Commercial vehicle order for Eaton eHeaters

Eaton announced it has reached the first agreement to supply its new eHeater for electrically heated catalysts to a global commercial vehicle manufacturer. The 48-volt programmable aftertreatment heater controller will be used to rapidly warm the diesel exhaust aftertreatment catalyst, and keep it warm during low engine load operation, for optimal performance to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.

Eaton’s eHeater controller warms up the diesel exhaust aftertreatment catalyst to reduce NOx emissions. (Photo: Business Wire)

The air-cooled electric catalyst heater controller is designed to receive power commands from the aftertreatment system and provide soft-start and stop capabilities for assisting in maintaining system voltage control and diagnostic feedback of the heater element, Eaton said. Serving as a power-electronic converter, it regulates 48 volts to a catalyst heater element for commercial vehicle emission control applications, and can control a total of 200 amps of load current to either one or two independent heating elements. 

The eHeater regulates and supplies power to the heating coil while ensuring high power quality for the 48-volt vehicle system, Eaton continued. This power is provided to a heating coil in the vehicle’s aftertreatment system, which actively heats catalyst components, helping to reach efficient operating temperatures quickly upon engine start and maintain these temperatures during low load operation, resulting in significant NOx reduction.

“The aftertreatment catalyst heater controller contains all the necessary power electronics to efficiently deliver power to the heater to optimize engine performance and ensure the vehicle electrical system remains stable during heater operation,” said Ben Karrer, head of engineering, Low Voltage and Power Conversion, Eaton’s Mobility Group.

He noted that Eaton has been selling similar technologies for decades for global agricultural, military and other applications. “This marks a milestone for us as we are now introducing this innovative technology to the commercial vehicle sector.”