Knorr-Bremse sets group-wide climate protection goals
20.11.2009
Knorr-Bremse has launched a group-wide energy-efficiency campaign that lays down am-bitious goals for the company. The aim of ECCO2 (Efficient Cut in CO2) is to achieve a 20% increase in energy efficiency by the year 2020 and thus also a 20% reduction in en-ergy-related CO2 emissions. To do this, Knorr-Bremse is introducing a group-wide energy management system that will enable the scope for energy savings to be systematically identified and utilized in all parts of the company. Appropriate measures will be standard-ized and incorporated into company processes.
Knorr-Bremse’s ECCO2 campaign combines economic and environmental considerations: On the one hand, in an age of scarce resources and climate change the campaign con-tributes towards responsible use of the earth’s resources. And on the other hand, Knorr-Bremse stands to benefit from careful management of raw materials whose prices are set to rise steeply in the medium to long term.
Knorr-Bremse is continuing to develop a wide range of energy-efficient products that are increasingly in demand on account of their combined environmental and economic advan-tages.
In the rail sector, LEADER – the world’s foremost driver information system for freight and passenger trains – enables the locomotive engineer to reduce energy consumption by cal-culating an optimum speed profile for every stretch of track, taking into account both the timetable and the topology involved. The system also helps avoid critical in-train forces on long freight trains, thus reducing wear and tear on the freight cars themselves. In America, LEADER is already helping to protect the environment and achieving savings for opera-tors. An American freight train equipped with LEADER consumes up to fifteen per cent less fuel than one without the system on board – on the same route and with an identical load. LEADER saves 70,000 tons of CO2 in the USA every year.
In the commercial vehicle sector, EAC2 Electronic Air Control intelligently manages the production of compressed air in truck braking systems, ensuring that only as much air is generated as is actually required. If sufficient air is already available, the compressor automatically disengages. In conventional systems the compressor has preset idling and compression modes, which means it generates compressed air even when this is not re-quired – for example during overtaking on the autobahn or on uphill gradients. In such situations, EAC2 disengages the compressor so that maximum engine power is available for acceleration. Conversely, when excess energy is available – for example during over-run on a downhill gradient or during braking before traffic lights – EAC2 switches into com-pression mode. If EAC2 and the compressor with clutch are combined, they can save sev-eral hundred liters of fuel per vehicle per year.
The Pneumatic Booster System for trucks injects air from the vehicle’s pneumatic system directly into the engine, effectively eliminating turbo lag at low revs. The system improves acceleration by between twenty and one hundred per cent – the equivalent effect to using an engine with up to thirty per cent greater cubic capacity. Conversely this means that for the same operational requirements a smaller engine with lower weight and lower fuel con-sumption can be used. Various vehicle and engine tests have identified potential fuel sav-ings of up to three per cent.
Combined with other modifications, EAC2, the compressor with clutch and PBS can achieve, depending on vehicle type, fuel savings of up to seven per cent in urban driving. This means that if Knorr-Bremse products were installed in fifty per cent of vehicles, they could prevent emissions of 1.8 million tons of CO2 by 2015 in Western Europe alone.
The Knorr-Bremse Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles. For more than 100 years now the company has pioneered the development, production and marketing of state-of-the-art braking systems. Other lines of business include automatic door systems, rail vehicle air conditioning systems and tor-sional vibration dampers for internal combustion engines. In 2008 the Group posted sales of EUR 3.38 billion and employed a workforce of some 15,000.
Knorr-Bremse’s ECCO2 campaign combines economic and environmental considerations: On the one hand, in an age of scarce resources and climate change the campaign con-tributes towards responsible use of the earth’s resources. And on the other hand, Knorr-Bremse stands to benefit from careful management of raw materials whose prices are set to rise steeply in the medium to long term.
Knorr-Bremse is continuing to develop a wide range of energy-efficient products that are increasingly in demand on account of their combined environmental and economic advan-tages.
In the rail sector, LEADER – the world’s foremost driver information system for freight and passenger trains – enables the locomotive engineer to reduce energy consumption by cal-culating an optimum speed profile for every stretch of track, taking into account both the timetable and the topology involved. The system also helps avoid critical in-train forces on long freight trains, thus reducing wear and tear on the freight cars themselves. In America, LEADER is already helping to protect the environment and achieving savings for opera-tors. An American freight train equipped with LEADER consumes up to fifteen per cent less fuel than one without the system on board – on the same route and with an identical load. LEADER saves 70,000 tons of CO2 in the USA every year.
In the commercial vehicle sector, EAC2 Electronic Air Control intelligently manages the production of compressed air in truck braking systems, ensuring that only as much air is generated as is actually required. If sufficient air is already available, the compressor automatically disengages. In conventional systems the compressor has preset idling and compression modes, which means it generates compressed air even when this is not re-quired – for example during overtaking on the autobahn or on uphill gradients. In such situations, EAC2 disengages the compressor so that maximum engine power is available for acceleration. Conversely, when excess energy is available – for example during over-run on a downhill gradient or during braking before traffic lights – EAC2 switches into com-pression mode. If EAC2 and the compressor with clutch are combined, they can save sev-eral hundred liters of fuel per vehicle per year.
The Pneumatic Booster System for trucks injects air from the vehicle’s pneumatic system directly into the engine, effectively eliminating turbo lag at low revs. The system improves acceleration by between twenty and one hundred per cent – the equivalent effect to using an engine with up to thirty per cent greater cubic capacity. Conversely this means that for the same operational requirements a smaller engine with lower weight and lower fuel con-sumption can be used. Various vehicle and engine tests have identified potential fuel sav-ings of up to three per cent.
Combined with other modifications, EAC2, the compressor with clutch and PBS can achieve, depending on vehicle type, fuel savings of up to seven per cent in urban driving. This means that if Knorr-Bremse products were installed in fifty per cent of vehicles, they could prevent emissions of 1.8 million tons of CO2 by 2015 in Western Europe alone.
The Knorr-Bremse Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles. For more than 100 years now the company has pioneered the development, production and marketing of state-of-the-art braking systems. Other lines of business include automatic door systems, rail vehicle air conditioning systems and tor-sional vibration dampers for internal combustion engines. In 2008 the Group posted sales of EUR 3.38 billion and employed a workforce of some 15,000.
