Hella debuts green technology that reduces carbon dioxide in lighting, electronics

Most scientists agree that reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions is an important step toward reducing global warming. But Hella KGaA Hueck & Co. has gone one step further, developing a broad technology portfolio of series solutions to reduce these dangerous emissions.

Hella's CO₂ reducing lighting products include xenon headlamps and lighting emitting diodes (LEDs), which are, among others, used in daytime running lights. In comparison with average light bulbs found in vehicle headlamps, Hella's xenon headlamps use less power, while doubling light output. Xenon headlamps also use a third less energy than halogen bulbs. A vehicle equipped with a combination of xenon lights and conventional light bulbs in the rear lamps can achieve an energy savings of about 25 percent compared to full halogen lighting.

Daytime running lights are becoming increasingly common and have been associated with improved road safety. Running lights, along with LEDs, reduce fuel consumption by an estimated .0847 gallons per 100 miles.

"While CO₂ reduction is seeing an ever-growing interest in today's environmentally-conscious world, intelligent lighting and electronics solutions from Hella contribute to both to an increase in efficient power generation and to a reduction in energy consumption," explains Dr. Martin Fisher, president of Hella Electronics Corporation.

Hella's electronic products that help reduce CO₂emissions include:

• Demand-driven fuel pumps with Hella's intelligent control unit regulate pump power based on engine requirements, thereby reducing the electrical system load by up to 100 watts. This results in a savings of 0.5 grams of CO₂ per mile.
• Hella's Intelligent Battery Sensor, a key element of energy management, regulates electrical energy generation, as well as its distribution and storage. It can save approximately 2.4 grams of CO₂ per mile.
• Hella's fuel-quality sensor can eliminate emissions of up to 30 grams of CO₂ per vehicle start. The sensor ensures that gasoline or diesel is injected only as is needed to start the engine.
• The company's oil quality sensor ensures that the life of a full charge of engine oil can be extended under normal to good operating conditions. The savings potential of the oil quality sensor is about 4 grams of CO₂ per mile.
• The Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) system produced by Hella determines the relative speed and distance to the vehicle driving in front and adapts the owner's vehicle speed automatically. As a result, ACC allows for a smooth and fuel-efficient way of driving, which ultimately reduces CO₂ emissions.
• Hella's electric vacuum pumps work more efficiently than conventional belt driver pumps. As a vacuum boost is usually only required only during warm-up, an electric vacuum pump can be switched off as soon as the engine reaches its operating temperature, saving 2.5 to 4 grams of CO₂.
  

Carbon dioxide is an odorless and colorless gas that is produced by the combustion of fossil fuels, among other processes, containing carbon such as coal, natural gas and petroleum. The carbon dioxide produced while burning these fossil fuels is then released into the atmosphere. These carbon dioxide concentrations have reached record-high levels in the atmosphere after growing at an accelerated pace in the past year, according to scientists from the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, U.S.A.

Increased carbon dioxide emissions have the possibility of increasing global temperatures, thereby melting icecaps and increasing ocean levels, creating warmer winters, as well as disrupting global ecosystems.

For more information about Hella KGaA Hueck & Co., visit the company's Web site.