Diesel Technology Forum Executive Director Allen Schaeffer says nearly 3 million heavy-duty diesel commercial vehicles introduced in the U.S. from 2011 through 2016 are now on the road.
“These trucks have delivered important benefits in the form of cleaner air, fewer carbon dioxide emissions and dramatic fuel savings,” Schaeffer says. “Over a 5 year period, the newest generation commercial vehicles have saved 4.2 billion gallons of diesel fuel, and reduced 43 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), 21 million tonnes of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 1.2 million tonnes of particulate matter.”
California, which ranks 46th nationally with only about 25 percent of commercial trucks there equipped with the latest generation clean diesel technology, could eliminate another 200,000 tons of NOx and 11,000 tons of fine particles just by achieving the same new technology penetration as Indiana (51 percent).
The newest generation of clean diesel trucks have NOx emissions that are 99 percent lower than previous generations along with 98 percent fewer emissions of particulate matter, resulting in significant clean air benefits throughout the U.S. Beginning in 2011, all heavy-duty diesel trucks sold had to meet NOx emissions of no more than 0.20 grams per brake horse-power hour (g/BHP-hr.) in addition to particulate emissions levels of no more than 0.01 grams per brake horse-power hour (g/HP-hr.) established in 2007.
Class 8 tractor-trailer sized vehicle powered by the latest generation clean diesel engine, Schaeffer says, will save the owner 960 gallons of fuel each year, relative to the previous generation of technology.
“When these benefits are compounded over the entire population of the clean diesel fleet, the 4.2 billion gallons of fuel saved between 2011 and 2016 is equivalent to almost 40 percent of the strategic petroleum reserve,” he says.
