Speaking to Fleet Owner during the Mid-America Trucking Show, Brown said Cat intended to build “bridge” engines that would not quite meet the new standards and that the company “will bear the cost” of non-compliance penalties levied by the Environmental Protection Agency.
While other diesel makers intend to meet the October deadline with cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) technology, Cat has decided to use a different approach combining aftertreatment and new fuel management techniques. However, the Advanced Combustion Emissions Reduction Technology (ACERT) will not have cleared Cat's development and testing phase by October, according to Brown.
Cat intends to begin introducing ACERT versions of all its truck engines starting next April, with full production by October 2003, Brown said.
He added that Cat will use some elements of ACERT, including exhaust aftertreatment, to produce the so-called bridge engines until it makes the switch to fully compliant engines.
The bridge engines will “have the same reliability and maintenance schedules (as current Cat engines) while offering users a cost advantage (over competitive EGR engines)," Brown said. The only negative will be a minor fuel economy loss, “ but that will go back to current levels when we go to the full ACERT engines,” he added.
