• EUREKA Lillehammer Award bestowed for product that makes a “substantial contribution towards sustainable preservation of the environment”
• Cylinder Pressure Sensor provides low-cost solution for automakers
• Sensor reduces certain harmful diesel emissions as much as 90%

ALMELO, the Netherlands | July 7, 2008 | Sensata Technologies Holland B.V. received the 2008 EUREKA Lillehammer Award for its breakthrough Cylinder Pressure Sensor (CPS) for diesel car engines. This pressure sensor eliminates up to 90% of unhealthy nitrogen oxide and particle emissions and promotes better fuel mileage.

EUREKA bestows this honor annually upon the organization that makes a “substantial contribution towards sustainable preservation of the environment.”

The coveted pan-European award was presented jointly to Sensata and BERU AG of Germany at the EUREKA Ministerial Conference in Ljubljana, the Republic of Slovenia on June 6, 2008.

Thanks in part to a EUREKA funding grant, engineers at Sensata in The Netherlands and BERU, a German glow-plug manufacturer, developed a combined sensor-glow plug for diesel car engines. Automakers build a glow plug into each diesel cylinder to sufficiently warm the fuel and air so drivers can quickly start cold engines.

CPS is the first sensor of its kind that is both reliable and inexpensive enough to enable mass production by automakers that must meet new emissions standards. One automaker is already installing it and two others are expected to begin installing it soon. This sensor could also be adapted for use in diesel trucks.

“Winning the EUREKA Lillehammer Award is an honor for Sensata Technologies especially because it reinforces our image and success since our separation from Texas Instruments two years ago,” said Sensata’s Dr. Arjan Kölling. “This award brings attention to another example of Sensata’s commitment to help address the world’s growing needs for safety, energy efficiency, and a clean environment.”

Promotes optimum combustion

Sensata’s Piezo-resistive pressure sensor measures both static and dynamic pressures, which makes it possible to maximize combustion. Optimum combustion minimizes the production of harmful nitrogen oxide and microscopic particles and improves fuel mileage. In fact, Cylinder Pressure Sensor reduces nitrogen oxide and particle emissions from diesel engines by as much as 90%. The quality of the engine electronic-control system determines what percentages of the emissions are eliminated.

Particles 2.5 microns in diameter or smaller and nitrogen oxide are dangerous to human health. For this reason, the EU and U.S. have enacted regulations to greatly reduce these pollutants. The CPS-glow plug combination gives diesel-engine makers an easy way to meet these tougher standards.

The product adds little cost because it eliminates the need for a major redesign of engines. Instead, engine makers can install CPS glow plugs as they would install standard glow plugs. Sensata’s revolutionary sensor also reduces or eliminates the need for vehicles to have expensive nitrogen-oxide filters in their exhaust steam to meet emissions requirements.

Dr. Kölling added that the glow plug sensor unit is easy to design as a screw-in replacement for an existing glow plug.

Finally, unlike Piezo-electric sensors, the Piezo-resistive CPS is expected to remain accurate throughout the life of the engine. In fact, the design is robust enough to withstand engine vibrations as well as combustion temperatures that can reach 900°C (1,652°F).

The 2008 Lillehammer Award is the third award that Sensata has received for its Cylinder Pressure Sensor. A panel of independent judges selected Sensata as the recipient of the Overijssel Innovation Award for 2006. The Province of Overijssel in The Netherlands presents this award to a local firm that has developed an innovative new product that promotes commercial success.

In 2007, Sensata won the Dutch Automotive Technology Center Award based on the combination of innovation and relevance to society that Cylinder Pressure Sensor provides.