LIEPZIG, Germany, April 17, 2007: Tenneco Inc, manufactuer of Monroe® shock absorbers and Walker® exhaust systems and catalytic converters, announced today the arrival of the Eco Fuel World Tour in Europe, the first round-the-world tour using a vehicle powered by natural gas which Tenneco supplies with its Walker® exhaust and Monroe® shock absorbers.
After starting a 180-day, 50,000 km tour around the world, the EcoFuel World Tour VW Caddy shows no signs of slowing down. After going through treacherous terrains from rural roads to desert crossings, in often challenging weather conditions through the Middle East, Asia, North and South America, the tour is now headed back to Europe for the final part of its journey.
The tour has thus far achieved its objective of demonstrating the worldwide availability of environmentally friendly and low-priced compressed natural gas (CNG).
“Combating pollution is an important aim for us, and we are extremely proud to be part of this important environmental initiative with our Walker® aftermarket emission control products”said Alex Gelbcke, Tenneco's Vice President Aftermarket Europe. “The Caddy has performed extremely well, covering to date 18,000 kilometers for just 1000 Euros, a cost that would have easily doubled had he used a conventional petrol engine. We are looking forward to welcoming the Caddy back to Europe” added Gelbcke.
The Caddy features Tenneco's Walker®-branded rear exhaust system ensuring a continuous, smooth flow of exhaust gases out of the engine, improving engine performance while reducing drive-by noise.
Tenneco's commitment to reducing pollution and preserving the environment is evidenced by its development of the world's first Walker® catalytic converter in 1963. Tenneco has continued to pioneer catalytic converter technology for both the vehicle manufacturers and the aftermarket ever since. Its catalytic converters meet the toughest EU standards and can reduce harmful emissions by up to 99%. Catalytic converters convert hydrocarbons or volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides(NOx) produced by an engine into less harmful products-namely water vapour (H 2 O), carbon dioxide (CO 2 )and nitrogen (N 2 ). The efficiency of catalytic converters, combined with improvements in the quality of fuels, means that it would take up to 100 new cars to produce the same emissions as just one car made 20 years ago. These reductions are of significant benefit to human health – the pollutants are known to contribute to respiratory irritation and impaired vision, for example – and also to the environment, as these harmful emissions are factors in acid rain and global warming. Although emissions from natural-gas combustion systems are less than with petrol or diesel fuel, a catalytic converter remains a necessity.
To further strengthen its mission to reduce pollution, Tenneco also recently introduced its new Walker® aftermarket Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) to reduce particulate emissions on older-generation diesel vehicles. The Tenneco Walker® DPF features an innovative lightweight foam filter coated with precious metals and combines the catalytic converter and DPF into one unit. Tenneco was one of the first global suppliers to offer both additive and catalyst-coated diesel particulate filter technologies in series production for Europe's vehicle manufacturers. It first began production of OE diesel particulate filter technology in 2000 in conjunction with PSA Peugeot-Citroën for the Citroën C5 and Peugeot 406 diesel passenger vehicles. Today the company supplies DPF for DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz C-Class, E-Class and CLK passenger cars, Jaguar S-Type, VW Sharan and the Audi A6 and A4. The company also continues to supply PSA on its new Peugeot 407, Peugeot 807, Citroën C5 and C8, Fiat Ulysse and Lancia Phedra models.
In addition to its emission control products, Tenneco supplies its advanced Position Sensitive Twin System (PST) shock absorbers as original equipment on the VW Caddy. The PST shocks are particularly suited to the EcoFuel initiative given the loading on the vehicle which, in addition to its standard four natural gas tanks, is carrying additional gas tanks in the trunk meaning that the weight in the vehicle will be subject to constant change as the gas tanks are emptied and replenished. The PST shocks adjust to various vehicle loads, making them ideal for vans wherein heavier loads require a higher damping value to deal with larger mass while avoiding a harsh ride at lower loads. These provide soft damping for straight line driving to provide maximum driver and passenger comfort and higher damping values during braking and cornering to improve ride handling and safety.
The EcoFuel World Tour will be passing through the following cities*:
• Liepzig, Germany on 22/04
• Poznan, Poland on 23/04
• Stockholm, Sweden on 25/04
• Copenhagen, Denmark on 26/04
• Oslo, Norway on 27/04
• Manchester, UK on 02/05
• Dublin, Ireland on 03/05
• Zandvoort, Holland on 05/05
• Edenkoben, Germany: 09/05
• Milan, Italy on 14/05
• Vienna, Austria on 16/05
• Prague on 17/05
• Zagreb, Croatia 28/05
• Ljubuilana, Slovenia on 28/05
• Hanover, Germany on 30/05
For more information on stops scheduled for the tour in Europe visit: www.ecofuel-world-tour.com or www.eu.tenneco-automotive.com .
Tenneco is a $4.7 billion manufacturing company with headquarters in Lake Forest, Illinois and approximately 19,000 employees worldwide. Tenneco is one of the world's largest designers, manufacturers and marketers of emission control and ride control products and systems for the automotive original equipment market and the aftermarket. Tenneco markets its products principally under the Monroe®, Walker®, Gillet® and Clevite®Elastomer brand names. Among its products are Sensa-Tracâ and Monroe Reflex® shocks and struts, Ranchoâ shock absorbers, Magnum® Heavy Duty shock absorbers, Walkerâ Quiet-Flow® mufflers, Dynomaxâ performance exhaust products, and Clevite®Elastomer noise, vibration and harshness control components.
*Tour schedule is subject to change, locations indicated are Tenneco locations |