Federal-Mogul’s Extension of Spark Plug Portfolio for CNG-fuelled Heavy-duty Vehicles Delivers Fuel Economy, Emissions Reduction
New range combines expertise gained from industrial and automotive applications to deliver proven technologies for heavy-duty market
Wiesbaden, Germany, 21 August 2014 - Federal-Mogul Powertrain, a division of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: FDML), has developed a range of spark plugs for heavy-duty vehicles that run on compressed natural gas (CNG). Demand for CNG-fuelled vehicles for urban transport (buses) and freight distribution (trucks) is being driven by increasing restrictions on emissions and environmental pressures to use more sustainable energy resources. Federal-Mogul will present its range of ignition products at the IAA Commercial Vehicles Show in Hannover from September 23rd to October 2nd 2014, hall 13, stand C28.
CNG-fuelled engines meet current Euro-6 emissions and are perfectly suited to transportation tasks in congested cities to reduce further pollution. With the growth of this market, Federal-Mogul has built upon its existing CNG product portfolio with new material and design variations tailored for this market segment. “Each application is tailored to provide optimum performance enabling greater durability, and reduced fuel consumption and emissions to suit our customers’ needs,” explained Federal-Mogul’s ignition applications engineer Dr. Rene Trebbels. “For example, we have different electrode material configurations with an iridium centre and depending on the application, a platinum or iridium ground to optimise the electrode surface for extended life.”
The transient operation of CNG heavy-duty vehicle engines and the wide range of ambient conditions encountered can produce temperature gradients that are different to those in stationary engines. For example, engines for power generation do not idle, whereas heavy-duty vehicle engines often encounter frequent idling periods, followed by wide open throttle operation. This puts additional thermal shock stress on the material bonds of the spark plug, according to Trebbels. “The electrode temperatures also tend to be higher in heavy-duty vehicle applications compared to stationary applications, and spark energy levels are lower, but we cancarry across a great deal of our experience in geometry, materials and manufacturing processes to accommodate these variations,” he said.
Federal-Mogul is one of the world’s largest spark plug manufacturers, producing more than a million plugs per year globally for the CNG engine market alone. “We provide our heavy-duty engine customers worldwide with a wide-ranging and robust product portfolio, using technologies developed by our advanced technology centres at Plymouth, Michigan, USA; Burscheid, Germany; and Shanghai, China,” said Dr. Thomas Schmidt, Director, OE Sales and Marketing, Global Ignition. “Our worldwide manufacturing footprint, extending to the USA, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, China and India, allows us to provide close support and quick response to customers in every region.”
About Federal-Mogul
Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: FDML) is a leading global supplier of products and services to the world’s manufacturers and servicers of vehicles and equipment in the automotive, light, medium and heavy-duty commercial, marine, rail, aerospace, power generation and industrial markets. The company’s products and services enable improved fuel economy, reduced emissions and enhanced vehicle safety.
Federal-Mogul operates two independent business divisions, each with a chief executive officer reporting to Federal-Mogul's Board of Directors.
Federal-Mogul Powertrain designs and manufactures original equipment powertrain components and systems protection products for automotive, heavy-duty, industrial and transport applications.
Federal-Mogul Motorparts sells and distributes a broad portfolio of products through more than 20 of the world’s most recognized brands in the global vehicle aftermarket, while also serving original equipment vehicle manufacturers with products including braking, chassis, wipers and other vehicle components. The company’s aftermarket brands include ANCO® wiper blades; Champion® spark plugs, wipers and filters; AE®, Fel-Pro®, FP Diesel®, Goetze®, Glyco®, Nüral®, Payen® and Sealed Power® engine products; MOOG® steering and suspension parts; and Ferodo® and Wagner® brake products.
Federal-Mogul was founded in Detroit in 1899. The company employs more than 45,000 people in 34 countries, and its worldwide headquarters is in Southfield, Michigan, United States. For more information, please visit www.federalmogul.com.
CONTACT:
Marco Foley
Market Engineering
+44 (0)1295 277050
marco.foley@m-eng.com
Ursula Hellstern
Federal-Mogul Corporate Communications EMEA
+49 (611) 201 9190
ursula.hellstern@federalmogul.com
