 2007 and 2010
U.S. regulations for the commercial vehicle industry demand PM and NOx emissions
to be reduced by 90 percent to 95 percent from current levels. Similarly
stricter European standards will be mandated in 2005 and 2008. It is
expected that, to comply, all manufacturers will need to implement a combination
of exhaust after-treatment systems with engine design and control changes.
ArvinMeritor’s core expertise in exhaust systems management revolves around four
factors: the control of thermal stresses; the distribution flow of gases
through a filter; the control of the acoustic signature unique to each
manufacturer; and the development of rugged and long-lasting mounting
systems.
ArvinMeritor also is working closely with fleet
operators to validate and test real-world applications of its Clean Air
Solutions technologies for 2007 applications. For instance, it is
equipping five long-haul trucks operated by a major truckload motor carrier with
the ArvinMeritor Thermal Regenerator diesel PM filter. Automatically
controlled by a “smart” electronically controlled system, the Thermal
Regenerator uses diesel fuel as a heat source to actively eliminate PM trapped
in the filter.
The motor carrier’s test will provide us invaluable
information and insight into the performance and operation of the Thermal
Regenerator – early in the process. The test will also provide thorough
data on reliability, fuel economy and emissions improvements,” said
Gosnell. “We are expecting to implement many more fleet tests in the next
two years.”
ArvinMeritor’s Plasma Fuel Reformer is an
exclusive, breakthrough technology that has enormous potential in enabling
future diesel and gasoline exhaust emission solutions. The Plasma Fuel
Reformer uses an electrical current – more specifically an electrical plasma arc
– to partially combust a mixture of air and hydrocarbon fuel to create a
hydrogen-rich gas.
“The Plasma Fuel Reformer has been co-developed
with MIT, and ArvinMeritor has exclusivity on its use for licensed
applications,” Gosnell said. “Our competitive advantage is that we will
create hydrogen onboard, on demand. There will be no requirement for
hydrogen tanks onboard the vehicle, no storage required and no need for
nationwide infrastructure distribution. That hydrogen can be used in many
ways to improve exhaust emissions.
“We expect the first applications will be in
commercial vehicles, such as the extremely efficient NOx traps we are developing
to meet the 2010 U.S. regulations. But we also see this technology
migrating to passenger car diesels and, eventually, to gasoline engines.”
The development of the Plasma Fuel Reformer
technology is supported, in part, by a grant from the State of Indiana 21st
Century Research and Technology Fund. (See separate News Release:
“Breakthrough ArvinMeritor Technology.”)
ArvinMeritor, Inc. is a premier $8-billion global
supplier of a broad range of integrated systems, modules and components to the
motor vehicle industry. The company serves light vehicle, commercial
truck, trailer and specialty original equipment manufacturers and related
aftermarkets. Headquartered in Troy, Mich., ArvinMeritor employs
approximately 32,000 people at more than 150 manufacturing facilities in 27
countries. ArvinMeritor common stock is traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the ticker symbol ARM. For more information, visit the
company’s Web site at: http://www.arvinmeritor.com/.
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