GOTHENBURG, Sweden – Selective catalytic reduction, possibly in combination with exhaust gas recirculation, is the only existing technology that can conceivably meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency emissions standards for 2010 and maintain an acceptable level of fuel efficiency for North American trucks, say top ranking Volvo officials.

Pierre Lecoq, senior vice-president of global product development for Volvo Powertrain, a division of Volvo AB, made the assertion during an October briefing of North American truck journalists, held at the Volvo Powertrain headquarters in Gothenburg. (Volvo AB is the world’s largest producer of heavy-duty truck engines, and the owner of Volvo, Mack and Renault brand name trucks.)

SCR is “the only technology we know of today” that will meet the new regulations and maintain acceptable fuel efficiency for operators, said Lecoq, adding Volvo is well aware that SCR has not yet garnered EPA approval.

That’s why Volvo, along with other engine manufacturers, is still in talks with EPA officials and investigating other technologies, Lecoq said.

His statements were fully backed by other Volvo officials, despite contradictory assertions by competing engine manufacturers that EGR engines with particulate filters are North American transport’s technology of the future.

Either way, Volvo is prepared to meet the challenge, said company officials.

“Volvo is fully prepared, no matter what happens, to meet the needs of the customer because we are already developing both EGR and SCR engines,” said newly-appointed Volvo Trucks North America president and CEO Peter Karlsten, whose move from Volvo Brazil to the North American division was also announced at the press briefing. (The new manager of Volvo Trucks’ South American operations, based in Curitiba, Brazil, is Tommy Svensson.

Karlsten has held a number of executive positions with Volvo, and has been stationed abroad for most of his career.

He joined Volvo Brazil in autumn 2001. Svensson will be succeeded in Germany by Goeran Simonsson, currently head of Volvo Trucks in Switzerland and Austria.)

Volvo officials made it clear they’re moving to standardize proprietary engine components for Volvo, Mack and Renault trucks as quickly as possible. Steel shortages, according to Volvo officials, haven’t yet become an issue in terms of the company’s own manufacturing capabilities (Sweden is a steel producer), but they are seeing the shortage of steel affect some of their suppliers.

They were not specific about whether the slowdown by some of their suppliers could result in Volvo manufacturing more of its own parts.