DETROIT, Aug. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC)
confirmed that today it submitted applications to the EPA for emissions
certification of its Series 60 diesel engines. These initial emission
certification applications will cover 20 of the currently available Series 60
engine ratings. All will be fully compliant to the October 2002 emission
requirements. Additional ratings will be submitted for certification in the
following months.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020813/DETU007 )
By October 1, DDC will have accumulated approximately eight million test
miles on its fleet of test vehicles equipped with October 2002 prototype
engines. Also by October 1, 27 different fleets will have engines in
operation, in addition to the factory owned test units.
"Of course, we are well aware of the questions some truckers have about
the Series 50 and 60 engines equipped with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR),"
says John Morelli, Vice President of the Series 60 2002 Engine Program. "For
those who may not be aware of it, EGR has been used on the Series 50 since
2000. We have over 2,500 units in operation and I want to reassure the
trucking industry that these Series 60 and 50 engines are excellent products.
"I know there has been a great deal of discussion about increased
maintenance intervals, along with questions about reliability and life to
overhaul. But, now that we have all these test miles under our belt, we are
confident that the new engines will continue to meet our customers'
expectations. The warranty on these engines remains exactly the same - not
even one word in the warranty has changed. There is no difference in the
recommended oil change intervals because the soot concerns have not
materialized. There is no change in the required maintenance schedule and
there are no additional parts subjected to maintenance requirements. EGR is
actually quite a simple device, as can be seen on the photograph."
Morelli continued, "As far as durability is concerned, we couldn't be more
pleased at this time. The life of the piston ring is actually the key to long
engine life and we have now confirmed that ring face wear is 78% lower on the
EGR engines when compared to our current engines.
"In addition, everyone who drives the EGR engines -- including members of
the press -- comments about the excellent drivability, throttle response and
engine braking performance. There also were some concerns in the industry
about adding weight, but we were actually able to reduce the weight of the
Series 60 by an additional 25 pounds, so it now weighs several hundred pounds
less than the other big-bore engines."
On the subject of fuel economy Morelli said, "We are currently within a
couple percentage points of our target. And, we will continue to fine tune
the engine and improve the combustion process."
Morelli reports that DDC recently downloaded information from a truckload
carrier customer's truck after running one of the EGR engines all winter. The
truck was in regular revenue service, geared at 72 mph, with an overall
average vehicle speed of 55.6 mph. That truck averaged 6.91 mpg. "I think
most truckers would have to agree that 6.91 mpg, in the winter, fully loaded,
and running at up to 72 mph is pretty good fuel economy," Morelli said.
"We just looked at the latest Polk registration data, and it's pretty
clear that the Series 60 will be the number one selling engine in North
America again this year, which makes it 11 years in a row. The bottom line is
that the Series 60 engines are proven, popular and will be certified to EPA
standards, and I don't think truckers have to be worried about all the talk
about increased maintenance costs. We just haven't seen that."
Detroit Diesel Corporation, headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, is engaged
in the design, manufacture, sale and service of heavy-duty diesel and
alternative fuel engines, automotive diesel engines and engine-related
products. The company offers a complete line of engines from 22 to 13,000
horsepower for the on-highway, off-road and automotive markets and is a QS-
9000 certified company. Detroit Diesel services these markets directly and
through a worldwide network of more than 2,700 authorized distributor and
dealer locations. Detroit Diesel is a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler AG, the
world's leading manufacturer of heavy-duty diesel truck engines. Within
DaimlerChrysler AG, DDC is part of the Powersystems Business Unit.
SOURCE Detroit Diesel Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.detroitdiesel.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020813/DETU007
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, +1-888-776-6555 or +1-212-782-2840
Company News On-Call:
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CONTACT:
Sheree Greenhalge of Detroit Diesel
Corporation, +1-313-592-5170, fax: +1-313-592-8176, or email:
sheree.greenhalge@detroitdiesel.com
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