Bus and Coach International (BCI) is going with the Navistar MaxxForce® Big Bore 13 engine with Advanced EGR technology as its solution to 2010 EPA emissions mandates.
According to BCI chief executive officer Phillip Oldridge, considering recent changes to the Falcon 45 coach, the choice of the Navistar engine choice was a simple one.
“First of all we preferred the alternative to using urea,” he says. “But the engine choice also considers our recent changes to the engine compartment, cooling system and engine cradle for the 2010 Falcon 45.”
The Navistar Maxxforce 13 bolts into the engine cradle, which slides into the back of the bus on rails as one complete unit, It bolts to the main chassis and attaches to the transmission. Oldridge says it is a very clean and efficient set up for maintenance.
Brian Sullivan of the Navistar Engine Group says because the Maxxforce 13 does not require the extra equipment to handle urea injection, this technology provides the lowest cost of ownership. He adds that coach operators will have the extra convenience of not worrying about what is going on at the tail pipe.
“Our company believes at this point this engine will result in a lower upfront cost,” he says. “We also believe coming to market without the urea liquid solution will translate into higher resale values when comes time to sell the coach.”
Oldridge also expressed concern for operators in colder climates.
“Because urea can freeze at very low temperatures, the holding tank would require a pre-heating system,” he says. “Actually there are a number of areas with the urea solution that we thought might create issues, or at least prove troublesome. We did not want to subject our customers to this if we could find a way around it.”
BCI saw its opportunity through its partnership with Navistar, due in part to the acceptability of the enlarged engine compartment.
Oldridge says he also expects an increase in fuel economy from the 2010 Falcon 45 with the Maxxforce engine connected to the CX Caterpillar transmission.
“It has required some changes in the programming,” he says. “But the CX marries perfectly with the Maxxforce 13.”
He says the changes have resulted in a one-ton reduction in the overall weight of the vehicle.
Navistar builds its MaxxForce® Big Bore engines with a combination of technologically advanced materials and components. Navistar attributes the lighter weight of its MaxxForce Big Bore engines are built on a block of compacted graphite iron, a material far stronger than conventional gray iron. The company says with less weight the Maxxforce engine delivers more torque and responsiveness at low rpm for better fuel economy and a quieter, smoother ride.
To satisfy 2010 EPA emissions compliance, Navistar Maxxforce hs gone with Advanced EGR to prevent NOx formation in the cylinders.
This technology featuring a high-pressure common-rail fuel system and dual sequential turbos offers an alternative to the use of urea.
Navistar points to four key technologies that make Advanced EGR an effective solution.
- Through advanced air management by dual staged turbochargers, the next-generation fuel injection system delivers fuel into the cylinder multiple times per cycle under higher pressures. Post-injections along with the main injection event means combustion can take place over a longer period and be more complete, which reduces NOx emissions.
- Proprietary combustion bowl design combines with the higher fuel injection pressure to break the fuel up into a finer mist spread more evenly inside the cylinder. Navistar says the more complete and cleaner burn translates into more power to the wheels and less soot out the exhaust.
- Turbo matching and advanced EGR cooling provide improved combustion for a more controlled reduction of NOx and particulate matter formation.
- Electronic calibration strategies rely on increased computer power to allow the engine controller to continuously calculate the optimum fuel-air mix to achieve maximum power and efficiency under myriad operating conditions.
In related developments, BCI director of engineering David Oldridge says the company has been gearing up for its Buy America certification. Later this year the coaches will arrive from the manufacturing plant in China for final assembly and installation of the Navistar Maxxforce 13 at its new facility in Los Angeles, CA.
A key feature of the redesign of the Falcon 45 was to ensure the engine compartment would house the Maxsforce 13 in its cradle. Oldridge says following testing this spring, installation of the new engine will begin 3Q 2010. BR
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