NxtGen Nears Launch of Retrofit Emissions System
David E. Zoia Ward's AutoWorld, May 1, 2009 12:00 PM

NxtGen Emission Controls Inc. is set to launch low-volume production of its syngas-based emissions systems late this year at its Wixom, MI, plant, the company's top executive says.

The first units will be aimed at the commercial-vehicle retrofit market, with a volume of about 5,000 units expected next year, CEO Jeremy W. Holt says at the SAE World Congress.

The facility has an annual capacity for about 25,000 units, and there's room to double that if necessary. Seven people are employed at the Wixom operation now, which also houses NxtGen's sales and application-engineering team, with about 50 workers expected if the plant reaches full volume.

The production launch will culminate a 5-year effort for the Canadian company to get its emissions-control technology on the market. In addition to the retrofit sector, NxtGen is targeting original equipment commercial-vehicle applications, the light-duty market and some ancillary opportunities for its syngas generation technology.

NxtGen's retrofit system is designed to improve diesel-particulate trap performance by injecting syngas — a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, rather than pure diesel fuel, into the filter in order to burn off the particulates.

The syngas, which is created using the onboard diesel fuel, does a more thorough job in cleansing the filter and is more effective at temperatures up to 212° F (100° C) cooler.

Because it uses syngas, rather than pure diesel, it promises to be up to 30% more fuel efficient, and platinum content in emissions systems can be reduced 50%-60%, Holt says.

Currently, NxtGen is performing final testing as part of a validation effort for Environmental Protection Agency certification. It also is filing to meet the EPA's emerging-technologies standards.

That would allow fleet operators retrofitting their vehicles with NxtGen technology to qualify for incentives. Similar bonuses are offered by the state of California, and NxtGen plans to file for certification with the California Air Resources Board, as well.