Heavy-duty diesel engine maker Caterpillar, Peoria, Ill., gained U.S. EPA certification for its new fleet of mass transit bus, emergency vehicle and vocational class truck engines, approval that helps move the company toward long-awaited compliance with strict federal nitrogen oxide emission standards.
Caterpillar's C9 engine is the first in its line to reach the NOx and non-methane hydrocarbon emission standards of 2.5 grams per brakehorse power (g/bhp) and particulate matter threshold of .05 g/bhp. An EPA official said the Caterpillar engine's NOx test came in at 2.3 g/bhp while its PM test easily complied at .004 g/bhp.
Caterpillar will continue to pay non-conformance penalties while it awaits EPA certification for at least six more Advanced Combustion Emission Reduction Technology (ACERT) engine types, including its long-haul engines. The company plans to wrap up the approval process by the end of the year, and will pay penalties on the newly certified engine line until it reaches the production phase in March.
Cummins was the first engine maker to gain full EPA certification, unveiling its new Exhaust Gas Recirculation engine technology last spring. Other companies, like Detroit Diesel, Mack Trucks, Volvo Truck Corp. and Renault Vehicles Industries, followed Cummins' lead over the 2002 summer and fall.
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