AUTOS

Tests on Radiator Coating Prove Disappointing: A platinum-based car radiator coating designed to make oxygen from ozone, the main ingredient in smog, might not be as effective at fighting air pollution as its inventors had envisioned. Tests in Los Angeles and computer projections by Ford Motor Co. suggest that the effect on ozone levels would be small even if every vehicle in the metropolitan area were equipped with such a radiator. Using a computer model based on a peak ozone level of 189 parts per billion and assuming all cars have the radiators, Ford researchers projected an overall ozone decrease of only 0.04 parts per billion. The maximum effect at any one place would be a reduction of 0.22 ppb, according to the model. The coating’s inventor, Engelhard Corp., projected a cut of 1.3 ppb at any location. Engelhard shares plunged $4.125 to $21.125 in NYSE trading. The company’s stock had soared 31% when it first announced the technology in April. The two companies are six months into a nine-month program to evaluate the coating’s potential for use in automobiles.