Trucks ready to roll on EPA's 2007 clean diesel spec
Industry organisation, Diesel Technology Forum, has announced that all major heavy-duty truck and engine manufacturers have met new Environmental Protection Agency standards for emissions cuts and have been certified by EPA for full production. To meet the new emissions requirements, new long-haul trucks are equipped with particulate matter filters which result in 2007 models being 90 percent cleaner than the previous generation. Nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions have also been reduced significantly with new technology.
Manufacturers now certified by the EPA to meet the most stringent diesel emissions standards in the world include Caterpillar, Cummins, Detroit Diesel Corp., International, Mack and Volvo. With 94 percent of goods shipped via diesel trucks, the life-cycle emissions of any products will fall as new trucks replace aging rigs on the road. Once new trucks fully replace the existing fleet, EPA predictions put the reduction in emissions of smog-forming gases at 2.6 million tons each year, and soot emissions at 110,000 tons annually.
Analysis: With clean(er) diesel technology now on the market via new 2007 truck models, governments need to look at incentives to get old trucks off the road. All the hard work by the truck and engine manufacturers to meet the EPA rules won't amount to much if it takes thirty years to turn over the fleet.
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[Source: Diesel Technology Forum]
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