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Clean diesel: filters and trap or UREA?
There appears to be some confusion in the market about the technology used in new clean diesel vehicles now arriving on dealer lots. This is understandable as there are two systems in play.
One uses particulate filters and traps (as the Jetta TDI Celan Diesel does) and the other uses UREA (as the Mercedes-Benz Bluetec vehicles do, or the upcoming Touareg TDI will). As my 9 year old put it on the weekend, “filters or fluid, right dad?” And she was right, it is that simple.
And so you know, there’s another way to see it: smaller engines, trap and burn; bigger engines, urea.
Particulate filter and trap system
What is this device? As explained in this excellent post from Hybrid Cars, “it’s simply a device to trap and store NOx. The system captures the pollutant and periodically changes the engine’s air-to-fuel mixture to burn off the NOx. This reduces NOx emissions by up to 90 percent compared to the diesel engines of yesterday. And it requires nothing at all from the owner”.
UREA
This technology requires “customers to return to a dealership every 10,000 miles-this could be done during regular maintenance visits-to refill a special tank holding urea (…) a chemical synthesized from natural gas.”
A conversation with friends about UREA injection always garners the same reaction…..”What? You mean to drive a large, powerful, but ultra-clean and efficient vehicle I will have to add a urea fluid to the system?” I usually respond with the history of windshield washer fluid and the necessity of oil changes, then the skepticism usually wanes.
I wonder if consumers in 1936 (when windshield washer systems were introduced) responded to the idea with… “Are you kidding, I’m not adding a fluid just so I can safely see the road!” Adding UREA fluid every 10,000 miles will be just as easy; however, we will be cleaning more than the windscreen!
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