TROY, Mich. — Behr America has announced it is creating a new thermal management portfolio to meet the progressively stricter automotive emissions and fuel economy legislation worldwide.

New legislation, high gasoline prices, the drive for energy independence and environmental consciousness are driving major challenges today facing the automotive industry: improving operating efficiencies and gas mileage while improving passenger comfort and safety, according to the company.

Behr America says its technologies are leading the industry in areas that are the focus of the automotive industry’s research and development activities — vehicle electrification, internal engine combustion efficiency and environmental sustainability improvements.

Electrification will play a major role in the future and Behr believes it is uniquely positioned to address a variety of vehicle electrification challenges, including: developing optimum solutions for battery thermal management, standardizing solutions and increasing production volume to reduce price.

Research and development activities leading to new standardized solutions will require major capital investments for automotive manufacturers and suppliers.  Government financing through ATVM (Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing) will play an important role in the development process.

Behr is actively participating in two thermal-management development programs led by car and truck manufacturers.  

While the electrification of vehicles will become an increasingly important trend, internal combustion engines will remain the auto-industry’s primary source for years to come. Making gasoline and diesel-powered engines more efficient, therefore, is essential, according to Behr. The company has developed a variety of products which either reduce fuel consumption or enable the use of other fuel-saving technologies.

Behr’s engine-mounted components group features two technologies – charge-air cooling and exhaust gas recirculation.

Direct-injection technology helps produce a cooler, denser charge that generates more power for every drop of fuel. This technology produces an instantaneous low-end torque responsiveness with virtually no turbo lag. Gasoline turbocharged direct-injection technology offers up to 20 percent better fuel economy and 15 percent fewer CO2 emissions with superior driving performance, according to Behr.

Behr’s charge-air coolers, indirect charge-air coolers (iCAC) and indirect integrated charge-air coolers (i2CAC) enable the application of direct-injection technology. Charge air/air or charge air/coolant coolers cool the combustion air of turbo- and supercharged engines. They ensure high power at all engine speeds, lower fuel consumption and lower emissions, while reducing thermal stress on the engine, the company says.

Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) systems used on diesel and gasoline engines recirculate a portion of the engine’s exhaust gas back into the engine.

Behr offers an EGR cooler, which is a heat exchanger mounted directly on the engine. Designed to cool exhaust gas by transferring heat to the engine coolant, it cools the exhaust gas prior to reintroducing it into the engine.

Traditionally, EGR coolers were used on diesel engines to reduce the formation of NOx. Behr says it has developed an EGR cooler for gasoline engines that provides significant reduction in fuel consumption, more than 10 percent improvement at high engine loads and up to 6 percent during normal drive cycles.

Behr’s North American headquarters is in Troy, Michigan. Behr America has nearly 2,200 employees at facilities in Troy, Mich.; Dayton, Ohio; Charleston, S.C.; Fort Worth, Texas, and Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.

Behr GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart, Germany, is a systems partner for the international automobile industry. A specialist for automotive air-conditioning and engine-cooling systems, the Behr Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of original equipment for passenger and commercial vehicles. Group sales in the 2009 business year came to approximately $3.5 billion. Currently, Behr employs approximately 16,000 staff at 17 development locations, 28 production locations and 12 joint ventures worldwide.