Caterpillar Unveils ACERT Engines, Predicts Bright Future for Diesel
"We have achieved efficient combustion, with low emissions and improved fuel economy," said John Campbell, director of on-highway engine products for Caterpillar Power Systems, located in Mossville, Ill. The calls the technology ACERT, or Advanced Combustion Emissions Reduction Technology., ACERT represents the largest and most expensive product development effort in the company's 75-year history, says James Parker, Caterpillar vice president in charge of power systems. Although he declined to say how much specifically the manufacturer has spent thus far on emissions R&D, he said it was "not more than $1 billion." The Peoria, Ill.-based Company reports investing $700 million on total R&D in 2001.
These estimates are lower than previously believed industry rumors surfacing since CAT abandoned cooled exhaust-gas recirculationa more widely adopted technology for on-highway vehiclesin March 2001. With emission-reduction schedules tightening up today and in the years ahead, major engine manufacturers have been scrambling to meet compliance deadlines without losing forethought (ENR 3/17 p. 26). Nevertheless, a top official with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently told ENR that engine manufacturers still have yet to prove long-term efficacy with their new designs, and "there is still a lot of work that needs to be done."