Mercedes Unleash the New Actros

Even more manufacturers are stepping forward now to praise the successes of this years CV Show. Mercedes-Benz unleashed the New Actros to the industry at the NEC. Visitors were encouraged to sample the new cab where most of the improvements have been implemented, including the most original feature which we consider to be the new illuminated 3 point star.

"In terms of appearance, it doesn't look a whole lot different," admits Mercedes truck sales and marketing director John Baker. "We have simply improved an already excellent truck.  It is more a case of evolution than revolution.”

Categorically the Actros has often paved the way for new features embraced by the industry, no doubt the 12 speed automatic transmission will soon filter its way into other models.

Mercedes offer the Actros as both Rigid’s and tractors with both options featuring Euro 4 and Euro 5 options on the engine, the hugely successful Blue-Tec engine has already been fitted to over 100000 vehicles in the UK, firmly identifying SCR (AdBlue) technology as the preferred choice to meet the new standards.

New EGR vs SCR Report Available

A new report is available which details the various Heavy Goods vehicles currently produced by the leading manufacturers in the UK and across Europe.
The report indicates which of all the models available which meet Euro 4 and Euro 5 and specifies which engines require either SCR or EGR technology.

Manufacturers Include:
Avia, BMC, Dennis Eagle, IrisBus, Iveco, Izusu, Mercedes Benz, MAN, Nissan, Renault, Scania & Volvo
The report includes information on the approximate consumption of AdBlue in the SCR models to meet Euro 4 or Euro 5 requirements. It also provides an insight to each manufacturers proposals on how to best meet the new environmental standards and any additional technologies (ie: VGT, Variable Geometry Turbo)

An electronic copy of the report, normally retailing at £4.95 is available to our subscribers FREE on request, to obtain your FREE electronic copy, please email us info@adbluenews.co.uk and include your contact details.

Scania Address SCR Sceptics

Scania announced their new selection of engines at the recent commercial vehicle  exhibition and much to the surprise of SCR sceptics.

Scania now offer EGR technology on less than half of the available range. This is most probably as even though Scania are offering their second generation Scania EGR system, it still requires their XPI technology (extra-high pressure injection) and VGT (variable geometry turbocharger) combined in order to reach the limits as specified within Euro 5.

As proven with tests conducted under trial with both Tesco and Renault, SCR technology has proven to deliver a 4.85% fuel saving between non-SCR equipped Euro 3 and SCR equipped Euro 5 vehicles. Both tests involved running identical routes with identical payloads over an average of 3 months.

This argument is also supported by Scania who still maintain SCR technology on their monster 16 litre V8 engines, designed specifically for long hauls and heavy payloads.

Ultimately AdBlue is used in an approx 3-4% consumption on Euro 4 vehicles and this is increased to 5-6% on Euro 5 vehicles.

Unlike Renault, Iveco and Mercedes’ who’s full HGV range fully supports SCR technology, Scania are considered to be ‘edging their bets’ with SCR sceptics who refuse to embrace new SCR technology.

Iveco Announce CV Show a Success!

The recent CV show at the NEC has been declared a success by many of the exhibitors this year.

2008 saw even more visitors than in previous years and conversions at an all time high thanks to increased publicity from major publications and trade journals.

A large number of manufacturers were seen to be making the extra effort this year by encouraging ‘on the day sales’ by way of promotional offers.

Iveco led the way by offering 1000L of AdBlue Free with every purchase of any one of their SCR equipped tractor units at the show. They were also running various competitions including the opportunity to win a pair of tickets to a Grand Prix event and this author even won a limited edition All Blacks / Adidas Gym bag.

A picture of the Iveco stand with trucks finished in All Blacks Livery.

Mercedez Benz Introduce AdBlue to US Market

Mercedes have introduced three new models to the US Market, the R320, ML320 and GL320 all feature Mercedes recognised BlueTec Engine.

The BlueTec engine, already successful in Europe, uses SCR technology and is able to meet the strict requirements of the 2010 emissions standards which call for NOx emissions to fall below an average of 0.4g/kWh. This also means that the innovative manufacturer has already built vehicles with the potential to meet the demands of Euro6.

The vehicles produced by the Stuttgart manufacturer already count as some of the worlds cleanest and the BlueTec AdBlue engine (co developed with BOSCH) and were featured on the Ward’s 10 Best Engines list for 2007.

Certain features of the six-cylinder diesel engine had to be modified for use in the new models ML 320 BlueTEC, GL 320 BlueTEC and R 320 BlueTEC with AdBlue injection. The piston crowns were revised for an improved mixture formation, and the compression ratio was reduced from 17.7 to 16.5. The VNT turbocharger and engine control unit were also improved and reconfigured. All three of the new SUVs are available only with the 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission.

Mercedes will be exhibiting all their new technologies at the CV show next week at stands 8-411 and 8-438.

Air1 Announce Official Online Retail Outlet

Yara UK Ltd have just announced the appointment of Commercial Fuel Solutions Ltd as their Official online Air1 retailer. The site: www.adblueonline.co.uk operates under an exclusive agreement with Yara UK Ltd and Albion Chemicals Ltd.

When discussing the recent appointment, Mr Robin Futcher, Managing Director of Commercial Fuel Solutions Ltd says “Having worked in the AdBlue equipment area from the earliest days of AdBlue introduction I have seen the rapidly expanding activity at first hand. I realised in time though, that there was a niche for on-line sales of the product. This lead to the relationship we now have with Air1”

Helen Owens, Customer Services Manager for Air1, added “We at Air1 also acknowledged that there are some operators who would like to purchase over the internet and this partnership allows us to offer this via a dedicated channel”

Personnel representing Commercial Fuel Solutions will be at the CV Show on the Air1 stand in HALL 6 STAND 231and are offering introductory discounts to the first few customers who place orders on the web site.

For more information, please contact Commercial Fuel Solutions Ltd on 0845 688 9755.

Euro is Getting Stronger

AdBlue could increase in price again if there is another sharp change in exchange rates against the Euro.

LONDON (Reuters) have reported that the GBP Sterling neared record lows versus the euro last Thursday, while stocks extended losses and gilts rose after the Bank of England cut rates by 25 basis points and expressed concern on the nation credit conditions.

The FTSE 100 index of Britain's leading shares extended losses, down almost 62 points, practically one percent on 5,922.3 after the Banks verdict. Having hit a record high at 80.29 earlier in the day, by 12:06 p.m the Euro was up one tenth of a percent on the day at 80.23 pence, whilst in reflection the pound gained slightly against the US dollar.

Interest rates are pushing implied rates and bond yields even lower as dealers made moves to price a more aggressive policy easing cycle from the Bank.
"They (Bank) haven't really done that much to address the shortage of liquidity, so that means that, even as they cut the official bank rate, those lower interest rates aren't getting passed on to consumers and other borrowers," said Chris Iggo, strategist at Axa Investment.
"They need to both keep cutting rates and try to improve liquidity and only then will lower interest rates start to affect the real economy ... Our view is that they cut rates to 4.5 percent by the end of the year."

This news has again stimulated the AdBlue price debate by further increasing the cost of bringing the product to the UK.

Air1 and Dureal Announce Price Increase

Air1 and Dureal, Yara s AdBlue brands across Europe, announce a price increase for their AdBlue packages, effective from April 1st 2008.
Air1 and the recently acquisitioned Dureal announce price increase effective April 1st 2008.
Due to the consistent energy increases (2007 saw crude oil prices increase by over $50 a barrel and Gas by over 40% in the same period) The leading manufacturer has been unable to avoid this unwelcome increase any longer.
Mr John Arne Ulvan, who is the Vice President for Environmental and Speciality Products at Yara, has been reported stating: "As others, we are confronted by the rise of raw material costs. This is a market trend we cannot ignore. At Yara, we remain focused on the delivery of quality AdBlue to our Air1 and Dureal clients. Thanks to our unique supply chain from factory to customer, we can keep the increase down to a minimum".
Details of the new pricing structure are currently being communicated to customers on a country-by-country basis.

Yara acquires AdBlue supplier, Dureal

On the 14th of December 2007 Yara Nederland B.V., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yara International ASA, entered an agreement to acquire Dureal, an AdBlue supplying company, from Univar N.V.
Dureal, a key player in the European AdBlue market, is considered an ideal vehicle to further strengthen the leadership of Air1, Yaras commercial brand for AdBlue.
Terje Bakken, Yara’s Senior Vice President and Head of Industrial Segment “The AdBlue market has seen tremendous growth over the past twelve months, and should reach 3.5 Million tonnes in 2012. Yara is one of the main AdBlue producers, with its existing plants in the Netherlands and Germany; and is to open a new production facility in Italy in 2008. Yara’s Air1 brand for AdBlue is already the market leader in Europe and this acquisition will allow Air1 to significantly increase this position by having a unique scale and logistical capacity,”.
Dureal, currently present in 12 European countries, compliments Yara’s approach to the market with Air1 ensuring that their reach stretches even further than before.

AdBlue, Protecting the environment with new fuel technologies

As of the 1st Jan 2005, new vehicles sold in Europe have needed to comply with the Euro 4 Emissions standard, this stage of the Euro’s standard requires harmful emissions to be halved from the previous Euro 3 requirement.
A drastic reduction needs to be made in the NOx (nitrous oxides) emissions for all heavy goods vehicles.
Euro 5 is nearly upon us and is scheduled for introduction in October 2009. As to be expected the limits outlined in this new standard are even more stringent than ever.
In order to meet the environmental requirements of the Euro 4 and Euro 5 standards on polluting HGV emissions, the vast majority of manufacturers have chosen SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) technology to reduce their nitrogen oxide emissions. This involves incorporating the urea into an aqueous solution called AdBlue. The alternative is EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) but this technology has its limits and at present will not be able to meet the demands of Euro 6 due in 2012
There are a number of advantages with SCR technology as around 85% of the nitrous oxide is converted into water vapour and nitrogen. (the air we all breath is approximately 74% nitrogen). In addition to this fuel savings of up to 6% have been boasted by some of the leading vehicle manufacturers. This has encouraged many of the leading manufacturers to concentrate their efforts on developing SCR vehicles in their range.
These arguments carry some considerable weight for SCR, especially now that fuel prices are at a record high.
Concern has been identified at the outset though as AdBlue is highly susceptible to contamination unless handled correctly, which has led to some dispute surrounding the creation of new ISO standards, who should be involved and how should they be implemented.
At present the AdBlue solution is produced in Europe and shipped to the UK, although there are plans to create production plants in the UK none are available to date.
With this import requirement and considering the sensitive handling aspects of the solution, sceptics fear that this technology may never really settle into the UK market.
However unless an alternative cleaner fuel solution is made available before October next year all modern fleet operators will have to adopt this new technology sooner or later or face penalties for operating a non-ecofriendly fleet.
The transport industry feels the need for new handling standards to be introduced as soon as possible to guide unfamiliar users through what is otherwise a very uncertain change in to the way large vehicles are refuelled.

AdBlue Prices Set to Rise Across Europe

Recent increases in gas and oil prices over the past few months have started to affect the AdBlue Market.
For those of you who are not already familiar with the concept, AdBlue is used as a reagent to reduce the harmful emissions from a diesel vehicles engine.
AdBlue is a trade name for AUS32, an automotive urea solution.
In order to use AUS32, the vehicle must be equipped with an SCR (selective catalytic reduction) unit. The SCR allows the AUS32 solution to be passed from the storage tank into the vehicles exhaust gases. AUS32 is made using Urea mixed with De-ionised water.
Many vehicle manufacturers across Europe have embraced this new technology to ensure that their vehicles meet new European standards, Euro 4 and Euro 5.
An alternative type of technology is available, EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) but sceptic fear it may not be able to meet the strict demands of future European legislation.
As with many other industries, recent increases in gas and oil prices over the past few months have started to affect the costs involved in producing the automotive solution.
Considering the primary component is Urea and the continuing increases in energy costs have driven up the cost of production in plants across Europe. Several leading manufacturers of the solution have started to make changes already to compensate for the increased cost of production.
These factors, when combined with the sharp change in the Euro exchange rate are likely to take their toll on British suppliers of the product, and many more are yet to reflect these changes on to their customer base.
This radical change in the price couldn’t have come at a worse time, considering the price of diesel at the pump often exceeds £1.10/litre. Heavy goods vehicle running costs are at an all time high.
Admittedly, drivers and fleet owners will still benefit from the savings to be made when running SCR equipped vehicles but even still it is only a matter of time before haulage rates are increased which will no doubt affect most markets.
Inevitably cost savings will need to be made elsewhere, fortunately SCR equipped vehicles will continue to avoid London’s recent high emissions tax and other European cities which are expected to follow suit (Birmingham, Paris and Milan) will also offer some comfort to modern fleet owners.
This news has sparked some panic buying amongst the larger fleet owners, but with a shelf life of somewhere between 6-18 months, most consumers of the product have decided against the need to buy AdBlue in bulk.
One this is for certain, the cost of transportation will almost certainly continue to rise until the impact on our environment can be controlled effectively.