Toyota to start field tests of the DPNR emission control system

15 March 2002

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announced it will begin this month a monitoring program in seven European countries to evaluate real world application of its “Diesel Particulate NOx Reduction” (DPNR) emission control system. The 18-month program will feature 60 diesel-powered units of the European-market Toyota Avensis sedan as a step toward Toyota’s planned market introduction of a DPNR-equipped model in 2003.

The DPNR system simultaneously and continuously reduces particulate matter and nitrogen oxides (NOx), two of the most challenging emissions in diesel vehicle exhaust gas. It is a combination of a diesel particulate filter with a NOx adsorber-catalyst system. The NOx adsorber-catalyst is coated onto the walls of a wall-flow, monolithic particulate filter substrate. Combination of these two components in the DPNR results in a compact size of the system.

The system, which was unveiled in July 2000, was developed to complement Toyota’s electronically controlled common-rail fuel injection system. In the Avensis monitoring program, the DPNR is installed on a 2-liter, 4 cylinder, D-4D Toyota engine rated at 81 kW @ 4000 rpm. The DPNR unit is installed in the close-coupled position on the engine.

The popularity of diesel powered vehicles in Europe, as well as the urban appeal of the medium-size Avensis, led to the planned monitoring program, results of which will be used to prepare the DPNR system for commercial launch. The cars will be offered to selected customers in major cities in Germany (27 units), the United Kingdom (19), Austria (7), Norway (3), Italy (2), Finland (1) and Belgium (1). Two additional units will undergo similar public use field trials in Japan.

Source: Toyota