Nearly Half of All Commercial Trucks Now Powered by Clean Diesel Technology with Near Zero Emissions

Photo by Rhys Moult on Unsplash

Yesterday the Diesel Technology Forum released information from a new study with impressive new numbers regarding the adoption of advanced diesel technology. Nearly half (49%) of all commercial diesel trucks on the road today utilize the newest diesel engine technology, eliminating 202 million metric tons of CO2, 27 million metric tons of NOx ad 1.6 million metric tons of PM. All this has been achieved while simultaneously saving almost 20 billion gallons of diesel and 296 million barrels of crude. 

Right now 23 states exceed this average and Indiana leads the pack with 67% of its commercial trucks being 2011 or newer. 

To fully appreciate how significant these numbers are, consider this. The quantity of emissions and fuel savings is equivalent to replacing 43 million cars with EVs or creating a 210,000 acre wind farm (roughly 5 times the size of Washington D.C.).

How many Americans are aware of how much progress has been made in reducing toxic discharge? Throughout the coming decade we will see even greater environmental gains.

"Results from the newest technology diesel vehicles are growing in the form of cleaner air and fewer greenhouse gases in communities around the country," said Allen Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum. For those unfamiliar, the DTF is a not-for-profit association that represents leaders in diesel engines, equipment and fuels.

The primary reason all this is important is that diesel-powered commercial carriers are the primary, and favored, way of transporting goods across our ribbons of highway. Reliability, durability, low-cost acquisition and operation, high-value resale and flexibility head the list of reasons diesel-powered trucks are dominant. With the incremental improvements to achieve zero emissions and energy-efficient performance, diesel's contributions to our nation's economic growth are significant and unheralded.

Diesel Technology Forum continues to do important work as advocates on behalf of diesel. We're exceedingly appreciative of their lobbying efforts and all the numbers crunching they do to assemble this kind of encouraging information for the diesel community. 

The full article is a five minute read. You can check it out here.

Let's Stay the Course on Clean Diesel: Progress Is Being Made

A lot of Americans are unaware of how much progress has been made in terms of eliminating pollutants like nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Did you know that the new diesel trucks are so clean that it would take 60 of today's new generation diesels to equal the emissions from one truck sold in 1988? New technology diesel engines and the increased use of biobased diesel have contributed to noteworthy carbon reduction and clean air gains. 

All this has been documented, according to a recent Earth Day announcement from the Diesel Technology Forum. "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."

The announcement begins by acknowledging the new emphasis on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and tackling the climate challenge. To do this requires thinking through solutions and timetables that are customized to the realities of our time. Timetables have to correspond. But progress has already been extensive.

Today, more than 43 percent of commercial Class 3-8 vehicles utilize the newest generation technology (2011 and newer model years), up 6.8 percent over 2017. Since 2011, these nearly 5 million new-generation commercial diesel trucks "have already delivered reductions of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide (CO2)) in an amount equivalent to eliminating 26 million light-duty vehicles from the fleet or converting those to all electric vehicles." In other words, more than 18 million tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 126 million tons of CO2 have been removed.  

In short, tremendous progress has been made, and there's more to come.

Furthermore, in addition to the reduction in greenhouse gases, the advances in diesel technology have produced significant gains in fuel economy. From 2014 to 2018 530 million barrels of oil were saved in Phase 1, according to the EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Phase 2 rules will save nearly 2 billion barrels of oil from now till 2027.

 As diesel technology evolves, the four trends are defining the direction advances will take. First, increasing energy efficiency. Second, achieving low emissions. Third, expanding the use of renewable biodiesel fuels. And fourth, hybridization. We live in a world which depends on the transportation of goods. To effectively do this while meeting tomorrow's climate and clean air challenges will require continued innovation and efforts in trucking, marine, agriculture, construction and freight rail applications.

The steady progress in carbon reduction and clean air gains has been somewhat remarkable. It has also been fairly unheralded. This is why the Diesel Technology Forum strives to get the word out and works hard to increase awareness of its mission. 

Read the full Earth Day announcement here:  
ACCELERATING TURNOVER TO NEW TECHNOLOGY DIESEL ENGINES, INCREASED USE OF BIOBASED DIESEL FUELS ENSURE STEADY PROGRESS ON CARBON REDUCTION, CLEAN AIR GAINS 

How Big Is the Diesel Market? It's Bigger Than You Think and Getting Bigger

Photo by Tomasz Frankowski on Unsplash

From childhood I've always been interested in the future. How about you? Not that there's anything wrong with the present, but sooner or later today will be long gone and the future will be our home. As a result, we find ourselves thinking about things like will people one day live on the moon or will cars float above the ground like a hover board in Back to the Future? 

That latter image came from the bck of a cereal box when I was a boy in the Sixties. They made it seem like this would take place in the 1980s. We would not only wear out tires, but would also be able to ride across rivers and lakes. Or so we imagined.

As far fetched as that all sounds, here is something that many people could not imagine: that loud, smelly diesel engines would not only get quieter but actually reduce emissions to near zero.  

The fact that this has been happening during the course of our lifetime has hardly received any fanfare, yet it's been happening. This is one reason why diesel is still a growth market. 

According to a recent article in MENAFN,  the diesel engine market will experience a compound annual growth rate of 6.8% per year for the next four years, to more than $332 billion dollars. The article briefly explains what diesel engines are and why this growth will continue.

An article about Clean Diesel in Diesel Technology Forum goes even further out in its projects. The forum authors write:

Diesel is projected to retain a dominant role, thanks to continuous improvement in emissions reductions and improving efficiency.

Today’s cleaner diesel fuels, advanced engines and effective emission controls combine to achieve near zero emissions for fine particles and smog forming compounds like oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Clean diesel’s proven energy efficiency and ability to use renewable fuels position diesel as a key technology to achieve cleaner air, lower greenhouse gas emissions and a sustainable environment around the world.

Cleaner diesel fuel, advanced engines and effective emissions control make up a new generation of diesel. It's clean diesel.

For more information, watch the video and read What Is Clean Diesel

While reading up on all these things I came across this statement at yet another site. By 2027, heavy-duty diesel trucks in the U.S. will deliver a majority of the anticipated 1 billion tons of CO2 reductions, thanks to improved fuel economy standards.

This is a topic that I am researching right now because of a couple articles I have read that seem to be excessively critical of diesel trucks right now.  The efficiency improvements in diesel engine technology have been nothing short of phenomenal. 

Have a great day and enjoy your ride.