Ford leads engine emissions reduction project

Ford Motor Company is leading the CO₂ Reduction through Emissions Optimisation project, which has received funding from the Technology Strategy Board.

Other partners in the project include Jaguar Land Rover, ITM Power, Johnson Matthey, Revolve Technologies, Combustion, and the universities of Bradford, Liverpool and Birmingham.

Catalytic converters have often been fitted to modern engines in order for vehicles to have minimal impact on air quality.

According to ITM Power, much progress has been made to improve the fuel economy of vehicles, but there is still an impact of about four per cent due to emissions-control systems.

This project aims to redesign the engine and after-treatment as a complete system, meeting legislative, customer and business requirements while minimising CO₂ levels.

This will be achieved through what are claimed to be novel aftertreatment techniques, the on-board generation and use of hydrogen, and the development and application of new optimisation tools. 

Three vehicles will be built to demonstrate the potential of the technology − petrol and diesel cars and a diesel hybrid bus.