The Necessity of Optimizing the Interactions of Advanced Post-Treatment Components in Order to Obtain Compliance with SULEV-Legislation

Fleet tests conducted on electrical vehicles around the world have very clearly shown that battery-powered cars may be regarded as zero-emission vehicles with respect to their local environments only. Emission measurements on vehicles powered by internal-combustion engines equipped with optimized exhaust-post-treatment systems have indicated the prospects the latter offer for cleaning up the environment, i.e., for yielding negative emissions, when run at their normal operating temperatures. Replacing electric cars with SULEV's is thus a matter currently under discussion. This paper will cover the functions of the various individual components of such post-treatment systems, and will show that optimizing the interactions among those components will improve their catalytic efficiencies.