International Truck and Engine Corp. announced Wednesday, Oct. 31, that MaxxForce brand diesel engines will meet the stringent U.S. federal 2010 emissions standards for all its core applications without the use of selective catalytic reduction systems.
The Warrenville, Ill.-based company says its strategy is designed to provide customer-driven solutions to reduce costs and maintenance needs for buyers of International brand vehicles when the next Environmental Protection Agency on-highway emissions standards take effect.
International says it has spent years studying and evaluating SCR, an emissions aftertreatment technology that involves additional vehicle hardware, sensors, electronic calibrations and the use of urea injection, which will require a North American delivery infrastructure to be operationally mature when 2010 vehicles are on the road. While the company has found SCR to be a way to effectively meet 2010 emissions standards, it adds to the cost and complexity of use of commercial vehicles for truck and bus fleet operators.
“I have publicly been an advocate of customer-friendly emissions control solutions which do not add additional costs to our truck and bus customers,” says Daniel C. Ustian, Navistar chairman, president and chief executive officer. “While SCR is a means to achieve the NOx reduction requirement for 2010, it comes with a steep cost to our customers. Our ability to achieve our goals without adding customer cost and inconvenience is a competitive advantage for International.”
Instead of SCR, International intends to address 2010 emissions requirements for its core applications through an advanced fuel system, air management, combustion and controls. In addition, no incremental NOx aftertreatment beyond the current technology will be required on any core International on-highway application in 2010, the company says; all MaxxForce on-highway diesel engines used in International’s core applications will be fully certified to the EPA 2010 emissions standards.
“This approach will best serve our core customers who value reduced product and service complexity as well as business planning continuity through another period of industry uncertainty,” says Jack Allen, president of International Engine Group. “Coming so soon after 2007 EPA standards, which mandated new engines and aftertreatment systems that drove up the price of commercial vehicles, 2010 promises to be a less taxing time for International customers.”
Today, MaxxForce engine-powered International brand commercial trucks and IC brand buses in North America offer proven air- and fuel-management technologies, exhaust-gas recirculation systems and advanced aftertreatment systems necessary to deliver uncompromised performance while meeting stringent ’07 emissions standards for on-highway diesel engines, the company says.
“International’s longstanding record of innovation in the area of maintaining the performance advantage of diesel while addressing the environmental needs of society has driven International to develop best-in-class solutions in the areas of combustion, fuel system integration, air management and electronic controls,” says Dr. Helmut Endres, vice president engineering and product development for International Engine Group. “This level of expertise will again be evident in not burdening our customers with SCR aftertreatment.”