Hong Kong Buses to Get Catalytic Converters

26 October 1999

Hong Kong Buses to Get Catalytic Converters; Regulation Not the Only Driver of Global Retrofit Trend

    ISELIN, N.J.--Oct. 25, 1999--Hong Kong's largest operator of public buses will retrofit 1,800 of its vehicles with advanced emission-control technology from Engelhard Corporation , a world-leading developer of clean-air technologies.
    The move by Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) Company reflects a growing global trend toward diesel-bus and truck retrofits driven by a variety of factors, including government regulations, financial incentives, companies' growing commitment to "green" initiatives and even restrictions on the use of diesel vehicles without catalysts.
    KMB's decision was not prompted by regulatory requirement, but rather the company's desire to support broad initiatives to make Hong Kong a world-class city.
    "We are committed to contributing to Hong Kong's battle for cleaner air," said KMB Managing Director John Chan. "This retrofit initiative allows us to help clean the air, thereby making an important impact on the growth and development of our city."
    KMB plans to immediately begin installing Engelhard's CMX (R) converter mufflers on its older model buses (pre-1994), which represent about one-third of KMB's fleet. Once installed, these converters are capable of preventing more than 3,000 metric tons of pollution from reaching the air each year. Engelhard's CMX(R) converter muffler was the first technology certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under its urban-bus retrofit program.
    "Technology exists today to enable older diesel trucks and buses to run cleaner," said Edmund A. Stanczak, Jr., group vice president and general manager of Engelhard's Environmental Technologies Group. "Broader awareness and a better understanding of that fact is driving demand in cities around the world."
    Regulations exist for bus retrofits in selected urban areas in the United States and several major cities in Europe. In addition, regulations currently are being planned for a number of locations including Hong Kong, India, and Thailand in Asia; Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Paris in Europe; Brazil and Santiago in Latin America; and Istanbul.
    In addition, financial incentives are being offered in Taiwan, the United Kingdom and Australia. And, in Mexico City, driving restrictions on diesel vehicles without catalytic converters have created an economic demand for emission-control technology.
    Engelhard technology already has been retrofitted on thousands of diesel buses and trucks in cities in the U.S., U.K., France, Sweden, Mexico and Taiwan.
    Engelhard Corporation is a world-leading provider of environmental technologies, specialty chemical and performance products and related services. Engelhard pioneered auto-emission control, commercializing the first catalytic converter in 1975 and the first modern, three-way automotive catalyst a year later. The three-way catalyst is the type most widely used on cars around the world today.
    The company presently is commercializing a unique "smog-eating" technology called the PremAir(R) catalyst system, which destroys harmful, ground-level ozone in ambient air. Volvo will begin equipping their new luxury S80 model with PremAir-coated radiators at the end of this year.