The new generation of diesel technology is helping ports, cities, communities and entire nations meet climate and clean air challenges of today and tomorrow, according to a statement submitted today by the Diesel Technology Forum, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of diesel engines, fuel and the latest generations of advanced diesel technologies and fuels.
“Today’s advanced diesel technologies are more widely adopted, more energy efficient and lower in emissions than previous generations, with even further improvements coming online. Coupled with growing success using advanced renewable bio-based fuels, diesel engines are well-positioned for the future of goods movement in America and around the world,” said the Forum’s executive director, Allen Schaeffer. “As elected officials debate our future energy and technology paths, we must not take our eye off the importance of continued progress today and technologies like diesel that are delivering substantial climate benefits and clean air and economic progress on a wide scale, now. Getting more new-technology diesel engines on the road will deliver the biggest clean air impacts at the lowest cost, while also helping achieve climate goals.”
Schaeffer continued: “As verified by the Health Effects Institute Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study (ACES), the emissions control technologies present in the newest-generation diesel applications – technologies meeting U.S. 2007/2010, Euro VI/6, China 6, and Bharat Stage VI (India) standards – deliver dramatic improvements in emissions. The study affirmed that the aftertreatment technologies used in modern diesel engines are highly effective: diesel particulate filters reduce particulate matter (PM) emissions by more than 90 percent, and selective catalytic reduction systems reduce smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 94 percent. Researchers also noted that ‘the overall toxicity of exhaust from modern diesel engines is significantly decreased compared with the toxicity of emissions from traditional-technology diesel engines.’
“Today, diesel remains the dominant technology in long-haul trucking, powering 97 percent of Class 8 big-rig trucks in the United States. A growing percentage of diesel-powered commercial trucks rely on the newest-generation diesel technologies, which deliver near-zero emissions performance while using less fuel: today, more than 36 percent of commercial Class 3-8 vehicles are of this newest-generation technology (2011 and newer model years), up from 30 percent in 2016. These more than 4.9 million new-generation commercial diesel trucks have removed more than 26 million tonnes of NOx and 59 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), compared to previous generations. These new trucks are so clean that it would take 60 new-generation diesel trucks to equal the emissions from one truck sold in 1988.
“In ports, air quality is rapidly improving thanks to the accelerated turnover to new clean diesel enginesdeployed in many cargo handling applications, along with retrofit activities to install emission control technologies on older diesel engines. Nowhere is this more evident than in Southern California. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach estimate that between 2005 and 2015, fine particle emissions (PM) fell by 85 percent or 745 tons per year, while NOx fell by 51 percent or 8,325 tons per year. Other ports have also reported similarly impressive emission reductions. The overwhelming majority of these clean air achievements are attributable to the introduction of clean diesel technology, rather than to alternative fuels.
“Furthermore, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimate that the Commercial Vehicle Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Standards Phase 1 rules saved 270 million tons CO2 and 530 million barrels of oil between 2014 and 2018, and that the Phase 2 rules will save another 1 billion tons of CO2 and nearly 2 billion barrels of oil between 2021 and 2027. Knowing that the majority of medium and heavy-duty trucks run on diesel, and that the larger benefits are derived from Class 8 trucks that are almost exclusively run on diesel, it is safe to say the majority of these CO2-reduction benefits are delivered by diesel technologies.
“Even further progress for lower emissions is on the horizon, as truck and engine manufacturers are engaged with the U.S. EPA and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) on the Clean Truck Initiative, developing tomorrow’s generation of diesel engines. From coupling with hybrid-electric technology and battery-storage systems, to pushing thermal efficiency boundaries, to advanced waste-heat recovery systems, to utilizing high-quality advanced renewable biodiesel fuels, new-generation advanced diesel technology is uniquely suited to enable commercial trucking to contribute to our sustainable future.”