BLUETEC
THE FUTURE DEMANDS MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGIES
The automobile remains the greatest guarantor of individual mobility. However, it faces daunting technical and social challenges. Every manufacturer must find creative answers to the constantly increasing demands of their customers. In addition to modern vehicle performance and high-quality workmanship, customers’ wishes for environmentally friendly, economical vehicles are growing. This gives the term “quality” a new dimension.
Volkswagen has taken a leading position in the area of research and development in Europe. The focus of the Group’s work in this area includes projects on lowering CO2, particle and nitric oxide (NOx) emissions. The primary goal is to enhance proven engine and filter technologies, making it possible to build lower-emission, more energy efficient automobiles.
An innovative and advanced system that keeps CO2 emissions particularly low while at the same time avoiding 90% of NOx emissions will soon be introduced to the market: the “Clean TDI”.
CLEAN TDI: EXPANDING IN THE UNITED STATES WITH STATE-OF-THE ART DIESEL TECHNOLOGY
“Clean TDI” is an especially clean, low-consumption diesel engine by Volkswagen that meets the toughest emissions standards – even in the US. The diesel engine has great potential in this key market. In order to leverage this potential, Volkswagen, Audi and DaimlerChrysler have developed “BLUETEC” as an overarching diesel engine brand. Our aim is to leverage the “BLUETEC” label to significantly increase the use of diesel engines in the United States and gain market share there.
In the case of nitric oxide, Volkswagen’s Clean TDI demonstrates how innovative technical expertise can be harnessed to find solutions that are customized to suit different vehicle classes. We are testing a NOx catalytic converter for sub-Passat class models that absorbs nitric oxides like a sponge, achieving a very high degree of effectiveness. It is self-cleaning. The extremely low-sulfur fuel needed for the catalytic converter was introduced in the US on a large scale on October 15, 2006.
We use the SCR catalytic converter (SCR = selective catalytic reduction) in the larger series models. The safe, odorless and biologically degradable “AdBlue” additive, which converts nitric oxides into nitrogen and water, is added to this as a central element. The driver incurs no extra effort here – the additive is simply refilled by the workshop at inspections.
Diesel engines are winning over more and more customers today with their qualities: powerful torque, agility, robustness and, above all, lower fuel consumption in comparison with petrol engines. Good reasons, then, for experts to anticipate that by 2015, over 15% of new car registrations in North America will be for vehicles with diesel engines. This will benefit Volkswagen.