Foreign Affairs
A report from the Hannover show in Germany, where all the talk was about emissions.
Rolf Lockwood
Contributing Editor
Walking around the world's biggest truck show is an exercise in blister control. Yours truly wore the most comfortable shoes in the closet, a somewhat worn but still serviceable pair of Rockports, but I was hobbling within a couple of days.
In fact, the IAA International Commercial Vehicles Show in Hannover, Germany, is so big that some journalists bring folding bicycles to help them move around efficiently. There are even shuttle buses to haul folks from building to building within the fairgrounds.
Among the visitors was a group of 20 or so Canadian fleet and supplier people led by the Canadian Trucking Alliance. There were other similar groups from Russia, China and elsewhere - all looking for the secret to transport efficiency.
By all accounts the Canadians were impressed by the very high technologies in European safety systems and by the profusion of disc brakes (you're hard pressed to find an S-cam brake in Europe these days).
But it was emission controls that stole the show.
Just about every truck on display - and there were more than 40 of them in the two huge Mercedes-Benz halls alone - sported new emissions hardware to meet the Euro 4 rules that go into effect in 2006.
SCR for Euro 4
As of October 2006, the so-called Euro 4 emissions standard goes into effect across Europe, and nearly every heavy-duty truck manufacturer has chosen selective catalytic reduction (SCR) as the technology answer.
Euro 4 is roughly equivalent to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard that we'll see over here in 2007. It will reduce the nitrous oxide content in diesel emissions by 30% and particulate content by 80% compared with current Euro 3 legislation. In 2009 the even more stringent Euro 5 standards will apply, but most European engine makers agree that - with further development - SCR will work then too.
"SCR is a technology that will enable us to adhere to future exhaust emission standards going beyond Euro 4 through a systematic process of further development, while at the same time optimizing fuel consumption. I am sure SCR will allow us to provide our customers with long-term benefits as far as life-cycle costs are concerned," said Dr. Eckhard Cordes, DaimlerChrysler's commercial vehicles chief at the time, in announcing his company's decision to go with SCR back in 2002.
By injecting an aqueous urea solution - called AdBlue in Europe - into the exhaust stream (metered by the engine's electronic control), the SCR catalytic converter is able to convert toxic nitrous oxides into harmless products found naturally in the air, namely nitrogen and water vapor. The AdBlue solution, carried in a separate tank, is non-toxic, simple to handle and presents no problems for the driver. There's a cost for the urea, of course, but it's offset by fuel-economy gains - fuel consumption in SCR vehicles drops by as much as 6% compared to Euro 3 models, manufacturers say.
Compare that to the opposite effect that exhaust-gas recirculation technology has had on North American diesel engines post-2002. The SCR option was rejected by the EPA for 2002-04 engines over here, and not all engine makers disagreed. The reasons had mostly to do with infrastructure - every diesel filling station and cardlock would have to have a urea pump as well - but cost was also a factor. It will work in Europe in part because urea is inexpensive compared to the high price of fuel, but the differential is presently much less in North America (see sidebar). Many people speculate that SCR could work for our 2010 standard, when less urea would be needed and the price of fuel will likely have risen further.
With the Euro 4 rules, Ad-Blue consumption will be around 6% of diesel consumption. In a long-haul truck, this represents less than 2 liters per 100 km. Given a typical urea tank capacity of 100 liters, a truck's range should be more than 5,000 km.
SCR technology has been used - and proven - for several decades in steady-state stationary engines, but it hasn't necessarily been a slam dunk for truck diesels. Packaging issues have been huge, for instance - where do you fit the urea tank and catalytic converter? There isn't much room along the frame rails on a European truck. Mercedes V6 and V8 engines have undergone extensive modifications, like all the others, from new materials for the block and a new sealant and mounting concepts, to the reworked injection system.
Some Want EGR
DAF, Iveco, Mercedes-Benz, Renault and Volvo - representing around 80% of the European truck market - have gone with SCR, and most will start selling them in January, ramping up the full line prior to the 2006 deadline.
Among the advantages they cite are the fact that an SCR system is maintenance-free and designed for the entire life of the vehicle. It has no effect on service and oil-change intervals, and of course there's reduced fuel consumption.
But German truck-builder MAN will meet Euro 4 by way of external cooled EGR with a particulate trap, and Scania will also use cooled EGR on its in-line five- and six-cylinder engines, choosing SCR for its big V8. Both truck makers are offering some Euro 4 engines right now, far in advance of the deadline, and they introduced them at the Hannover show. Common-rail fuel injection is a key in each case.
MAN says Euro 4 limits are met with a small consumption gain over comparable Euro 3 engines. Other advantages: The system is maintenance-free; needs no additional fluid and thus doesn't depend on the AdBlue infrastructure; no restrictions on space and maximum fuel-tank capacity is retained; and there's a weight advantage of up to 150 kg compared to the SCR solution.
For Euro 5, MAN is going for SCR technology, but it warns that an adequate AdBlue infrastructure must be created. As well, it says, technical and legal questions must be clarified in order to prevent malfunction or abuse of SCR systems.
Scania was first on the block with an engine certified for Euro 4, a cooled-EGR 420 with compound turbochargers and high-pressure fuel injection (Scania HPI) in production as of September. Euro 4 emission levels are met without any aftertreatment - emissions are tackled at source, inside the combustion chamber - and with no adverse effect on fuel economy, the company says. For its full range of inline engines set for fall 2005, Scania will continue with EGR and high-pressure fuel injection. It's a different story with the company's big V8 diesels. To ensure adequate cooling capacity, they'll get SCR to achieve Euro 4.
From 2006, Scania will offer three Euro 5 engines based on SCR technology, one output in each of its 5-, 6- and 8-cylinder ranges.
The full range of Euro 5 engines will hit market well ahead of 2009, and for this step the company will introduce a new common-rail-based injection system (Scania XPI for extra high pressure injection).
All of these Euro 5 engines, inline as well as V8, will have Scania XPI, EGR and oxidizing catalysts.
There are compelling incentives for delivering Euro 4 and Euro 5 engines ahead of the deadline. In Germany, for example, a toll system for commercial vehicles - covering all roads - will be launched in January, but trucks meeting Euro 4 standards will get a break - they'll pay 10 instead of 12 euro cents per kilometer. In the Netherlands, more favorable depreciation rates will be the reward. Similar incentives to use environmentally friendly technology are expected in other European countries as well.
There's a lesson in there for North America.
Emissions Authority continued...
