Litex Inc. Issues Statement on EPA's Tier 2 Standards
22 December 1999
Litex Inc. Issues Statement on EPA's Tier 2 Standards
LOS ANGELES--Dec. 21, 1999--The following statement was released today by Leon K. Ekchian, president and chief executive officer of Litex Inc. (www.litexcorp.com) in response to the EPA Tier 2 standards announced today by President Clinton."Litex Inc. looks forward to assisting both the automobile and oil industries meet the technological challenges posed by the new Tier 2 standards. Our low-cost, low-power technology provides the means for reducing tailpipe emissions and reversing the harmful impact of sulfur on a vehicle's catalytic converter.
"Even at the 30 parts per million average fuel sulfur level as required under the new standards, sulfur still can poison a vehicle's catalytic converter and make it less effective. Extensive testing and vehicle trials have shown that at 30 ppm sulfur level, such sulfur, poisoning can be greatly reduced and even reversed in vehicles equipped with the Litex Corona Discharge Device (CDD(TM)).
"More importantly, the technology is available at low cost, and may actually reduce the cost of a new vehicle by reducing up to 50 percent the amount of precious metals, such as palladium, platinum and rhodium, necessary in the vehicle's catalytic converter in meeting the new Tier 2 standards. For larger passenger cars, light trucks and sports utility vehicles, net savings with the use of the CDD are projected to exceed $150 per vehicle.
"Unlike very expensive initiatives that are a long way from marketability, the Litex CDD is available now, with proven results in reducing emissions at low cost. We look forward to working with the auto industry to bring these benefits to consumers as soon as possible."
In October, the Litex CDD won the First Place Award for Excellence at the 1999 Global Powertrain Conference, an international tradeshow in Stuttgart, Germany.
The CDD, which is inserted into an automobile's exhaust system upstream from the catalytic converter, is capable of reducing carbon monoxide emissions more than 80 percent, and hydrocarbon and oxides of nitrogen emissions by more than 50 percent, depending upon the sulfur content of the fuels involved, which may range from 0 to more than 300 ppm. This should be of great assistance to the auto and oil industries during the Tier 2 phase-in period. The CDD's "self-cleaning" environment reduces sulfur poisoning while prolonging the lifespan of the catalytic converter.
Utilizing technology that originated at the Lockheed Martin Corporation and further developed by Litex, the CDD will be manufactured by Saturn Electronics & Engineering Inc., an Auburn Hills, Mich. supplier to the automotive industry. It is currently available to auto manufacturers for evaluation. A number of auto manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers in the United States, Europe and Japan have purchased prototypes for application development. The production version will be available to automotive manufacturers in the year 2000. According to estimates made by Litex, the volume price to automotive manufacturers will be less than $100.
Litex is an advanced venture capital-financed electronics company established in August 1996 to develop and commercialize high-value products that demonstrate strong market potential and offer cost-effective solutions to complex industrial and consumer needs. The company has headquarters in Sherman Oaks, Calif., and has satellite offices in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and Cambridge, Mass.
More information about Litex, the CDD and non-thermal plasma technology is available at the company's Web site at www.litexcorp.com, or by phoning the company at 818/817-7600.