Diesel News

CHICAGO, Jan. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 hosted the first meeting of its Midwest Clean Diesel Leadership Group today in Chicago. The group of 32 public-sector and private- industry organizations shares the goal of cutting emissions from one million diesel engines in the region by 2010.

The Leadership Group is co-chaired by Cummins Inc., Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio Environmental Council and EPA Region 5.

“EPA helped form the Leadership Group to accelerate efforts toward cleaner air,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator Mary A. Gade. “Cleaning up diesel emissions in this country will take a concerted, collaborative effort of public and private organizations, and this group will bring greater visibility, energy and resources to this effort.”

“From schoolchildren to truck drivers, millions of Americans are exposed everyday to dangerous emissions from America’s aging fleet of diesel-powered vehicles and heavy equipment,” said Staci R. Putney McLennan, director of clean air programs at the Ohio Environmental Council. “The good news is that cost-effective pollution-control technologies are available. We look forward to collaborating with industry and government representatives to tackle this important challenge.”

“We look forward to sharing the strategies and approaches we have used in Illinois with our colleagues from other Midwestern states,” said Illinois EPA Director Doug Scott. “We are also interested in learning about strategies others have found effective, as well as how we all can maximize the clean air benefits from the ongoing technological advances.”

“This initiative is about fostering a collaborative environment where we all work together for cleaner communities,” said Brian Mormino, director of government relations for Cummins Inc. “Cummins is pleased to step forward with our public and private partners to lead this effort. We have made a significant investment to meet EPA’s emissions standards for new engines and know that we can accomplish much more by leveraging our relationships to address those already in operation today.”

EPA created the Midwest Clean Diesel Initiative to reduce emissions from older, existing diesel engines not covered by EPA’s stringent standards for cleaner fuels and new, cleaner engines. MCDI estimates that more than 3 million diesel engines in the Midwest would benefit from the use of cleaner fuels and idle-reduction and diesel-retrofit technologies and strategies. These include rebuilding, re-powering, replacing, refueling and retrofitting these engines with emission control devices. Already, the public-private partnership has undertaken more than $30 million in projects, affecting 350,000 engines, and reducing air pollution by more than 3.5 million pounds per year.

Diesel emissions contain large amounts of nitrogen oxides and fine particles (soot). Nitrogen oxides are precursors of ozone (smog), which is a lung irritant, and fine particles can aggravate respiratory and heart diseases. EPA has found that fine particles from diesel engines are a leading public health risk in the Midwest.

More information on Midwest Clean Diesel Initiative and the MCDI Leadership Group is at http://www.epa.gov/midwestcleandiesel/ .

QUOTES FROM THE MIDWEST CLEAN DIESEL LEADERSHIP GROUP

New clean diesel technology completely changes the way people view diesel. The Midwest Clean Diesel Initiative is taking the lead to increase the adoption of clean diesel technologies to dramatically reduce emissions by 90 percent in older trucks and buses.

Patrick Charbonneau, Vice President of Government Relations
International Truck and Engine Corporation

We are pleased and honored to be a part of this group and share its focus on partnership and real, measurable environmental and health outcomes for the region. This kind of recognition and support by EPA is especially critical for Minnesota proactively to stay ahead of air quality problems and to comply with all federal air quality standards. We applaud EPA’s foresight and dedication in launching this comprehensive effort to address a major regional air quality problem like diesel emissions.

Bill Droessler, Clean Air Minnesota Director
Minnesota Environmental Initiative

As the crossroads of America, Indiana has a significant interest in improving air quality while facilitating the increased movement of goods necessary for our growing economy. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is honored to be part of the Midwest Clean Diesel Leadership Group. The initiative is an excellent example of a public/private partnership to harness the power of the marketplace to improve both the economy and the environment in Indiana and the entire Midwest.

Thomas Easterly, Commissioner
Indiana Department of Environmental Management

Our partners are making a difference in the Midwest in improving the quality of life by reducing air pollution.

Carl Lisek, South Shore Clean Cities Inc.

The diesel industry is proud to be an active participant in the Midwest Clean Diesel Leadership Group. The diversity of supporters stepping forward to join together for this program speaks volumes about the universal agreement that cleaner diesel means cleaner air for all of us, and the industry is committed to doing its part. Opportunities for upgrading the existing diesel fleet are now greater than ever, and diesel retrofit programs have proven time and again to be one of the most cost-effective ways we can reduce diesel emissions, help improve air quality and promote environmental progress.

Allen Schaeffer, Executive Director
Diesel Technology Forum

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency recognizes the importance of cleaning up diesel emissions and working in partnership with businesses and stakeholders to voluntarily reduce diesel emissions with a number of actions. As a state focused on maintaining attainment of air quality standards, strategic partnerships are the focus for gaining air quality improvement. For example, as a major partner along with several businesses and stakeholder groups, the MPCA helped establish, promote and support Clean Air Minnesota’s Project Green Fleet which will retrofit 500 diesel school buses, reducing harmful particulates 30 percent by the end of 2007.

David Thornton, Assistant Commissioner for Air Policy
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Continuing to release harmful diesel particulate matter into the air when available, cost-effective technologies can nearly eliminate this environmental health problem is unacceptable. The American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago is pleased to join the Midwest Clean Diesel Group in its efforts to quickly reduce soot pollution in order to protect the most vulnerable populations: children with developing lungs, the elderly and those suffering from pulmonary diseases.

Brian Urbaszewski, Director of Environmental Health Programs
American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago

The American Lung Association supports the advancement and promotion of cleaner traditional and alternative fuels because the reduction in toxic petroleum components is good for lung health and the environment.

Electro-Motive Diesels (EMD) Certifies Its Class 66 (JT42CWRM) Locomotive in Romania

LAGRANGE, Ill., Jan. 23 /PRNewswire/ — Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. (EMD) announced today that it has obtained certification for operation of its Class 66 (JT42CWRM) locomotive in Romania. Romania becomes number ten in the list of countries that have welcomed the Class 66 to operate on the tracks. The Class 66 has now been certified in the following countries: United Kingdom, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Poland and Romania.

As Romania just recently joined the European Union, the certification of the Class 66 marks the opportunity for EMD to contribute further to the integration and economic improvement of this new member state. Romania has been noted as an important access route from East to West as part of the European Union’s Trans European Network strategy.

Romania has already benefited from the high reliability and availability of EMD products, as EMD has just concluded a significant modernization program for CFR Calatori, the Romanian passenger railway. In that project 59 existing Romanian locomotives (including two prototypes) were rebuilt with new EMD engines, improving reliability, fuel economy, and exhaust emissions.

The Romanian certification comes just on the heels of EMD’s acquisition of Turner Diesel Ltd’s rail services business focusing on EMD locomotives, now called Electro-Motive Services International, Ltd. A UK company, EMSI focuses on supporting EMD locomotives with comprehensive spare parts and maintenance services.

Albert Enste, EMD’s Vice President of International Sales and Service, commented, “Once again the Class 66 has shown that it is still pushing boundaries and crossing new borders. With the most certifications of any diesel locomotive operating in Europe, customers have unparalleled choice in locomotive configurations to suit their operational requirements.” The Class 66 was first introduced in 1998 in the UK. Since that time over 500 have been delivered.

About Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc.:

Founded in 1922, Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. is one of two U.S. original equipment manufacturers of diesel-electric locomotives. Headquartered in LaGrange, Illinois, with additional facilities in London, Ontario, EMD designs, manufactures and sells diesel-electric locomotives for all commercial railroad applications and has sold its products in more than 70 countries worldwide. The Company is the only diesel-electric locomotive manufacturer to have produced more than 70,000 engines and has the largest installed base of diesel-electric locomotives in both North America and internationally. In addition to its locomotive manufacturing activities, EMD has an extensive aftermarket business offering customers replacement parts and a range of value-added services for its locomotives. The Company is also a global provider of diesel engines for marine propulsion, offshore and land-based oil well drilling rigs, and stationary power generation. In April 2005, Greenbriar Equity Group LLC, Berkshire Partners LLC, and certain related parties acquired EMD from General Motors Corporation. Additional information may be found at http://www.emdiesels.com/ .

DaimlerChrysler Chairman Dieter Zetsche Urges Americans to Re-Think Diesel: Next Generation Clean Diesel BLUETEC Reduces Fuel Consumption, Improves Emissions

- Unveils 2007 Dodge Ram first pick up truck to meet stringent 2010 truck emissions standards in all 50 states, three years before deadline

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Today at the Washington (D.C.) Auto Show, Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler AG and the Head of Mercedes Car Group, called the nation’s attention to the new generation of clean diesels - branded BLUETEC - while encouraging U.S. lawmakers to set regulations that support a diversity of approaches to reducing the country’s dependence on foreign oil.

To emphasize the point, he introduced the 2007 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 with 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel engine offered with B5 and B20 biodiesel, available to consumers in March. The first to do so and three years before the deadline, the heavy duty truck will meet stringent 2010 truck emissions standards in all 50 states. He also announced the Dodge Ram clean, light-duty turbodiesel engine that will provide up to 30-percent improved fuel economy, meet 50-state, 2010 emissions standards, available after 2009.

With fuel economy improvements of 20 to 40 percent and a reduction of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) by as much as 90 percent, Zetsche stressed that clean diesel technology is a viable solution to reducing dependence on oil and improving air quality. Zetsche also urged U.S. policymakers to stimulate greater demand and consumer choice for fuel-saving technologies - such as diesel - by providing equal incentives on powertrains that achieve lower fuel consumption with clean emissions.

“American policy-makers must adopt a new and unique formula … that encourages more technologies and more (customer) choice,” said Zetsche. “I’ve always thought CAFE - in the country that is the world’s model for a free- market economy - to be a bit of a contradiction. It’s an attempt to regulate supply and not to use market forces to stimulate demand for more fuel- efficient vehicles.”

Zetsche reasoned that “trying to sell people what they don’t want is not a winnable business proposition. And it is that ‘anti-free market element’ of CAFE that makes life difficult for us. We’ve learned to live with CAFE and its modest increases.” He added that we would be open to re-visiting the CAFE discussion for cars, as they did recently for trucks and make the regulation “size based” and not “fleet based”.

Zetsche offered that the automotive companies should “look to innovation, and to increasingly substituting petroleum products with biofuels.” He pointed to the modern diesel engine which has “plenty of the former, and great potential for the latter.”

He mentioned a current study that expects diesel takes rates in the U.S. to hit 15 percent by 2015. Zetsche also detailed the significant advantages of modern diesel engines where the ultra-modern BLUETEC diesel vehicles provide their owners with clean and economical performance.

The Mercedes brand has been pioneering BLUETEC in Europe, where it’s been on the road for several years. Since 2005, the Company has sold more than 40,000 BLUETEC Mercedes-Benz trucks and buses in Europe, “where they’ve performed exceptionally well in everyday heavy-duty service,” added Zetsche.

Mercedes-Benz intends to systematically broaden its BLUETEC portfolio. In addition to the recently introduced Mercedes E 320 BLUETEC, three additional BLUETEC models will join the line-up, the R-Class, the ML-Class and the GL Class that will all be assembled at the Company’s plant in Alabama.

He also submitted that DaimlerChrysler “is not pursuing diesel to the exclusion of other alternate fuel technologies.” Zetsche listed many on-going initiatives including the Company’s fuel cell activities where DaimlerChrysler has invested more than $1 billion and has more fuel-cell vehicles on the road today than any other manufacturer.

The Company also has about 1,500 Orion VII diesel-electric buses in service or on order for municipal fleets in Toronto, San Francisco and New York City/New Jersey. And, working with GM and BMW, DaimlerChrysler is jointly developing a state-of-the-art, two-mode, full hybrid propulsion architecture for applications in Chrysler Group, Mercedes Car Group, GM and BMW vehicles. The first DaimlerChrysler vehicle to use this system will be the Dodge Durango, coming in 2008.

Unveiled during Zetsche’s keynote address, and available in dealerships next month, was the new Dodge Ram Heavy Duty BLUETEC featuring an all-new 6.7- liter Cummins turbodiesel engine, the first to meet 2010 truck emissions standards in all 50 states. It is the first BLUETEC vehicle from the Chrysler Group.

“Several years ago, when the EPA set stringent 2010 diesel emissions standards for heavy-duty pickup trucks, we didn’t shake our heads and say ‘no’,” said Zetsche. “We went to work with Cummins, the long-time diesel engine partner for Dodge Ram heavy-duty three-quarter and one-ton pickup trucks, to meet the challenge.”

The new 2007 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty engine uses a diesel particulate filter to virtually eliminate particulate matter emissions and an absorber catalyst to reduce NOx by as much as 90 percent and virtually eliminate particulate matter emissions.

In addition to the heavy duty pick up truck, DaimlerChrysler revealed another addition to its diesel lineup. Tom LaSorda, Chrysler Group President and CEO, announced an all-new diesel engine for its light duty Dodge pickup trucks that will be available after 2009. Armed with new Cummins clean-diesel technology, the new engine will provide a dramatic increase in low-end torque, up to a 30-percent improvement in fuel efficiency and a 20-percent reduction in carbon dioxide (C02) emissions when compared to an equivalent gasoline engine. The new clean turbodiesel engine will meet 50-state emissions standards for 2010.

LaSorda also announced pricing on the 2007 Jeep(R) Grand Cherokee, 3.0- liter common rail turbodiesel (CRD) that will begin to arrive at Jeep dealerships in March. The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited CRD will begin at $38,475, including $695 destination. The 3.0-liter CRD engine will be available on the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited and Overland 4×2 and 4×4 models.

BLUETEC represents the cleanest diesel vehicles in the world. These next- generation vehicles meet the most stringent emissions regulations worldwide, including emissions standards in all 50 U.S. states.

BLUETEC is the DaimlerChrysler-owned brand name that stands for the cleanest diesel engines in their respective classes, i.e., those that meet 50- state emissions standards.

BLUETEC is just one of the many fuel saving technologies from DaimlerChrysler, including advanced gasoline, Flex-Fuel, hybrids and zero- emission fuel-cell vehicles.

Dodge to Offer All-New Cummins Light-Duty Clean Diesel

* All-new engine to provide up to 30-percent improvement in fuel economy

* Clean-diesel technology to meet 50-state 2010 emissions standards

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Let the diesel duels begin.

Armed with new Cummins clean-diesel technology, Dodge will introduce an all-new turbodiesel engine in its light duty pickup trucks after 2009. The new engine will provide a dramatic increase in low-end torque, up to a 30-percent improvement in fuel efficiency and a 20-percent reduction in carbon dioxide (C02) emissions when compared to an equivalent gasoline engine.

“Our all-new Cummins engine will offer future Dodge Ram 1500 customers the ultimate in terms of fuel economy, refinement, reliability and durability,” said Tom LaSorda, Chrysler Group President and CEO. “It’s another example of the Chrysler Group bringing new, clean, quiet diesel technology to the marketplace.”

The new clean diesel engine will meet 50-state emissions standards for 2010. In March of this year, Dodge will offer a 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel in its Ram Heavy Duty trucks. The new engine meets 2010 standards in all 50 states.

“We are pleased to build upon our 18-year partnership and brand franchise with the Chrysler Group by providing our new light-duty diesel-powered engine for use in the Dodge Ram 1500,” said Tim Solso, Cummins Chairman and CEO. “We know customers for this product will demand high performance. We also know that we need to be extremely good at fuel efficiency and emissions control in order to succeed in this market. Cummins will use its technology leadership to meet all of those criteria, while providing the driving public with an exciting new diesel engine alternative for the popular Dodge Ram series.”

Chrysler Group Diesel-Powered Models

In the United States, current Chrysler Group diesel-powered models include the Dodge Ram Heavy Duty, powered by the new 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel; the all-new Dodge Ram 3500 Chassis Cab, with a new 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel; the Dodge Sprinter, with a 2.7-liter Common-rail Direct Injection (CDI) turbodiesel; and the Jeep(R) Grand Cherokee, featuring a new 3.0-liter V-6 turbodiesel engine (which hits the market early this year).

In Europe, diesel-powered models account for more than half of Chrysler Group sales. Diesel versions of numerous Chrysler Group vehicles continue to be popular, including the Chrysler 300C, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Compass, as well as the all-new 2007 Dodge Caliber and 2007 Jeep Wrangler.

Advanced diesel technology is part of the Chrysler Group’s advanced propulsion technology umbrella, which also includes efficient gasoline engines, hybrids, flex-fuel vehicles and biodiesel capability.

Dodge Brand

With a U.S. market share of 6 percent, Dodge is the Chrysler Group’s best- selling brand and the fifth largest nameplate in the U.S. automotive market. In 2006, Dodge sold than 1.3 million vehicles in the global market. Dodge continues to lead the minivan market with a 20 percent market share in the U.S. In the highly competitive truck market, Dodge has a 15 percent market share. Dodge is also entering key European volume segments with Nitro and Caliber.

Cummins

Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems. Headquartered in Columbus, Ind., Cummins serves customers in more than 160 countries through its network of 550 company-owned and independent distributor facilities and more than 5,000 dealer locations. Cummins produces the diesel for the Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 series.