The City of Westminster and operator Veolia have ordered a retrofit of 92 Refuse Collection Vehicles (RCVs) for the upcoming Ultra-low Emission Zone in London. As the first Euro VI RCV fleet retrofit, the combination of Amminex, a Faurecia company (earlier post), and Eminox technology (earlier post) has removed the blocking point for upgrading this vehicle type.

The retrofit order marks the first time a fleet of RCVs will be upgraded to Euro VI equivalent levels, and the Eminox/Amminex combo is so far the only solution having been approved by the official Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS) for retrofitting RCVs.

The combination of using ASDS solid ammonia technology from Amminex and SCR catalyst technology from Eminox has opened the door to addressing the emissions problem even at very low exhaust temperatures on the challenging RCV drive cycle.

The two first demonstration vehicles have been on the road for over a month. Our data from the online NO_xTracker tool shows an average NO_x reduction of more than 94 percent under extremely difficult driving conditions. This could very well be the most challenging retrofit conditions ever, and we are proud to see the ASDS system delivering this excellent performance.

—Fabien Milanesi, General Manager of Amminex

The homologation criteria in London are very ambitious, and the test vehicles have proven the Eminox-Amminex partnership to be a competitive solution. Many cities across Europe are struggling to improve air quality, and the homologation data from London show that there are no technical arguments for slacking the RCV emission requirements.

Screenshots from the NO_xTracker, showing Live DeNO_x performance data of the two demo vehicles. Even though the slow driving means very low exhaust temperatures, the DeNO_x performance is still exceptionally good.

The main invention behind the Ammonia Storage and Delivery System, ASDS, is the ability to safely store reactive ammonia gas in solid state by binding it to a salt called AdAmmine. When heated, AdAmmine releases the gas, which is then accurately dosed to the exhaust and SCR catalyst, thereby converting NO_x to nitrogen and water. Compared to conventional liquid-based solutions, the use of gaseous ammonia is a quantum leap in reducing NO_x emissions where they hurt the most: during slow, urban driving in densely populated areas.