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This book chronicles a 35-year success story - the technology that was developed and the progress that was made to achieve the goal of reducing air pollution from automobiles. "Air pollution from automobiles as of the year 2000 will have been lowered to levels less than 5% of those for pre-control era vehicles," writes author J. Robert Mondt, who spent over 30 years working on the development of emission control systems for automobiles. Mondt covers both the technological and political aspects of this effort, from the early environmental concerns in California to the Clean Air Acts of the 1960s to the introduction of catalytic converters in 1975. He also covers the revised Clean Air Acts of the 1960s to the introduction of catalytic converters in 1975.

Catalytic converters are a primary component of an automotive emissions control system used to control exhaust emissions to the low levels required by current regulations. During cold starts, the converter is ineffective until it reaches a lightoff temperature of approximately 3500 C. During this time 50% to 80% of the regulated hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions are emitted from the tailpipe. To reduce these cold start emissions to meet the more stringent emission standards required by the Revised Clean Air Act of 1990 and the more restrictive California emissions standards, the catalytic converter must be heated quickly to lightoff temperature. Conservation of exhaust thermal energy is one of several approaches being studied to quicken lightoff. Much thermal energy is available in the gases leaving the combustion chamber with temperatures exceeding 350°C following engine ignition.