Pirelli Eco Technology, which forms part of the world-renowned Pirelli Group, is consolidating its position in Great Britain with its class-leading range of aftermarket particulate filters, combining cost-efficiency with respect for the environment.

The launch of new products within the UK was unveiled today by Pirelli Eco Technology Commercial Director Stefano Sanchini at a press conference in Birmingham during the Commercial Vehicle Show: one of the leading trade fairs in Europe for commercial vehicles and aftermarket products.

“We’re delighted to be highlighting our new range of ground-breaking products within Great Britain, a crucial market that is of particular relevance with the latest emissions regulations (stage 3/4) for the London LEZ (Low Emission Zone) to be implemented starting from January 2012″ said Sanchini. “Our products are designed to ensure that operators meet these environmental targets without having to trade in their old vehicles.”

Pirelli Eco Technology showcases the Feelpure range of products: a complete portfolio of technologies developed by Pirelli Eco Technology to reduce regulated emissions from diesel engines.

The latest product from the range is the Feelpure Platinum filter, which was launched earlier this year. Feelpure Platinum is a wall flow DPF system with continuous regeneration strategy. The use of a platinum coated catalyser mounted in front of the filtering cartridge in recrystallized silicon carbide ensures the best operating performance for the vehicle and class-leading efficiency in emissions reduction.
Feelpure Platinum environment performances, with reduction rates of 99.7% PN (Particles Number), over 95% PM (Particulate Matter), over 95% HC (Hydrocarbon) and over 75% CO (Carbon Monoxide), match the strictest air quality legislation currently existing in Europe.

“The Platinum filter further enlarges the Pirelli environmental range of emissions reduction technologies” added Sanchini. “Pirelli emissions reduction technologies enable commercial vehicles to comply with the latest emissions regulations and demonstrates the firm commitment from both ourselves and our customers to reduce the impact of commercial vehicles on the environment.”

The Platinum filter is the latest addition to the range of environmentally aware Feelpure products, which all feature a filter cartridge in silicon carbide, a material chosen by Pirelli Eco Technology for its long lasting strength and for its capacity to withstand thermal and mechanical stress.

All the Feelpure filters can be fitted to trucks, buses, coaches, light commercial vehicles and earth-moving machinery. The emissions reduction device is housed in a muffler that replaces the original silencer, thereby avoiding having to modify the engine.

Other products from the Feelpure range include the Feelpure FBC (Fuel Borne Catalyst) pioneered by Pirelli in 2004. This original iron-based liquid catalyser is able to guarantee the best environmental performance for urban applications.

The Feelpure AR was introduced five years later, based on aided regeneration technology that guarantees correct functioning of the filtering system for more critical urban applications, thanks to special super-heating glow plugs. This technology was developed by the Pirelli Group for urban as well as stop and go applications, characterised by low exhaust gas temperatures.

The Feelpure Downox was launched last year: a system for the treatment of diesel engine emissions, made up of a particulate filter and a Urea catalyser. This is designed to reduce all polluting agents from heavy commercial vehicles and buses. The Downox allows Euro 2/3/4 vehicles to reach the Euro 5 class for all regulated pollutants, eliminating, among other things, nitrogen oxide: one of the most common pollutants in the air.

All these groundbreaking products showcase the Pirelli Group’s philosophy of effective ecology – ranging from Formula One, which Pirelli is supplying with tyres until 2013, to the commercial vehicles that form an essential part of everyday life.

Feelpure was originally launched in the Italian market before expanding to other major European markets, including Switzerland, France and the UK in 2007. Since 2008 Feelpure has been present in Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Scandinavia and the Baltic countries, as well as Greece, Poland, South America, Portugal and China – where a Pirelli Eco Technology factory has been built to cope with worldwide demand.

The first installation of Pirelli FEELPUREâ„¢ system, accordingly to the recent Portuguese Government’s dispatch (Dispatch nº12771/2010) regarding incentives scheme for DPF (Diesel particulate Filter), was successfully completed on a Scania truck belonging to Transportes Mariano & Filhos’s fleet, placed in Figueira da Foz. The complete engineering work was inspected and approved at state-of-the-art CIMA center in Alcobaça.

FEELPUREâ„¢, the Pirelli Eco Technology DPF system homologated in Portugal accordingly to IMTT homologation rules, does allow a 5 years extension of the truck’s age limit (from 15 to 20 years).

The update of the truck’s circulation documents, to certify the vehicle’s upgrade with an homologated DPF system, was already completed by IMTT, allowing the truck free circulation in Portugal and Europe. This Scania truck is the first step of a wider project involving Pirelli and Transportes Mariano that foresee the upgrade for 22 vehicles from Transportes Mariano fleet.

All vehicles will be equipped with bespoke Pirelli FEELPUREâ„¢ technology.

The complete project will be completed in beginning 2011, with installation of the Pirelli DPF systems and upgrade of circulation papers for all 22 vehicles.

Mariano Transportes, thanks to Pirelli FEELPUREâ„¢ technology, will benefit of extra 5 years of life for each truck retrofitted with a PIRELLI DPF system for an overall of 110 years of age limit extension for his Euro3 and Euro4 fleets.

PIRELLI FEELPUREâ„¢ is the PIRELLI’s wall flow DPF technology for the reduction of particulate emissions from diesel engine vehicles, designed to be integrated into the complete exhaust system of trucks, buses, light commercial vehicles, gensets and off-road equipment from EURO 0 to EURO 4.

Pirelli FEELPUREâ„¢ , today, it is the only filter system which has obtained the official IMTT homologation in Portugal.

Today, Pirelli and CIMA, the first inspection company to invest in the most recent technologies for measuring pollution emissions in Portugal, did run a dedicated workshop at CIMA’s center in Poço do Bispo (Lisbon) to explain and demonstrate how both the FEELPUREâ„¢ system and the inspection process and equipment work.

Pirelli Eco Technology has been operating in Portugal since late 2008, intending to approach the market needs of particle filters for trucks and other heavy vehicles. Its technology was the first one certified accordingly to the Portuguese rules.

In 2009, following the interest of the Portuguese Minister of Environment for air quality matters and the request of proving the effectiveness of DPF technology on actual vehicles, Pirelli signed a protocol with the Government, the Commission for the Development of the Region of Lisbon and the Commission for the Development for the Region of Oporto, and the IMTT (Institute for Mobility and Terrestrial Transports) regarding the testing and certification of DPF systems on circulating commercial vehicles.

The protocol, signed by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Humberto Rosa, and Secretary of State for Transports, Ana Paula Vitorino, was successfully completed in September 2009 with the official presentation of the results in terms of PM emissions reduction.

«We are proud to support such a key country as Portugal is in its policy of harmful particle emissions reduction» said Pirelli Eco Technology’s CEO Bruno Tronchetti Provera, signing the protocol.

On June 15th, 2009, the IMTT issued a deliberation with the requirements for its approval of DPF systems in Portugal. Pirelli successfully applied for the recognition by IMTT, who tested and promptly certified Pirelli’s DPF systems.

On August 9th, 2010, the office of the Portuguese Secretary of State for Transports emitted a new dispatch (Dispatch nº12771/2010) regarding the incentives of the Portuguese Government for the buying of particle filters. This document, together with the fact that the Portuguese Government have allowed a 5 years extension on the age limit (from 15 to 20 years) for transport trucks equipped with DPF systems, finally decreed the adoption of the particulate filters as one of the most effective solutions for the improvement of the air quality in Portugal. As a matter of fact, Pirelli FEELPUREâ„¢ filter extends back to 20 years truck’s age limits.

This is considered as the first strong signal from Portuguese authorities about their position towards the emissions standards improvement for heavy duty fleets (with most relevant polluting emissions) operating on the territory.

Many other initiatives for air quality improvement in main metropolitan areas are under discussion as the introduction of LEZs (Low Emission Zones, already largely adopted in polluted European cities) with severe traffic limits for old polluting vehicles in dense inhabitants areas or highway toll differentiation based on the PM emission level of the vehicles (as per the measure adopted in Germany). Lisbon and Porto will soon introduce LEZs programme. But there are many others councils in Portugal developing and dedicating environmental strategy, among which are Maia, Santo Tirso, and Amadora.

Pirelli: Preliminary Agreement Signed With Hixih Group To Build Particulate Filter Factory. Industrial Hub Created In Shandong Province

The new factory will require an investment in different phases which on the basis of the evolution of the market could reach 50 million euros over three years, with annual production of around 100 thousand filters and 1200 employees

Beijing, 15 September 2009 – Pirelli signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” with Hixih Group (previously the Yinhe Group), already a partner of Pirelli since 2005 in tyre manufacturing, to build a plant for manufacturing of filters in Yanzhou, in the province of Shandong.

The agreement is linked to the protocols signed today with the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People’s Republic of China and the Municipality of Beijing for distribution of cutting edge technologies for reduction of polluting emissions from diesel vehicles in China. The agreement will allow Pirelli to strengthen and consolidate the presence it has had in China since 2005.

The new factory, whose construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of  2010, will be located in the same area where the manufacturing sites developed by the two partners for production of truck and car tyres were built, and will thus create a diversified industrial hub able to profit from synergies in manufacturing and distribution of the two products.
The plant for particulate filters, both ‘retrofit’ and for original equipment, will be developed gradually. The investment, already included in the 2009-2011 industrial plan, will take into account the evolution of the market and could reach 50 million euros in three years, with manufacturing capacity of around 100,000 filters per year and approximately 1200 employees.

The Feelpure™ filter systems produced by Pirelli Eco Technology are able to reduce particulate emissions from diesel engines by more than 90%, and NO2 emissions by 50%. The systems can be installed on vehicles already in circulation (retrofit), representing an immediate and affordable application, which guarantees significant environmental advantages in a short time.  Following the pilot project launched in Beijing in 2008, the filters produced by the Pirelli Group, thanks to their particular technological characteristics, were recently homologated. The Beijing Municipality has already ordered a significant quantity of Pirelli Eco Technology filter systems which will be fitted on buses in the capital city.

The Pirelli Group has had an industrial presence in China since 2005, when its first factory for truck tyres was built in Yanzhou in the Shandong province. In the same area, at the end of 2007, the Group launched a second factory for manufacturing of high performance car tyres.
With investments amounting to more than 2 billion RMB, or more than 200 million euros, as of today, the industrial site currently uses advanced manufacturing technology and represents a manufacturing, logistics and commercial hub for the entire Asia-Pacific region for the Pirelli Group. Today about 60% of Pirelli’s overall production in China is for the local market, while the remaining 40% is exported to other Asia-Pacific markets.

With a headcount of nearly 2,000 employees, today the two factories produce about 700,000 tyres per year in the truck segment and 2.5 million tyres in the car segment: the industrial plan target is to reach about one million truck tyres and about 5 million car tyres in the 2009-2011 three-year period.

The plan for creating a site for production of particulate filters represents the third phase of development for the Pirelli Group in China and a further step in its international consolidation. Today Pirelli counts 23 factories in 12 countries.

China, in particular, represents one of the most interesting markets for Pirelli, where the brand of the Italian group is rapidly affirming itself. In 2008 the Group photographed and presented the ‘Pirelli Calendar’ in Shanghai, and, more recently, signed an agreement for three-year sponsorship of the main Chinese football championship, the ‘Chinese Super League’, now called the ‘Pirelli Super League’.