Honda says it has developed a new catalyst which reduces the use of rhodium, one of the precious metals used in a typical catalyst, by 50%.
Honda will adopt the new catalyst first to the North American version of the all-new 2013 Accord, which will go on sale in the US later this month. The plan is to adopt the new catalyst sequentially to other models.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Honda says that against a background of increasing global vehicle production and the global trend of strengthening emission regulations, the demand for precious metals used for catalysts (including platinum, rhodium and palladium), is expected to continue to increase in the future. Honda has been committed to the effort to reduce the use of precious metals for its catalysts, and has successfully applied a catalyst that does not contain any platinum into practical use with the current model of the North American Accord.
The newly developed catalyst, Honda maintains, allows palladium to speed up the process of absorption and desorption of oxygen, therefore enabling reduced use of rhodium in the purification of exhaust emissions.
The adoption of this new catalyst will reduce overall use of precious metals by 22% (including the 50% reduction in rhodium) compared to the current model of Accord.
Honda adds that the development of the new catalyst has also reduced the cost by 37% while complying with the California state standards in SULEV category of the LEV II regulation, which is one of the strictest emissions regulation in the world.
