With 98% of the largest trucks powered by diesel engines, it says, current and future advancements in clean diesel technology will be vital to achieving the new limits.
“Today’s final rules establish a bold challenge to further increase fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to unprecedented levels from a wide range of commercial vehicles,” says Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the non-profit Diesel Technology Forum.
“The demands on heavy-duty engine and truck manufacturers are numerous,” he says.
“In addition to compliance with these new fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions requirements on a wide variety of customisable products, they must ensure near zero emissions performance for at least 435,000 miles... The largest trucks must be able to move 80,000 pounds up mountains at 60 miles per hour, run 100,000 to 120,000 miles a year, in every corner of the United States, while doing it all at the lowest possible cost.
“Consistently meeting and exceeding these extraordinary demands is why diesel engines power 98% of all the largest commercial trucks today and will do so for the foreseeable future.”
Schaeffer says the Forum will be fully reviewing the new standards “in the days ahead” and will offer more insight on what he describes as a “new complex rule”.