BLUETEC: The Cleanest Diesel in the World

With the launch of the E 320 BLUETEC in the USA later this year, Mercedes-Benz will be offering the first series production car with BLUETEC diesel technology. The automotive manufacturer with the world's longest diesel tradition has modified specific aspects of the economical, powerful and robust 320 CDI engine, adding state-of-the-art emission-control technology to make it the cleanest diesel in the world. Mercedes-Benz has thus transformed the diesel engine into a clean and future-compatible system. The six-cylinder diesel engine combines V8 power with four-cylinder consumption: 155 kW/211 hp maximum output and 540 Nm maximum torque despite average fuel consumption of just 6.7 l/100 km or 35 mpg. BLUETEC technology is capable of producing the cleanest diesel vehicles in the world, and is more than capable of meeting the most stringent emissions regulations.

The BLUETEC vehicles that DaimlerChrysler showcased in Detroit at the NAIAS – the Mercedes-Benz E 320 BLUETEC, the Vision Mercedes-Benz GL 320 BLUETEC, and the Concept Car Jeep Grand Cherokee BLUETEC – are capable of being the most fuel-efficient and cleanest diesel passenger vehicles in their segments in the U.S.

BLUETEC can only achieve its full effect in passenger cars when it is used with diesel fuel that has a sulfur content of less than 15 ppm. Such fuel will further reduce the emissions of diesel vehicles already on the market in the U.S. This low-sulfur diesel has already been introduced throughout Europe and is expected to become available in the U.S. in the Q3 of 2006. DaimlerChrysler's first BLUETEC passenger car will be the Mercedes-Benz E 320 BLUETEC, which will be launched in the U.S. in Q3, 2006.

Offering its customers the very best has become something of a maxim at Mer-cedes Benz, not least when it comes to designing and constructing vehicles. This is especially true in the case of diesel, a drive technology which now accounts for more than 50 percent of the European market thanks mainly to the fact that it offers excellent economy, longevity and robustness without compromising on driving enjoyment. Economically state-of-the-art diesel vehicles from Mercedes-Benz are one answer to the unstoppable rise in fuel prices, including in the US. Now, the brand's innovative BLUETEC technology makes the already economical diesel alternative cleaner than ever before.

Mercedes-Benz was the first to implement Rudolf Diesel's combustion principle in a passenger car engine some 70 years ago. This technology is far more efficient than the gasoline engine and has been optimized over a period of many years. One innovation in particular – the common-rail direct injection system in conjunction with four valves per cylinder introduced in 1997 – has had a major impact on the development of the modern diesel engine. Since then, the abbreviation CDI has come to stand for unsurpassed fuel economy and a major boost in torque – which means it has better pulling power and is more fun to drive, meaning that diesel vehicles are often superior to similarly powered gasoline models.

If diesel models previously had any disadvantages compared to their gasoline counter-parts, then these related to specific diesel emissions, especially particulate matter and nitrogen oxides. However, since the introduction of the maintenance-free particulate filter for its diesel passenger cars in autumn 2003, Mercedes-Benz has also brought about a substantial reduction in particulate matter. And although it has succeeded in cutting nitrogen oxide emissions by some 75 percent through engine modifications alone in the past 15 years, Mercedes-Benz wants to go even further still. The objectives are clear: innovative exhaust gas aftertreatment methods give Mercedes Benz diesel engines the potential to comply with the world's most stringent emission standards and to be available in all 50 US states. In other words, Mercedes Benz will be able to offer the cleanest diesel in the world in every vehicle category. BLUETEC is the name for this new generation of high-tech diesel drives that will initially be launched in the US.

Today's Mercedes-Benz diesel engines also stand for agility, sportiness and reliability, as demonstrated before a world public last spring when three standard-specification E 320 CDI models broke a clutch of impressive records in Laredo (Texas). For one, a new average speed record of 224.823 km/h (139.699 mph) was set in a 30-day endur-ance test covering over 100,000 miles (160,934 km). These vehicles were also fitted with a sophisticated emission-control system, including a standard-specification main-tenance-free particulate filter. This meant that they were easily able to undercut the currently applicable EU 4 emission limits – a feat confirmed in the tests conducted by the TÜV (German technical inspection authority) following the grueling record-breaking drives.

The first BLUETEC vehicles available to customers in the US will be E 320 BLUETEC models, due for launch in Q3 2006. As well as delivering renowned economy, performance and reliability, these models comply with the world's most stringent emission standards.

By the time the BLUETEC generation is launched in the US in autumn 2006, low-sulfur diesel with a maximum sulfur content of 15 ppm will be available, thus reducing the previous upper limit of 500 ppm by a factor of 33. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has therefore laid the foundations for establishing sophisticated, fuel-efficient diesel vehicles in the US. This will result in a dramatic and immediate reduction in the emissions of all diesel vehicles in the US, representing a major step towards cutting emission levels in general. Sulfur, which occurs in mineral oil to varying degrees, has a corrosive effect in the engine as well as being a major cause of particulate matter. The introduction of a low-sulfur diesel fuel will enable the use of particulate filters and efficient nitrogen oxide after-treatment.

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