Thanks to its widespread use and low emissions, the Ford ECOnetic lineup of cars, which are focused on low CO₂ emissions, got an OekoGlobe 2008 award in Germany. The award, given in the category of "mass produced car," was designed by environmental artist HA Schult. The ceremony took place at the DEVK insurance building in Cologne, Germany. Ford started its lineup of ECOnetic cars last February and the name is derived from ECOlogy and kiNETIC, the design theme that Ford is using for its latest creations. The first model to spot this label was the Focus, with a 1.6-liter diesel engine, a diesel particulate filter (DPF), fuel consumption of 4.3 l/100 km (55 mpg U.S.) and CO₂ emissions of 115 g/km. There's also a Ford Mondeo ECOnetic that emits 139 g/km and an upcoming Fiesta spotting 98 g/km. This is not the first time Ford has won this award; last year the company won thanks to its flex-fuel powertrains.

[Source: Ford Germany]

Subaru is slowly expanding his diesel availability in Europe. Fitted with the marque's signature boxer diesel cylinder (the only I can think of in a modern production vehicle), this diesel powertrain has been already available for a few months for the Legacy and Outback models. Following the Paris Motor Show, the engine will also be found under the hoods of Impreza and Forester models. The diesel Impreza gets 150hp and has CO₂ emission levels of 152 g/km, while the Forester develops 147hp and has CO₂ emission levels of 167 g/km. Both cars get new 6-speed gearboxes as well as Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) fitted as standard. Subaru will also showcase two additional models in Paris, the G4e and R1e, which we've already seen at other motor shows.

[Source: Le Blog Auto]

Italian company Pirelli is best known for making high performance tires, but now it is making efforts in emissions technology. The Italian government announced an agreement between the Ministry of Environmental Affairs and the City Council of Beijing, China. Pirelli will supply diesel particulate filter systems (DPF) to be installed on heavy duty vehicles (mainly buses, but also trucks and later snowploughs and tractors). The vehicles are used by the local public transportation company and the filters are able to eliminate 95 percent of particulate emissions. The first filter systems will be installed before the start of the Olympics, and the rest after the summer. Pirelli's technology can be retrofitted to most existing models. Pirelli has been offering the retrofit filter systems for sale in Europe since the beginning of 2008 in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Britain. The filters are currently made in Gorj, Romania, and will also be produced in a new plant in Russia.

[Source: The Auto Channel]

The Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan will honor Mazda next month for the automaker's research into combustion of catalysts in diesel particulate filters (DPFs). Mazda's goal, unsurprisingly, is to design future DPFs that burn up exhaust soot and other particulates better. Mazda's winning research looked at how a catalysts' oxygen exchange characteristics affect particle combustion, and the company has discovered ways to get the DPFs to clean the exhaust better. This is all lab work for now, but Mazda says that the discovery could lead to better DPFs in both automobiles - the Mazda2 diesel, we'd like to think, and whatever vehicles get Mazda's upcoming common-rail direct injection diesel turbo diesel engines - and general diesel engines in the future. More details after the jump.

In a back corner of Cobo Hall during the SAE Congress this week, we came upon the Emitec booth featuring the company's line of diesel filters. We spoke with Markus Downey, an application engineer at Emitec, about what makes these filters different from others on the market, and you can listen to our talk by clicking on the audio widget player below.

Emitec produces a partial flow filter (as opposed to a wall flow filter) made of metal and uses a passively regenerated cleaning system. This means that the soot collected from the exhaust is catalytically combusted with NO₂ generated upstream in the engine. Downey explained that the benefit to this system is a more stable operating system, which makes it easier to be retrofitted. The DPFs can be used on large diesel engines (i.e., buses or trucks) or on diesel engines in smaller passenger cars. Some companies, like MAN, use Emitec filters as a first-fit. Downey said that most of the company's testing is done in Europe using ULSD, but he figures that a standardized biodiesel - should such a thing ever be widely available - would not pose a problem for the Emitec filters.



Emitec's press release is pasted after the jump. (UPDATE: updated release)

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently awarded GEO2 Technologies a grant of $185,000 to broaden the engine range on which GEO2's diesel particulate filters (DPFs) can be installed. I won't even pretend to understand how the GEO's "patented, cross-linked microstructure" helps these DPFs remove "99 percent of pollutants from diesel exhaust while achieving high fuel economy, emissions control and enhanced engine performance," but all that sounds like a good thing. There are more details in the release after the jump.

The money came from CARB's Innovative Clean Air Technologies (ICAT) program and will go to putting the filters on large off-road diesel engines and small hand-held engines, a project that will cost $370,000. The GEO2 CEO, Rob Lachenauer, said that the DPF microstructure will allow the units to be used on large and small engines and on diesel and gas engines. GPFs, anyone?

Related:

• GEO2 Technologies adds silicon carbide substrate to DPFs

[Source: GEO2]

Not long ago, we published a list of SUVs available in Germany with the highest mileage possible. But what about - at least on legal terms - how much CO₂ a car produces? Never fear. Auto-News has a list of the "cleanest" SUVs on sale in Germany (and I'd say most of the EU), all of them producing less than 200 g/km of CO₂, so it complements that previous list which had no information about CO₂. Just remember that automakers should have an average of 130 g/km in four years' time.

Most of these models are also available in the U.S. but, as usual, without the high-mileage diesel powerplants Europeans love. The list is after the jump. Vehicles with DPF (Diesel Particulate Filters) have these letters added to the marque and model. The picture above shows the SUV in the 20th position, the SsangYong Actyon 200 Xdi 4x2.

[Source: Auto-News]

Ford in the Netherlands has declared its campaign to retrofit older cars with DPFs (Diesel Particulate Filters) a success. More than 9,000 motorists chose to install the soot-reducing devices in their vehicles, and they got them almost for free: Ford reduced the price of the DPF so it would match the amount of the government's subsidy to install such devices in passenger cars. A similar promotion was held in Germany last September.

Retrofitting DPFs in your car is not an easy task to do (some would even say troublesome), but Ford reached a partnership with the Nederlandse Rijksdienst Wegverkeer (RDW) to officially approve the procedures. Starting January 1st, all diesel Fords sold in the Netherlands have a DPF installed as standard.

[Source: Ford Netherlands]

Spaniards will have what I think is a pleasant surprise in Seat's new 2008 car tariffs for Spain. Under the new car tax regulations, taxes on low-polluting cars are reduced but Spaniards will still pay for VAT, 16 percent, and local road tax. To take advantage of the low taxes, Seat has priced the new Ibiza Ecomotive quite nicely.

The Seat Ibiza Ecomotive, which promised to bring Europeans cheap access to low-polluting motoring, will be priced very close to the non-Ecomotive version. In its new price list for 2008, Seat is offering 3 Ibiza models that are exempted from Spain's tax: The 1.4 TDI 70 HP, the 1.4 TDI 80 HP and the Ecomotive. The only difference in the Ecomotive is the installation of low-rolling tires, minor aerodynamic tweaks and a Diesel Particulate Filter. With a price difference of just 835.75 EUR between the base models, the Ibiza Ecomotive seems to be quite a good deal for the Spanish market (although it's even better in places like the UK).

• 1.4 TDI 70CV REFERENCE (119 g of CO₂/km): 12.361,91 EUR
• 1.4 TDI 80CV REFERENCE (119 g of CO₂/km): 12.975,03 EUR
• 1.4 TDI 80 CV DPF ECOMOTIVE (99 g of CO₂/km): 13.810,78 EUR

Related:

• Seat Ibiza coming in April, not March and for £500 more
• Seat Ibiza Ecomotive deliveries start in March 2008, 99 g/km of CO₂
• SEAT announces green Ibiza Ecomotive

[Source: Seat (link is .pdf, in Spanish)]

General Motors has announced its Medium Duty Truck lineup for the 2007i (the i stands for interim) and 2008 model years feature increased performance, increased driver comfort and reduced diesel emissions. Included are an all-new Chevrolet and GMC W-Series, as well as revised diesel engines and exhaust systems to ensure GM medium-duty trucks meet new, more stringent federal and state of California diesel as emissions standards.

All models featuring diesel engines meet the new, 2007 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements for the reduction of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions by 90 percent over the previous (2004) diesel engine standards. NOx emissions have been reduced in the 5.2L, 6.6L and 7.8L diesel engines via an advanced exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system and a variable geometry turbocharger.

Particulate matter has been reduced via a ceramic honeycomb channel diesel particulate filter (DPF) which captures sulfate particles and soot. Exhaust gases are directed through the channels and a porous material that traps the particulates. To clear the particulates and prevent clogging, a regeneration process occurs to burn off the trapped particulates and clean the filter using high exhaust gas temperatures.

To meet the EPA regulation for lower diesel fuel sulfur emissions, GM-designed emissions systems work efficiently with the new fuels and lubricants. The 2007 emission regulations also require all crankcase gas emissions to be reduced. To comply, a closed crankcase system was added to reroute ventilation gases back into the engine for combustion.

Analysis: A lot of work has gone into meeting the 2007 EPA diesel engine requirements by GM and all the diesel engine manufacturers. Their costs to comply with the clean air rules is our benefit as every new diesel vehicle that retires an old diesel vehicle will see the air become cleaner and cleaner. With the work done now to meet 2007 regs, GM and others can turn their research and development over to even more advanced green technology such as diesel-electric hybrids.

Read the complete press release after the jump.

Related:

• "EnviroFuels offers the first ever EPA-verified, patented technology that drastically reduces fuel costs and emissions with minimal capital costs"
• Wal-Mart orders diesel-electric hybrid truck prototype from ArvinMeritor
• First 2007 Caterpillar Engine with ACERT Technology begins production

[Source: GM]