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I'd view this as a "transitional technology" bandage. Much like Ford managed to put more hose plumbing under the 80-90's hoods to flip over backwards and spit nickles for emissions. I'd expect this method to be trumped by some inovation that's already in development ..but not quite ready for prime time. You'll end up tap dancing to get "OEM approved" Urea for your injection system after it quickly fades into obsolescence.
Another thing I was reading about it is that since there is no difference in driveability whether or not there is fluid in the reservoir, they're most likely going to have a level sensor in the reservoir that will trip a light and make the engine run at a reduced power "limp in" mode till the fluid is replenished.
Not that it couldn't probably be easily bypassed. For that matter, it probably wouldn't be smart enough to know whether there's urea or just plain water in the reservoir. Wonder what plain water injection would do to a catalyst compared to urea?
BTW, the over-plumbed Fords from the '80s and '90s always smelled nice and clean out the tailpipes. Complex, yes, but it did work. You could always smell "Ford exhaust" when they were running in the shop or you were standing near the back of one. It was a unique smell compared to the way the GMs and Chryslers smelled. The GM products always smelled the dirtiest. I know my nose isn't a 4-gas analyzer, but being around cars in various states of tune, I can smell one that's running excessively rich, lean, or correct.
Also, ever notice on the newer Fords, especially the trucks, the tailpipes almost never are carboned or sooty. Most the time, they're spotless clean and the color of plain silver metal. I've seen it even on trucks with lots of miles on them. Can't say the same for a GM or Dodge which always have a soot ring around the end of the tailpipe. Exactly what that tells me I don't completely know, but it is something that's not seen in other brands.
