Following its recent groundbreaking move in catalytic converter technology, Mazda is now on its way of cutting the price of these environment-friendly automobile devices.

Mazda aims to save buyers from the ever-increasing prices of catalytic converters without affecting their efficiency, as well as the vehicles’ emission levels.

The high cost of metal used in most catalytic converters today makes these devices prone to being stolen. In a previous post, this blog reported that the Japanese automobile company has recently developed a Mazda catalytic converter with less metal content, to lessen the rising incidence of catalytic converter theft.

Whatcar.com reported on October 2 that Mazda is set to unveil its new and efficient catalytic converter, along with its latest concept sports car, at the Tokyo motor show at the end of this month. The Japanese auto maker, however, has not announced yet when the new catalytic converter will be equipped on production vehicles.

Source: Whatcar.com

http://www.whatcar.com/news-article.aspx?NA=228354
http://www.whatcar.com/news-article.aspx?NA=228347

The Opel Corsa, one of the popular car models in the world, celebrates this year its 25 years of success in the automotive industry. Over those years, Opel has demonstrated its commitment to green technology by leading innovations in catalytic converter technology, among other “green” features.

Just recently, Opel has announced the details of the much-anticipated addition to the Corsa family—the 2008 Opel Corsa GSi. Opel is one of General Motor’s automotive brands.

According to a September 27 press release from General Motors, the new Corsa model has “more substance than show.” True enough, the Corsa GSi has a 1.6-liter turbo engine that gives optimum performance coupled with fuel economy and environmental protection. Such a powerful engine gives the GSi its powerful performance.

The GSi is also designed to comply with the regulation set by the Euro 5 emissions standard, thanks to its three-way Opel catalytic converter. The main catalytic converter is supported by a preconverter mounted just at the back of the turbine outlet. This setup enhances the fast reaction of the exhaust emission control. The environment-friendliness of the Opel car is completed by the new hybrid technology engine control unit included in it.

In 1985, the Opel Corsa 1.3i is the first car of its kind to have a closed-loop, three-way catalytic converter included in the standard emission control. The three-way catalytic converter helps lessen three emissions: hydrocarbons or volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide.

In 1989, Opel was the first European auto maker to install catalytic converters as standard device in all of its vehicles. Opel was also the first to have a recycling chain for plastic. It also initiated the move to lessen the amount of dangerous substances such as asbestos and cadmium used during the manufacturing process of the vehicle.

1994 saw another innovation in catalytic converter technology—the catcon made of heavy-duty metal for effective control of vehicle emissions. This Opel catalytic converter was first used that year by the Opel Corsa B GSi 16 V model.

Source: General Motors press release

Particularly due to the metal content of catalytic converters that make them continuously prone to being stolen, the people from Mazda has searched for ways to reduce the metal content of their catalytic converters without sacrificing the said component’s functionality. Through making use of nanotechnology, Mazda has now developed a catalytic converter catalyst that has around 70 to 90 percent less platinum and palladium in its composition. Although these two metals help a lot in the purifying process, a considerable reduction of these metals, surprisingly, does not reduce the catalyst’s efficiency.

In the past, the costly metal particles are attached to the base material and will come together upon contact with heat that considerable reduces the surface of the particles are located and along with it, the catalyst’s efficiency. In order to prevent so much loss of the surface that is covered, auto manufacturers resulted to using more of these purifying materials on the catalytic converter. In so doing, when the area heats up—as it normally would upon continuous exposure to the vehicle’s emission—more area will be covered even if these metal particles clutter together.

With the catalytic converter catalyst that Mazda recently came up with, Mazda makes use of these metal particles with five nanometers in diameter that makes it possible for these metals to be securely embedded in the base material. This, in turn, enables these particles to stay put and not to cluster. With this breakthrough, Mazda is able to make use of less of the platinum and palladium metals that makes the catalytic converter the perfect target of thieves. With this new Mazda catalytic converter, the people in Mazda hopes that catalytic converter theft will considerably drop in the future.

There are still no announcements on the time Mazda will start mass producing their new catalyst. However, with the urgent need for it, it will only be a matter of time before Mazda releases their innovation.

Source: Motortrend.com

Japanese car maker Honda has a lot of great ideas and concept vehicles for their line up of environmental cars that it presented during the recently concluded Frankfurt Motor Show. Honda’s ‘Environment’ area focuses on the automaker’s revolutionary environmental technology employed by Honda which will be present on its Small Hybrid Sports Concept, its next generation clean diesel engine i-DTEC, Honda Civic Hybrid, and the fuel cell technology incorporated in its Honda FCX Concept.

Honda’s next generation clean diesel engine is continually being developed. It makes use of a world-first technology which aims to decrease diesel emissions so that they could be equal to the emission level of petrol engines.

The first goal of the development program of the diesel engine is to reach the Euro 5 requirements and Honda is proud to report that its 2.2-liter i-DTEC engine has already reached beyond the Euro 5 requirements. This new engine will soon be available as car enthusiast will be seeing it in the models of next year’s Accord range. Though the engine complies with the Euro 5 requirements, performance has not been compromised. It continues to have incredible power and torque, both of these were even increased together with the improvement of its fuel economy.

However, Honda does not want to stop with the achievement of the Euro 5 requirements as it aims to meet US Tier II/Bin 5 requirements as well. To attain this, its second phase of development for the said diesel engine includes an innovative catalytic converter. What’s innovative about this catalytic converter is that it makes use of the reductive reaction of ammonia to ‘detoxify’ the nitrogen oxide (NOx) by converting it into non-toxic nitrogen. But it does not make use of the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems which employs urea injection that stored in the storage tank; instead, it uses ammonia that’s produced directly within the catalytic converter.

A report from the Auto Spectator explains the innovative catalytic converter that Honda has. It features a two-layer structure. The first layer takes in the nitrogen oxides from the exhaust gas. This then reacts with the hydrogen taken from the exhaust gases to produce ammonia during the periodic rich-burn controlled by the engine management system. The latter will then be absorbed by the second layer. The ammonia produced by the reaction of the hydrogen and the nitrogen oxide is then used to convert the remaining nitrogen oxide residing in the exhaust. Ammonia is the perfect tool for this since it is a highly-reactive reagent for converting the nitrogen oxide into just nitrogen in oxygen-rich and lean-burn atmosphere. This system also makes way for an improved nitrogen oxide reduction efficiency even in the most serious temperature range of 200-300°C for the exhaust gas systems of diesel engines.

The new 2.0 TDI e Concept is able to show the effectiveness of Audi’s new Modular Efficiency program. The said vehicle has the capacity to undercut the consumption limit of five liters per 100 km by using just 4.9 liters for 100 km on the EU cycle. With the A4, Audi is able to bring forward its whole package of innovative engineering solutions. As for the start/stop system or the energy recuperation system that is still being developed, Audi enthusiasts can expect future Audi vehicles to exhibit it.

The people behind Audi’s diesel engine development combined a whole package of innovate measures to come up with the latest developments in TDI generation. The new piezo common rail system with an injection pressure of 2,000 bar, highly efficient exhaust gas recirculation and the optimized turbocharger produce greatly reduced raw emissions. The presence of combustion chamber sensors, the first of its kind, serves as one of the highlights. These sensors allow the combustion processes inside the engine to be regulated even more precisely.

When combined with the ultra low emission system, the latest TDI engine in the end becomes the clean high-tech diesel. This combination is able to reduce nitric oxides by up to 90 percent. It uses the additive AdBlue, which is a biologically degradable water-based solution. A minute dose is injected into the system upstream of the DeNOx converter.

The A4’s ultra low emission system comprises the catalytic converter and a metering module, the AdBlue tank and heated lines, and an extensive system of sensors. The additional oxidation catalytic converter and the highly efficient regulated diesel particulate filter complete the comprehensive exhaust emissions control system.

From the world’s famous makers of high-quality catalytic converters, Hyundai will be unveiling its fuel-cell electric concept vehicle at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, the i-Blue. This project is the carmaker’s attempt to foster its campaign in developing Eco-friendly means of transportation. The hydrogen-powered, zero-emission i-Blue fuel cell electric vehicle was born at Hyundai’s Design and Technical Center in Chiba, Japan, and was based on the same third-generation fuel-cell technology of Hyundai. This is widely being developed at the company’s Eco-Technology Research Institute in Korea.

Boasting its efficient Hyundai catalytic converter, the i-Blue signals Hyundai’s big move towards the marketing of fuel-cell vehicles. The past test vehicles were built on SUV platforms but not the i-Blue which has its very own D-segment 2+2 crossover utility vehicle body. Hyundai also plans of mass producing hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicles in the future.

“The i-Blue is the first Hyundai designed from the ground up to incorporate fuel-cell technology,” Dr. Hyun-Soon Lee, Hyundai Research and Development President said in an interview. “We have achieved a more compact fuel-cell vehicle that still has the safety, comfort, convenience, and driving range of a conventional vehicle.”

Hyundai has been facing fierce competition in China with other automakers putting pressure on the Korean automaker to slash prices. And with other automakers, Hyundai is referring to Shanghai GM which has dropped its prices by 8.3 to 8.4 percent, FAW Volkswagen which has cut prices by 6.2 to 6.3 percent, Shanghai Volkswagen by 10 to 11.1 percent and Dongfeng Nissan which has offered discount of 8.3 to 9.8 percent.

In order to become competitive Hyundai has also cut its prices and now the company will have to workout on how to improve its cost structure.

American Honda Motor announced that the 2008 Honda Civic Mugen Si Sedan, which will be launched in fall, around mid-October, will have a sport-tuned exhaust system that has a catalytic converter that can reduce backpressure. Aside from having this catalytic converter, this Civic Mugen Si Sedan also has a high-performance suspension, wheels made of forged aluminum, and aerodynamic body styling.

John Mendel, the Executive Vice President of Americen Honda said, “Honda enthusiasts have long been asking for factory-installed Mugen performance products similar to what the company offers in Japan. We’re enthusiasts, too, and the ultra-premium Civic Mugen Si Sedan offers exclusive style and elevated handling performance with legendary Honda refinement.”

During the Twin Ring Motegi racing circuit in Japan, the track-tuned suspension system was tetsted. It lowers the vehicles by 0.6 inches with aggressive spring and damper tuning for improved handling performance and for riding comfort. The front and rear damping force were increased between 8 and 24 percent, unlike the traditional Civic Si Sedan. The other changes that were made are the lightweight 16.98-pound 18×7.5inch forged aluminum wheels and high-grip BFGoodrich g-Force KDW 215/40ZR18 summer tires. The aero package of this model has a front spoiler with a sports grill, rear bumper diffuse, rear wing, and side spoilers.

Its sport-tuned exhaust system decreases the backpressure from the catalytic converter back. This Honda model will be exclusively available in Fiji Blue Pearl and will include front and rear Mugen emblems.

Honda will only be producing limited production for this model as they’re only planning to release 1,000 units for the 2008 model year. The retail price for this will be less than $30,000 when released by Honda and it has a full factory warranty.

Due to the alarming rise in number of catalytic converter thefts, it has not been enough for a driver to take good care of his car, or even lock in his catalytic converter in a safe. A catalytic converter is made up of precious metals and a lot of platinum—which happened to be well in demand due to its 9% price increase since April. Thieves have been gamely stealing the cat cons in order to resell them to junk shops. We have reported in this Catalytic Converter Blog that Minnesota has already passed a law to help alleviate this situation, and that Nissan was able to develop a low-cost catalytic converter as well.

Nissan’s move will probably be the best solution to efface the rampant stealing of cat cons. They have finally discovered a way to lessen the use of precious metals to create a catalytic converter, but without sacrificing the efficiency of its operation. Nissan will be incorporating the use of nano-technology, making their catalytic converters cost half the price of what it costs today. We shall be expecting this with their 2009 car models.

Should all auto makers follow this trend or even develop a new technology with the same goal, then the crisis in cat con thefts will be effaced in no time. But this may take a while, as technology takes time to develop. So for the mean time, all drivers are suggested to guard their vehicles. Do not park in deserted areas or with poor lighting. While this crime has been happening even out in the open because the thieves act quick, it is advised to keep the car where you can see it easily. A car without a catalytic converter may still function, but a cat con does more to the environment and the air we breathe, so take good care of it.

Acura goes for a more environmental-friendly approach by equipping their vehicles with catalytic converters.

The Acura MDX has a very efficient exhaust system by utilizing two close-coupled primary catalytic converters with a secondary underfloor catalytic converter and a large diameter exhaust pipes. The catalytic converter is said to support MDX’s 3.5 liter, 24-valve, all-aluminum, VTEC(TM) V-6 engine. The high flow dual exhaust system helps to generate 253 horsepower and 250 lbs-ft of torque. Aside from the excellent fuel economy it gives the consumers, the MDX gives back to the environment via the said catalytic converter.

For one car critic, the “Acura MDX continues to be a leader in the luxury sport utility segment offering outstanding performance, upscale styling and an abundance of standard luxury features.”

“Each year, we make enhancements to keep the MDX fresh and ahead of the competition,” said Dick Colliver, executive vice president, auto sales. “We have made powertrain improvements, exterior styling changes, technology upgrades and safety enhancements over the last three years. This year we upgraded the interior to make the MDX even more refined and upscale.”

The MDX also features a more sporty style designed to reflect its high performance powertrain. The signature Acura family grille serves as the centerpiece for a smoothly tapered front fascia. The MDX also has a lean, angular headlight treatment encases projection-type headlights that enhance illumination while accenting the bold styling. The front bumper includes an integrated chin spoiler that moves air smoothly to the sides of the car for increased aerodynamics.

In 2008, Audi will be introducing the cleanest diesel technology in the world into series production, together with a new engine and improved catalytic converters. The new TDI engines with their ultra-low emission system combine the spontaneous performance and superior pulling power of today’s TDI power units with outstanding fuel consumption figures and incomparably low emissions.

The new technology will take takes the TDI principle of diesel direct injection with turbocharging that has been proven a million times over and launches it into a whole new dimension. To do this, the diesel-engine development engineers at Audi have incorporated a whole raft of innovative measures into the latest TDI generation: the new piezoelectric common-rail system with an injection pressure of 29,000 psi, the extremely efficient exhaust gas recirculation and optimized turbocharging bring about a dramatic cut in untreated engine emissions. One of the highlights are the combustion chamber sensors that enable even more precise regulation of the combustion processes in the engine – this is the first time that such sensors have been fitted on any engine in the world, marking yet another Audi innovation.

Clean-running and high-tech diesel is what the new engine is all about and aiming to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 90 percent. The ultra-low emission system runs on a biodegradable additive in the form of a solution called AdBlue. Tiny doses of this solution are injected upstream from the DeNOx catalytic converter. The ultra-low emission system as a whole comprises the catalytic converter, the metering module, the AdBlue tank and heated lines, as well as an extensive system of sensors. The comprehensive emission control system is rounded off by the separate two-way catalytic converter and the highly efficient, electronically controlled diesel particulate filter.