Tenneco comes clean

According to Tenneco, tests showed that the Peugeot 607 HDi equipped with its diesel particulate filters emitted on average 10,000 times fewer particles than a comparable vehicle without a particulate filter.

According to a study published by J.D. Power-LMC Automotive Forecasting Services, diesel-powered light vehicles now account for 40% of new vehicle sales in Europe, with France in the lead at more than 60%. It is just a matter of time before the market share of diesels in North America starts to climb as well. Tenneco Automotive (Booth 2361) is poised to make the transition smoother. Its diesel particulate filters (DPF), which basically trap and then incinerate particulate matter, are already in several European vehicles from Citroën, Peugeot, and Fiat. And with the recent announcement that DaimlerChrysler has awarded the company the diesel aftertreatment business for a future platform in North America, it looks like they will be here soon, too.

"The regulations for 'green' and emissions control are a bit stronger in Europe," said Lois Boyd, Vice President, Global OE Program Management, Tenneco Automotive, during a press conference Monday. "You'll see companies like Ford, etc., trying to stay a step ahead of the regulations here, but European governments have really been pushing these [regulations]. And there's more of a green movement among the people there as well, so that's really why the [diesel engine] development has occurred [there]. PSA didn't need to have a DPF; they wanted it because they wanted to market a green vehicle."

Other than the engines here being somewhat bigger than those in Europe, the technology transfer from Europe to North America, and between the company's five engineering centers, is not expected to be a problem. "It's just a matter of what the OEMs are going to want as far as their own philosophy on their vehicles," said Boyd.

- Jean L. Broge

Engine advances needed, keynoter says

Tuesday morning's Keynote Speaker General Motor's Ned McClurg emphasized the need to look at all types of fuel-conserving alternatives.

Improvements in many diverse technologies will help automakers meet tighter fuel economy and emissions requirements, keynoter Ned McClurg predicted in his Tuesday morning keynote, The Future of Automotive Powerplants.

The challenge of tomorrow is to continue or even increase the advances of the past. "We have seen a 100% increase in average specific output in 25 years," said McClurg, Vice President and General Manager for Powertrain Engineering at General Motors.

McClurg focused on the need to look at all types of fuel-conserving alternatives, from diesel engines to hybrid vehicles and direct-injection gasoline engines. Society's ultimate goal is to reduce the total number of gallons of fuel consumed, he explained.

Advances in conventional technologies have provided significant benefits for society over the past three decades both in fuel economy and clean air. "In emissions, we have made a 1000 to one change in a 30-year time period," McClurg said.

While stressing the importance of continuing improvements, he also focused on today's hot technology, fuel cells. GM has been working on this technology for decades, but over the past four years, the rate of progress throughout the industry has picked up dramatically. Without putting a timetable on commercialization, he noted that GM and others "are committed to moving it along quickly," McClurg said.

One of the key enablers for fuel cells will be material science, while improvements in microprocessors, sensors, and actuators will also play a critical role. Other necessary advances include manufacturing processes and analytical tools.

The success of the fuel cell will require four winners. The customer and society/governments must come out ahead, while automotive and energy companies must make a profit, he said.

- Terry Costlow

Safety and low emissions from Ford

2004 F-150 box frame

As with the other OEMs exhibiting at the SAE 2003 World Congress, Ford Motor Co. decided to focus on real and immediate automotive technologies. Vehicle highlights at its booth (1653) are a display of F-150 offset crash performance, a PZEV (partial zero emissions vehicle) version of the Focus, and the Volvo XC90—AEI's Best Engineered Vehicle for 2003.

Ford says the new F-150 was engineered with an uncompromising focus on safety. In the demanding Insurance Institute for Highway Safety offset frontal crash test, the company expects the new F-150 to earn high marks based on internal measurements. It also will be Ford's first vehicle to meet the stringent new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208—an updated series of federal requirements that now includes airbag and offset crash performance. In offset frontal crashes, the impact primarily affects only one side, placing a premium on the performance of energy-absorbing structures such as the bumper beam and frame rails. The new F-150's hydroformed front frame rails are built with computer-designed horns to help manage crash forces. In an impact, these areas of the frame are designed to collapse in an accordion fashion, dissipating energy before it reaches the passenger compartment.

2003 Focus PZEV

The 2003 Focus PZEV meets California's stringent partial zero emissions standard without performance, fun-to-drive, or economical sacrifices on the part of its owners, according to Ford. To achieve these goals, company engineers concentrated on careful design of the combustion chambers of the car's new I4 engine, coupled with sophisticated electronic controls. The 2.3-L I4 has more power and torque than the current Focus engine, and the vehicle has more than 100 new parts aimed at eliminating fuel evaporation.

The 2003 Volvo XC90 sport-utility vehicle is Volvo's first attempt at a mid-size premium SUV. The vehicle has no fewer than five automotive world firsts. These include Roll Stability Control (RSC), which is designed to assist the driver in maintaining control and help prevent the XC90 from rolling over. RSC is an active stability enhancement system utilizing gyroscopic sensors to determine roll speed and angle. An impending unsafe terminal angle (the angle in which a roll over is imminent) triggers the XC90's standard Dynamic Stability Traction Control (DSTC) system, which reduces power and/or brakes the necessary wheels to induce an understeer situation until driver control is regained.