Skip to main content

Clean diesel projects ‘best choice for use of VW settlement’

Clean diesel technology is the best choice for mitigating NOx emissions in the US as part of the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust, according to the non-profit education association Diesel Technology Forum. In a presentation at the 2017 Energy Policy Outlook Conference hosted by the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), Ezra Finkin, the policy director for the Forum, highlighted why clean diesel technology is the best and most cost-effective choice for the immediate mitigation
February 13, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Clean diesel technology is the best choice for mitigating NOx emissions in the US as part of the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust, according to the non-profit education association Diesel Technology Forum.
 
In a presentation at the 2017 Energy Policy Outlook Conference hosted by the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), Ezra Finkin, the policy director for the Forum, highlighted why clean diesel technology is the best and most cost-effective choice for the immediate mitigation of NOx emissions. He said replacing or upgrading the oldest and largest engines with clean diesel technology is the fastest and most proven way to reduce NOx emissions and achieve the objectives of the settlement.
 
The US$14.7 billion settlement reached between VW, the Attorney General and the Department of Justice includes the Environmental Mitigation Trust, designed to repower or replace older heavy-duty vehicles and equipment with new technology to reduce NOx emissions.  Public and private fleet vehicles are eligible for funding under the program.
 
According to Finkin, new clean diesel engines are near-zero in NOx emissions and are the most cost effective solution in reducing emissions to meet the specific goals established in the Trust.  “For a fixed investment, more NOx can be reduced through investments in clean diesel technology than any other alternative, including natural gas and all-electric applications,” he said.

He stated that, while not primary objectives of the settlement, policymakers should take into consideration these additional and immediate benefits from the clean diesel options.

Related Content

  • The financial benefits of public transport
    July 16, 2012
    According to the UITP, the International Association of Public Transport, public transport offers even better value for money than usually stated. To address the issue, it has released a Focus Paper - Assessing the benefits of public transport - and is holding a special session dedicated to the theme during the UITP World Congress in Vienna, Austria, from 7-11 June.
  • Most Americans support usage fees to pay for transportation infrastructure
    April 29, 2016
    Nearly two-thirds of Americans would support the use of road-usage fee options such as vehicle miles travelled or mileage-based user fees to help fund transportation costs, according to a new America Thinks national public opinion survey conducted by Kelton Global on behalf of infrastructure firm HNTB Corporation. The survey, Transportation Mobility 2016, also found that close to 170 million Americans (69 per cent) agree priced managed lanes should be considered when making improvements to US highways.
  • Fuel cell system sets record
    April 16, 2012
    UTC Power, a United Technologies company, has announced that one of its latest generation PureMotion System Model 120 fuel cell powerplants for hybrid-electric transit buses has surpassed 10,000 operating hours in real-world service with its original cell stacks and no cell replacements. This powerplant is aboard an Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) bus operating in the Greater Oakland, California area.
  • US drivers turning to alternative fuel vehicles says research
    December 19, 2012
    Increasing numbers of US customers are turning to alternative fuel vehicles, according to the latest research from Mintel, which shows that sales are up 73%, with nearly 440,000 hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electrics sold thus far this year. The rapid sales growth in hybrid and electric vehicles makes the segment the fastest growing in the US for 2012, supplanting the still fast growing, compact car vehicle segment. The number of plug-in and electric models available to the public has nearly quadrupled over