Ford Will Continue NOx Traps for Some Diesels

Ford Motor Co. is launching its first application of an advanced selective catalytic reduction (SCR) aftertreatment system this year with its new 2.0-liter EcoBlue 4-cylinder diesel engine in Europe. But the carmaker plans to continue to use less effective nitrogen oxide traps in some smaller diesel mills.

Which technology is used will depend on vehicle weight and load, Joe Bakaj, who heads Ford of Europe’s product development efforts, tells Automotive News Europe. A 1.5-liter EcoBlue variant will be available with either SCR or lean NOx trap technologies, he says.

Ford boasts the new 2.0-liter engine is 13% more fuel efficient than the 2.2-liter diesel it replaces. The new mill also reduces exhaust emissions by 10%, which the carmaker says will allow it to easily meet Euro 6 emissions standards that begin this autumn.

Although more effective at curbing emissions, SCR systems are more expensive and complex. They inject urea into the exhaust stream from a small tank that owners must refill periodically.

The switch to SCR systems has accelerated since Volkswagen was caught rigging software last year to help millions of its diesel engines with NOx traps meet emission standards. The carmaker says it is now converting to SCR systems “as fast as possible” in Europe and the U.S. PSA Group also has begun equipping its diesel engines with SCR systems.

Frost and Sullivan predicts SCR systems will be installed in 34% of new diesel-powered vehicles in Europe by 2012, compared with just 8% in 2014. SCR devices can eliminate as much as 90% of NOx emissions, the U.K.-based market research firm notes.