Mack Trucks Inc. and Volvo Trucks North America Inc., both announced Wednesday they will use exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) technology and diesel particulate filters (DPF) to meet stringent new U.S. diesel emissions regulations taking effect in 2007.

Mack said the decision to concentrate on EGR for its 2007 engines reflects its experience with similar technology in its current ASET engine lineup.
"Mack ASET engines have been in customer trucks since early 2002, and that means no other engine manufacturer has more experience with EGR than we do," said Mack president and CEO Paul Vikner. "Our engines have all been in compliance with the EPA '02 emissions standards since they took effect, and the ASET technology continues to meet expectations in terms of fuel economy, uptime and performance. By building on what we've learned with the ASET approach, especially in optimizing engines to meet the unique demands of Mack customers, we're confident that our '07 engines will offer breakthrough quality and performance while meeting the new EPA emissions standards," he said.
Volvo also uses EGR to meet the current emissions standard, and said EGR and DPF will be used in North America on the new family of Volvo engines scheduled to be introduced in the 2007 time frame. Its 2007 engines will use ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, which will be in use in North America by then. Volvo plans to have about 30 engines in field testing with selected customers around the spring of 2005.
"2007 poses a formidable challenge in terms of emissions reductions, but we are confident our Volvo engines will not only provide cleaner air to breathe, but will continue to meet the very high demands our customers have for reliability, fuel economy and performance," said Peter Karlsten, Volvo president and CEO. "And, Volvo engines will fully comply with the 2007 regulations from Day 1, just as they did with the 2002 U.S. emissions regulations."
EGR systems accomplish emissions reduction by returning a portion of exhaust gases back into the engine's combustion cycle. The recirculated exhaust serves to reduce combustion temperature, which retards the formation of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the engine's operations.
Vikner said Mack expects to have engines with its EGR-based EPA '07 technology in field testing with selected customers in 2005, and he pledged to continue Mack's participation in industry efforts to ensure that customer needs and concerns are addressed as the 2007 deadline approaches.
"Everyone in this industry wants to avoid the confusion and market upheavals that accompanied the EPA '02 emissions regulations," he said.
Mack is a member of the Volvo Group of Gothenberg, Sweden, a publicly held company with annual sales of approximately $18 billion.