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CNC EuroTech leads the dash for gas he EU-funded project
Page 17
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Alter (Alternative lansport in Towns) is pushing ahead with its )1an for Low Emission Zones in cities and is low looking for suitable vehicles. As Gibb Grace eports, Iveco's EuroTech with an EEV gas !ngine seems to fit the bill perfectly...
150 European cities have signed 1ter's 'Declaration of Florence', cornlifting themselves to renewing their ehicle fleets, converting where feasible ) cleaner fuels, and introducing lowmission zones ( CM31 Jan-6 Feb).
Clearly low-emission zones cannot fork without low emission vehicles, and 6Iter Is switching its attention to procurig clean vehicles, It aims to find areas of onsensus among the cities and then get le vehicle manufacturers to provide uitable vehicles. The idea is to generate ufficient orders to reach 'critical mass' nd thus be able to reduce prices.
Iveco already offers a 'clean' CNGlowered truck chassis and Ken Moore, feco Ford's technical director, preanted it to 75 delegates at a recent Alter vorkshop held in Bristol, The EuroTech is Lilly type-approved for UK operation: the :hassis shown was a 6x2 rigid with a lift/steer rear axle. The 95-litre 84693 engine is rated at 261hp and produces 1,100Nm of torque. It uses stoichiometric combustion and a three-way catalytic converter, rather than lean-burn and an oxidation catalyst, but it beats the predicted Euro-5 emission levels, and importantly, it is available now.
The methane content of natural gas varies depending on where it comes from: this affects the air/fuel balance and thus the emissions, Iveco has added a Lambda control, which senses oxygen in the exhaust and changes the fuel/air mix
ture by altering the fuel injection period.
Diesel engines are currently certified using the European Steady State Cycle (ESC), but there is a move towards a transient test (ETC) which is more representative of stop-go city traffic. it is also regarded as more challenging, but is already in place for gas engines. All engines, including diesels, will have to be certified using the ETC by 2005.
Table 1 (above) gives the permitted pollutant levels up to Euro-5 (given for the ETC cycle, where possible-otherwise the ESC figure is shown), and also a level known as EEV (Environmentally Enhanced Vehicle). EEV-tougher than Euno-5--is not a legal requirement, but is a target for engine/vehicle manufacturers.
Iveco's gas engine beats the EEV target. Each cylinder has its own coil, spark plug and Oector; this control allows it to perform well in the transient test. Road tests in a bus have reinforced the results and shown that NOx is well controlled, even under acceleration.
Table 2 shows the emission balance of Iveco's EEV gas engine vs a Euro-3 diesel; it emphasises just how clean modern engines are.
Of the total emissions of today's best diesels, only 0.16% are controlled pollutants, and this drops to 0.13% for Iveco's EEV engine. But where the EEV really scores is on NOx and PM (particulate matter), which are down by 60 and 80% respectively.
Alter has already outlined its procurement procedure, and has established the Alter Procurement Consortium. According to Alter, the necessary funding is already available through the European Investment Bank-now it only remains to be seen if the cities can see it through to fruition.