GREENSBORO, N.C. — Volvo Trucks North America says it’s pleased with guidances issued last month by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding the use of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) to meet the federal emissions regulations scheduled to take effect in 2010.

After reviewing the document, Volvo — one of two major OEMs who have already endorsed SCR to meet the next round of emission goals — said it considers the guidance an important step in the effort to bring this technology solution to market.

“We are convinced that SCR is the best choice for continuing to dramatically reduce diesel engine emissions in 2010, while delivering optimal performance and fuel efficiency for our customers,” said Volvo Trucks North America President & CEO Peter Karlsten. “The EPA has provided an important guide for the many stakeholders working to address the urea infrastructure and other issues necessary to bring this clean diesel technology to the North American market.”

EPA wants to make sure this urea tank is always
topped up if it allows SCR technology.

Paul L. Vikner, president and CEO of sister truckmaker Mack Trucks Inc., said the document “is a critical guideline for the many stakeholders dedicated to bringing this important emissions control technology to the United States.

“We are convinced that in addition to its environmental benefits, SCR will deliver the fuel economy, reliability and performance Mack customers demand; and we’re committed to working with the EPA, the truck industry, and other stakeholders to ensure that the infrastructure is in place to support this solution.”

As reported by TodaysTrucking.com recently, the EPA has mapped out how it expects suppliers to prove they can overcome concerns regarding availability of a “reducing agent” (urea) for SCR systems, as well as keeping drivers from operating trucks with empty reducing agent tanks. (See Related Stories link below for more).

SCR, used in Europe to meet emission standards, is of interest to diesel manufacturers here as well because of its ability to achieve as high as 90 percent NOx conversion efficiencies.

Mack has been successfully running SCR systems on prototype trucks since 2000, logging more than two million miles on 10 customer vehicles.

Parent company Volvo has logged more than 23 million miles of SCR road testing in Europe, and has produced more than 40,000 SCR-equipped vehicles since the Euro 4 emissions standards took effect in October 2006.

In addition, Volvo Trucks North America has accumulated more than 6 million test miles with SCR systems on customer trucks in the U.S.